Dory Funk Jr. is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and trainer who has achieved immense success globally throughout his illustrious career. Prior to his wrestling endeavors, he was a football player at West Texas State University, where he honed his skills alongside several future stars.
In 1963, Funk Jr. made his professional wrestling debut, having trained under the tutelage of his father, Dory Funk Sr., and the legendary Lou Thesz. He went on to compete for the Funk Family's Western States Sports promotion in Amarillo, Texas, where he held an impressive array of titles, including the NWA North American Heavyweight Title, the NWA Texas (Amarillo) Brass Knuckles Title, the NWA World (Amarillo) Tag Team Titles, the NWA International Tag Team Titles, the NWA Western States Tag Team Titles, and the NWA (Amarillo) International Heavyweight Title.
Funk Jr. and his brother, Terry Funk, formed an unstoppable tag team, capturing gold in various promotions across the globe, including Georgia, Los Angeles, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Florida. One of his most notable achievements was defeating Gene Kiniski for the NWA World Heavyweight Title at the "CWF Gasparilla Spectacular 1969" event in Tampa, Florida, on February 11, 1969. He went on to hold the belt for four years before losing it to Harley Race at an NWA Central States event in Kansas City, Kansas, on May 24, 1973.
In the 1990s, Funk Jr. established a wrestling school in Ocala, Florida, initially known as the Funkin' Dojo, where he trained a plethora of future stars, including Kurt Angle, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Lita (Amy Dumas),and Test (Andrew Martin). He later transformed the school into his own promotion, the Funkin' Conservatory.
Throughout his illustrious career, Funk Jr. has been inducted into several prestigious halls of fame, including the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996, the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, and the NWA Hall of Fame in 2006. He and his brother, Terry, are considered among the most successful gaijin (western) stars in the history of Japanese professional wrestling.
