Legendary wrestler Dory Funk Jr. has passed away at the age of 85, according to an announcement made by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Chief Operating Officer Paul Levesque on August 4, 2026. The news marks the end of an era for the sport, celebrating the life and impact of one of wrestling’s biggest names.
Older brother of the late Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr. built a remarkable career spanning seven decades. In addition to his work in the ring, he also dedicated himself to training, maintaining his own wrestling school, where he trained several generations of athletes.
Born in Hammond, Indiana, Funk won the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship, considered the most prestigious singles title in the sport, in 1969, defeating Gene Kiniski in Tampa. He held the belt for more than four years, a reign of 1,563 days that placed it as the second longest in history, behind only Lou Thesz’s recognized 2,300 days, before losing it to Harley Race in Kansas City.
During his career in the NWA, Funk faced big names like Nick Bockwinkle, Ernie Ladd, Mil Mascaras and Wahoo McDaniel. The best-known rival of his career was Jack Brisco, with whom he shared the ring in 160 clashes between 1966 and 1983, creating one of the biggest rivalries of the time.
Dory Funk Jr. dedicated much of his career to Japan, working in All Japan Pro-Wrestling (AJPW). There, he became NWA International Heavyweight Champion three times. In AJPW, Funk competed against renowned Japanese athletes, such as Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta and Toshiaki Kawada, as well as great foreign talents, such as Stan Hansen, Ted DiBiase and Bruiser Brody.
He also had a successful period as a tag team fighter alongside his younger brother, Terry Funk. The Funk brothers won several team titles across the United States and won AJPW’s Strongest Tag Determination League on three occasions. Terry Funk, meanwhile, won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1975, making them the only brother duo in history to hold the prestigious belt.
In 1986, Funk had a brief stint in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he was known as “Hoss Funk”. Alongside Terry Funk, he defeated the duo Tito Santana and Junkyard Dog at WrestleMania II, in Los Angeles. His departure from the promotion occurred in the summer of that year. Later in 2009, Dory Funk Jr. was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, a well-deserved recognition for his contribution to the sport.
Canada was also present in Funk’s trajectory. He defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship several times at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, with victories over Kiniski, Johnny Valentine and The Sheik. In 1982, he unsuccessfully challenged Ric Flair for the title in the same venue. His last fight in Toronto was in the WWF Big Event at the Exhibition Stadium in 1986.
Dory Funk Jr. also had stints in Calgary, working for Stampede Wrestling. There, he successfully defended the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Billy Robinson, Abdullah the Butcher and Kiniski. In 1978, he failed to regain the Harley Race title at the Victoria Pavilion. In later appearances in Calgary, Funk shared the ring with a young Bret Hart in 1979 and with Brian Pillman in 1995, showing his influence on different generations.
In the early days of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Funk made appearances alongside Terry, who would later become ECW World Heavyweight Champion. Among his matches in the promotion, he teamed up with his brother in a barbed wire match with no ropes against The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge) in 1994. His last appearance in ECW was in 1997, in an unsuccessful challenge against Shane Douglas for the belt.
In his later years, Funk made sporadic appearances, participating in conventions and fighting in events associated with them. He was in the 1996 Royal Rumble, faced Samoa Joe in 2006, and teamed with the Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner) in 2020. His last recognized match came in 2024, when he teamed with Osamu Nishimura against Raijin Yaguchi and Atsushi Onita in Kanagawa, Japan, ending his active career.
A resident of Ocala, Florida, Funk ran the Funking Conservatory, his wrestling school founded in 1991. The institution taught the “Dory Funk Method,” emphasizing safety, in-ring performance and television skills. In the late 1990s, the Funk brothers also organized seminars known as Funkin’ Dojo for WWF hopefuls. In these trainings, future talents such as Kurt Angle, Adam “Edge” Copeland, Christian Cage, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy passed, consolidating his legacy as a star trainer.
