Dory Funk Jr. Dead At 85 - Wrestling Legend Passes Away (WWE News)

The legendary Dory Funk Jr. has passed away at the age of 85.

by Andrew Pollard
Dory Funk Jr
NWA

In some sad news, the legendary Dory Funk Jr. has passed away at the age of 85. Speaking to the Ocala Gazette, Dory's wife Marti revealed that he passed away under hospice care yesterday.

The Cauliflower Alley Club and B. Brian Blair were the first to break this tragic news last night, taking to X with the following:

Viewed by many as one of, if not the, greatest NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion of all time - defeating Gene Kiniski for that title in 1969, defending it nearly 600 times, before losing it to Harley Race in 1973, clocking in at a mammoth 1,563-day reign - Dory Funk Jr. began his pro wrestling career in 1963, going on to have major success across the globe, particularly under the NWA banner and for All Japan Pro Wrestling.

Funk actually wrestled as recently as 2024, where he teamed with Osamu Nishimura against Atushi Onita and Raijin Yaguchi in a Double Hell Current Explosion Death contest to honour both Onita and Dory's late brother, the great Terry Funk. Prior to that, Dory had remarkably continued to be regularly active until 2018.

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A multiple-time Hall of Famer, with championships won all around the world, Dory Jr. - son of wrestler-turned-promoter Dory Funk Sr. - also had a hand in training the stars of tomorrow through his Funking Conservatory wrestling school, which led to joining with the then-WWF for the Funkin' Dojo, which played a part in shaping the careers of the likes of Kurt Angle, Mark Henry, Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, and the Hardys.

As one would expect, the pro wrestling world has been quick to pay respect to the career and life of one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots.

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Condolences from all of us here at WhatCulture Wrestling to the family, friends, and fans of Dory. Funk Jr. May he rest well.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.