{"id":575075,"date":"2026-08-05T02:00:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T02:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/575075\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T02:00:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T02:00:08","slug":"dory-funk-jr-dead-wwe-hall-of-famer-part-of-famed-wrestling-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/575075\/","title":{"rendered":"Dory Funk Jr. dead: WWE Hall of Famer, part of famed wrestling family"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dory Funk Jr.<\/a>, a pro wrestling icon and one of three members of the Funk family to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame<\/a>, has died at age 85.<\/p>\n

Marti Funk, Funk\u2019s wife of 40 years, told Florida\u2019s Ocala Gazette<\/a> that her husband died Tuesday while in hospice care. No further details were given.<\/p>\n

Born on Feb. 3, 1941, in Hammond, Ind., Funk was the oldest of Dory and Dorothy Funk\u2019s two sons. Spending most of his childhood in Amarillo, Texas, Funk grew up admiring his father, a professional wrestler and promoter who once wrestled in Canada as a heel named the Outlaw who hailed from the fictitious location Double Cross Ranch. As wrestlers, Funk and his brother, Terry, often were billed as being from there as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a kid, I used to dream I could do all the things my father could do,\u201d Funk said<\/a> during a 2007 interview for World Wrestling Entertainment. \u201cI wanted to be just like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Funk played offensive and defensive line on the West Texas State University football team (now West Texas A&M) from 1959 to 1962 \u2014 he was inducted into the university\u2019s athletics Hall of Fame in 1990 \u2014 and went straight into professional wrestling. His 50-plus years in the business included stints in a number of associations across the U.S. and Japan. <\/p>\n

He was the National Wrestling Alliance heavyweight champion for more than four years uninterrupted (February 1969 to May 24, 1973). In 1986, Funk and his brother joined WWE (then known as WWF) as a team and defeated Tito Santana and Junkyard Dog at WrestleMania 2.<\/p>\n

Funk\u2019s involvement in wrestling also expanded into promotion. In addition, he and Marti owned and operated the Funking Conservatory, a wrestling school where he trained a number of future WWE superstars including Kurt Angle, Christian, Edge, the Hardy Boyz, Mark Henry and Mickie James.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was such a good guy,\u201d Marti told the Ocala Gazette, \u201csuch a good guy!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Funk brothers were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Dory Funk Sr., who died in 1973 at age 54, was inducted posthumously to the hall\u2019s Legacy Wing in 2025. Terry Funk died in 2023 at age 79.<\/p>\n

WWE chief content officer Triple H<\/a> announced Funk\u2019s death Tuesday afternoon on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the Double Cross Ranch to the @WWE Hall of Fame, Dory\u2019s style inspired countless performers in our industry\u201d Triple H wrote<\/a>. \u201cWhether it was at WrestleMania 2, WCW, ECW, or the dozens of NWA-affiliated promotions, his travels across North America and Asia were a part of the early blueprint that helped build this business into a global phenomena. <\/p>\n

\u201cA hard-nosed and fierce competitor, his rugged in-ring style was only eclipsed by the decades he spent training athletes to perform in the squared circle he loved so much. My thoughts and those of the entire @WWE Universe are with his loved ones during this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n