The ring of life

Dory Funk Jr. poses with a replica of his Heavyweight Wrestling Champion of the World belt at his home in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, January 23, 2026. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.

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Posted January 27, 2026 | By Susan Smiley-Height, [email protected]

He may be getting ready to turn 85 on Feb. 3, but when Dory Funk Jr. puts up his dukes, he means business — or he’s just having some fun.

It’s usually the massive grin that gives away the latter.

Ocala’s own wrestling icon is as tall as can be, and when you top him off with his signature cowboy hat, he nearly scrapes the ceiling. His smile is mega-watt, and his Texas drawl oozes out like warm maple syrup.

And you never see the world champ without his faithful companion, Marti, to whom he will have been married for 40 years on Feb. 21.

Dory is retired now, and the couple no longer runs the Funking Conservatory, where he taught a long list of contemporary wrestling stars, but this dynamic duo still draws a crowd wherever they go.

Earlier this month, while attending a convention in Jacksonville, Dory was featured in “Going Ringside” on Jax Channel 4 and his family was featured in the “Dave Knows Wrestling” show on YouTube, which was described as a “deep dive into the history of the legendary Funk family and their influence on the wrestling business.”

And what a business that has been.

In April of last year, Dory Funk Sr. became a legacy inductee into the WWE Wrestling Hall of Fame, joining his sons Dory Jr. and Terry. During a recent interview with the “Gazette” at his home in Ocala, Dory Jr. donned his father’s diamond WWE hall of fame ring, which is about the size of an egg, and talked with pride about his early days of learning life lessons from his dad on their ranch in Texas. Dory’s own hall of fame ring, along with his gold National Wrestling Alliance Champion of the World Wrestling Heavyweight belt, are currently on display in Japan, but he does have a replica belt at home in Ocala, which was on a table nearby.

“His belt was the last one made with real gold, 10 ounces of gold,” Marti said of the one that is on display in Japan.

According to Dory’s website, his father was more than a wrestling legend, “he was the iron-willed foundation of one of the sport’s greatest dynasties.” A World War II Navy veteran and gifted amateur wrestler, the senior Funk built his legacy in and out of the ring. As a performer, he was feared for his toughness and respected for his skill. As a promoter in Amarillo, Texas, he helped shape the future of pro wrestling and was a noted mentor to some of the most famous names in the business, the site notes.

Like a chip off the old block, Dory Jr. has cemented his place in wrestling history not only for his in-ring achievements, but also for being a promotional innovator and for his legacy as a respected coach and teacher.

He will be quick to tell you that taking good care of yourself physically is an absolute must for a professional, along with mastering the tactics that translate into magic when a skilled wrestler goes into the ring.

“And you have to have good instincts,” he added.

Dory was born Feb. 3, 1941. His career in professional wrestling began in 1963, following his college football career with West Texas State University.

It was at a wrestling match in Jacksonville in 1980 that Marti met Dory. She wasn’t into the sport but had gone along as a favor to a friend.

“I wound up on my chair screaming,” she recalled.

“It was September and then we went back in October. And then I chased him until he caught me,” she said with a laugh.

Over time, Dory’s list of accomplishments became extensive, including his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 and holding the CWA World Heavyweight Championship, WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, for which he was the second-longest reigning champion of all time.

His brother Terry also had a stellar career. Terry, who was known for his “hard core” style of wrestling, passed away in 2023.

It had been in 1973 that Dory had made his debut for All Japan Pro Wrestling, and he then went on to have a lengthy career with that organization. On Aug. 24, 2024, for his final professional match, Dory teamed up with old friend Osamu Nishimura. A wrestlingheadlines.com description of the event notes that it was a Double Hell Current Explosion Death Match at the FMW-E Terry Funk Memorial and Atsushi Onita 50th anniversary at the Fujitsu Kawasaki Stadium.

“At age 83, he teamed with Osamu Nishimura to defeat Atsushi Onita and Raijin Yaguchi. During the match, Dory was hit with an exploding baseball bat, but he successfully secured victory with a spinning toe hold after just over 13 minutes,” the post explains.

“He went out in a blaze of glory,” Marti said with a big grin, gently touching the strong arm of her hubby and hero.

When asked about some of the highlights of his storied career, Dory said in his best Texas drawl, “Well winning the world championships, of course. And my first match.”

“All of the promoters that I worked with, they had good associations with the wrestling fans and the publicity that comes out first gets everybody interested in going to the performance. The fans in Texas were terrific, really good, Florida too. And Japan,” he added.

When asked what advice he would have for young wrestlers just getting started, he at first said in a soft lift, “Never quit.” Then, a bit louder, “Never quit!” And then, very loudly and forcefully, “NEVER QUIT!”

Throughout this career, Dory has landed in the pages of a wide range of media, including print and television. Marti has “thousands of magazines from Japan” featuring her husband. She also has copies of the highly collectible July 1972 comic book, “The Incredible Hulk vs. Everybody!” which has a panel on page three that states: “Gotcha! This is the way Dory Funk Jr. always starts ‘rasslin’ matches… and if it’s good enough for the champ, it’s good enough for ol’ Benjamin Grimm!”

“Who knew Stan Lee was a Dory Funk fan,” Marti said with a smile.

In 2022, Dory wrote his own story, in his book “The Last of a Great Breed: True Stories from a Career in Pro Wrestling.” The cover photo, which features a snarling Dory, in a black cowboy hat, holding a bullwhip and with fire seemingly coming from his fist, was created by Dave Schlenker, a noted longtime Ocala writer, editor and photographer.

The two had formed a friendship over years of Dory being featured in the pages of the “Ocala Star-Banner,” where Schlenker worked for a long time. As a guy known for supporting local causes and for being a bit of a daredevil, Schlenker went head-to-head with Dory on Nov. 24, 2012, at the Funking Conservatory, in a match/fundraiser for the Marion County Literacy Council. 

Schlenker noted in a column published Nov. 8, 2012, that he had been encouraged to “smack-talk” Dory to amp up the stakes.

“After all, we will be fighting, and bloodthirsty fans will be screaming some smack of their own. Truth be told, Funk is a really nice guy. And I will feel guilty hurting him so much. He is, after all, like 500 years old and needs a good Schlenker whuppin’ to realize it’s finally time to leave the ring and buy a golf cart in The Villages,” Schlenker wrote.

“I now tell you Funk’s a punk! And his feet stink and he’s too tall and, I’ve heard, he hates puppies. His time has come and gone. There’s a new legend in town, and his feet do not smell as bad. I’M TALKING ABOUT ME! You hear me, Funk? Are you listening, Ebeneezer?? Even though I have nothing against you whatsoever, THIS IS PERSONAL! PERSONAL in all CAPS, which, for newspaper columnists, is REAL personal, Buster,” he continued.

As someone who was in the crowd that night, this writer can tell you those two truly did knock heads in the ring. Who won? Who cares? It was a night of fun for a good cause.

When asked a few days ago what he has to say about Dory nowadays, Schlenker texted: “I have always loved the dichotomy that is Dory Funk Jr. This is a guy who used to toss 300-pound to 400-pound dudes out of the ring after nearly crushing them with the spinning toe hold. There’s also barbed wire and blood in there somewhere. But he’s the sweetest, gentlest human. Just a bear of a grandfather. He’s an icon, both in Ocala and in professional wrestling.”

To learn more, go to dory-funk.com