Dory Funk Jr.

Dory Funk Jr., born Dorrance Earnest Funk in Hammond, Indiana, in 1941, was an American professional wrestler, promoter, booker and trainer who died in 2026. The son of Dory Funk Sr. and the brother of Terry Funk, he promoted the Amarillo, Texas based Western States Sports territory. He held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for 1,563 days from 1969 to 1973, the second longest uninterrupted reign in the title's history behind Lou Thesz, and he and Terry are the only siblings to have each held it. He also booked for Jim Crockett Promotions, helping shape the first Starrcade, worked as a foreign talent booker for All Japan Pro Wrestling, and ran the Funking Conservatory school in Ocala, Florida. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.