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  4. Dory Funk, Jr. looks back at his 4-year run as NWA champion

dory-funk-jrHost Jack E. Jones welcomed former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk, Jr. to IYH Wrestling Radio. Dory is the fifth longest reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champion of all time, holding the title for over four years.

Highlights included the following:

* Was it intentional that your brother Terry was the more hardcore wrestler and you were the more technical wrestler, or was that just your personalities?

“I guess it probably reflects our real personalities. You wouldn’t believe it, but we both had the same teacher, who was my father, Dory Funk, Sr. He had a side of him that was a great wrestler, he was an amateur wrestler from Indiana University and had a terrific wrestling career, but he also was the king of the Texas Death Matches. Some of the bloodiest battles I’d ever seen in my life took place when I was a kid in Amarillo, Texas, watching my father. So, I guess my brother picked up one side of what my father taught, and I picked up the other side.”

* What was it like to have a four-year run as NWA World Champion?

“There is nothing like being in the ring performing for the wrestling fans…It’s what you do all the hard work in wrestling for; it’s for the performance. That’s the most pleasure in wrestling. It’s not like it was a grind; it was a pleasure. At that time, with the leadership of the National Wrestling Alliance and Sam Muchnick, every place I went was a first-class trip. It was the best hotels; it was fabulous money and a fabulous way of life. It gave me the opportunity to provide my family will all that they needed at that time. I enjoyed every minute of it, especially the time in the ring. There is another part of it that you mention, and that is the part of being away from home, and that’s a sacrifice that you have to make, but I think it was good for everybody. I think it was good for family, I think it was good for me, and I certainly enjoyed it and had a wonderful time doing it.”

Other topics discussed included:
* What did he think of the name “Hoss” Funk while he was in the WWF?
* When did he know for sure that he was going to get in the wrestling business?
* Did he have a favorite territory to wrestle in?
* How would he rate Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen in terms of great big men in the wrestling business?

Dory Funk, Jr. will be appearing at the New England Pro Wrestling FanFest 2014 on Saturday, June 21, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island. For additional information, go to http://nepwhof.weebly.com/. Also, for information on his
wrestling school, go to www.dory-funk.com.

This interview is available for listening at http://www.iyhwrestling.com/viewnews.php?autoid=24643