Dory Funk Jr.

[Grimmas]

Discuss here.

[Mr. Lacelle]

I'll be voting Dory for sure, The Funks are my favourite tag team of all time and Dory more than holds his own in those matches. He plays such a great stoic bad ass who is there to help his brother when he is out selling forever. I love Dory's subtle viciousness and I find he's criminally underrated by people who want him to be something that he isn't.

[Childs]

I love Dory's subtle viciousness and I find he's criminally underrated by people who want him to be something that he isn't.

 

You mean interesting?

 

I kid, I kid. I like Dory when he's fired up in a brawl.

[JerryvonKramer]

Dory was my nomination and you can read my reviews of his matches here: here, you'll also find reviews of his matches in my 80s Catch-up thread and territorial explorations

 

I am going to do some more tonight.

 

I nominated Dory for 3 reasons:

 

1. He had a rep as being one of the best workers in the world in his day, and as such, a whole generation of wrestling fans thought he was one of the greatest NWA champions. Terry Funk himself thinks Dory is GOAT, and it's not an uncommon opinion of workers and fans from that generation. His feud with Jack Brisco is said to have produced some of the greatest matches of all time. I've not reviewed them yet, because I've been building up to it.

 

2. He has been, I think, unfairly maligned by PWO / DVDR over the years. The chief charge is that Dory is boring and lacks charisma. I was as guilty as anyone in peddling that line. But it just isn't true. Dory's main problem, it seems to me, is threefold. First, that he's not Terry; second, that he looks like a high school teacher; third, that he's a master of an older NWA style and people have seen a lot of him in an all-action environment. The guy's peak was in the 70s, and the focus over the past few years has been on the 80s when Dory was slowing down. I think he's still great in 1981.

 

I will quote a line from one of my reviews.

 

The Funks compliment each others' characters very well, Terry is fire, Dory is ice. Terry's the life of the party, Dory's no-nonsense. Terry's the madness, Dory's the method. And they'll both kick your arse.

In his own quiet way, Dory has a lot of personality. He's stoical, but on occasion he can snap.

 

The problem a lot of people have is that he sometimes doesn't show a lot of urgency, but that's not generally his style. In brawls, however, when Dory needs to bring it, very often he does.

 

3. He has too many good matches to his name to ignore. The Funks are surely contenders for GOAT tagteam and he more than carried his share of the load. But he has a lot of great singles matches too.

 

He absolutely smokes, for example, Bob Backlund. And I say that as the bloody host of Titans of Wrestling. My aim is for people to give Dory another chance and to seek out some of these 70s matches I'm so high on.

 

So even at this point where I have many matches of his left to watch and review, I have a number of matches at **** and over. Even if you can't be bothered to read my reviews, here's a listing of the higher rated matches with a one-line summary:

 

[from AJWP 80s Set]

 

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy (8/31/83)

 

I had this at #4 overall on my ballot. Rating: ***** / A*

 

Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka vs. Dory and Terry Funk (12/13/81).

 

For some reason, Dory always brought it vs. Brody. Rating: **** / B+

 

[from Memphis set]

 

Jerry Lawler vs. Dory Funk Jr. (3/30/81)

 

Outstanding performance from Dory here in this great brawl which I have about the empty arena match with Terry. Rating: ****1/2 / A-

 

[70s All Japan]

 

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Horst Hoffman (12/15/75)

 

jdw recommended this one. World-class counter wrestling with brilliant matwork, attritional struggle, stiff strike exchanges and heated bombs. Rating: **** / B+

 

Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr vs. The Sheik and Abdullah the Butcher (9/19/78)

 

The best match I've seen on any footage this year which I put on par with Magnum vs. Tully. Dory is totally psychotic here and it's one of his career highs. Rating: ***** / A*

 

Terry & Dory Funk Jr. vs. The Sheik & Abdullah the Butcher (2/3 falls match, 07/15/79)

 

Tremendous rematch and exhibit A for "the stoical Dory", as he carries long portions of this while Terry is injured outside. Rating: ****3/4 / A

 

Terry & Dory Funk Jr. vs. Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta (11/30/79)

 

Another really good match in which you can see the respect Baba had for the Funks, because he sells his ass off for them. Dory is superb in this working on top during the heat sequences. Rating: ****1/2 / A-

 

[from elsewhere]

 

Dory Funk Jr vs. Mike Graham (Florida circa summer, 1981)

 

This is Dory as wily vet and master technician taking Graham to school. I think you could realistically make a case for Dory as being one of the top 5 workers in the world in 1981, and top 10 at the very least. Rating: **** / B+

 

-------------

 

Moving forward, I'll list any matches that get **** or over here with the short summary.

 

As for my own ballot, it's going to be interesting as to how high I'm going to go with Dory. A lot will hinge on how I take to the Brisco matches and on how much NWA champ era Dory I can dig up. Some of the stuff I saw on 70s Florida footage suggested that it's going to be very good. I gave a match vs. Jerry Brisco ***3/4.

 

I have been thinking hard about what to do with Dory on my ballot. I think there's a very realistic chance I'll have to put him above, for example, Arn Anderson (who I love), because he has just SO MANY great matches in his locker in both singles and tags. It's really a question of how many more there are beyond what I've seen. Depending on that, he could be as high as top 20.

[ohtani's jacket]

I took gleeful delight at that Backlund comment, but that's a great post Parv and hopefully what this forum will produce more of.

[PeteF3]

I'm going to vote for Dory, too. I think the Funks are a top-5 all-time team and he's had the "overrated" tag for so long that he's become underrated. At the very least I would put Dory on my list as a mere strategic pick, since I don't think he'll get a lot of love from many others.

 

Dory was the MVP of the '75 Open League in All-Japan, a tournament that also had Jumbo, Destroyer, Baba, Harley Race, Dick Murdoch, and Horst Hoffman--plus older stalwarts with high reps like Mr. Wrestling and Don Leo Jonathan and Pat O'Connor. He had the best match of the tour with Horst which was pure wrestling, the best Baron Von Raschke match I've seen, the remains of what looks like a terrific bomb-throwing match with Jumbo, and a fun bloody brawl with Abdullah.

[JerryvonKramer]

I've reviewed another ten matches here. It only took the best part of 6 hours.

 

Three of theses came in at **** or more, which I'll summarise below, but there were three more at ***3/4 that I'd also recommend. The Funks are real contenders for GOAT tagteam.

 

[all from All Japan]

 

Terry and Dory Funk Jr. vs. Nick Bockwinkel and Blackjack Lanza (09/21/78)

 

Excellent match featuring a great FIP performance from Terry and Dory bringing it on offense. Rating: ****1/2 / A-

 

Dory Funk Jr and Terry Funk vs. Rick Martel and Tom Zenk (11/29/86)

 

Extremely enjoyable match in which The Funks work heel and Martel puts on a showcase for why he's such a great babyface. Rating: **** / B+

 

Dory Funk Jr and Terry Funk vs. The Road Warriors (10/20/86)

 

Probably the best Road Warriors match I've ever seen as they trade bombs with the legends as if they were the Steiner Brothers. Rating: **** / B+

[BigBadMick]

I've watched quite a few of his early 80s AJPW tags too, enjoyed that. Let the Dory renaissance continue!

[JerryvonKramer]

It's been a disappointing haul for the recent batches of Dory I've been watching, but finally another match breaches the B+ line.

 

Dory Funk Jr vs. Billy Robinson (03/07/82)

 

Enjoyable 30-minute match worked at a fairly brisk pace for these two. More of a showcase for Robinson than Dory though. Rating: **** / B+

[goodhelmet]

Dory has no shot at my Top 100. I do agree that him and Terry make a great tag team. However, most of my enjoyment comes from Terry. Also, Dory on offense was painful to watch. Dory getting his ass kicked was enjoyable enough. I'll have the Funks in my tag list. Here is a list of stuff from the All Japan Classics I watched for the All Japan set with both positive and negative comments...

 

WILL:

Dory Funk Jr. v. Abdullah the Butcher (Toronto, 06/29/80)

- Maybe one of you can point it out but at no point did I see a spot where Abdullah could be busted open. Blood just started pouring 30 seconds in. Dory does his own multiple elbow drop routine but it doesn’t seem as devastating as when 300 lb Abdullah does it. They fight outside and the crowd comes alive when Abdullah teases falling off the entrance ramp. However, both men get counted out about 6 minutes in and that is that.

Dory and Terry Funk vs. The Sheik & Great Mephisto (11/28/80)

- This match wasn't that bad actually. Early on, they play it as a straight tag with the heels even working on Terry's back. Part of that work was Sheik biting his back repeatedly. Later on, Sheik and Terry go to Sheik's comfort zone in the crowd and Dory ends up beating Mephisto into the ring for a countout victory. This is short of a nomination but it was entertaining while it lasted.

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Nick Bockwinkle & Jim Brunzell (12/9/80)

- Early on, the Awa guys control the match, preventing Terry Funk from making the tag and cutting off the ring. When Terry finally makes the tag, Dory takes control but makes the mistake of tagging Terry in too soon to do a double suplex but Terry is soon on the losing end. This series has some cool spots such as Bock unloading forearms on Terry in the corner and Terry’s selling after Brunzell and Bock decide to work on the leg to prevent Terry from making his way to Dory by taking turns applying the Figure 4. Eventually, Terry makes the hot tag to Dory who applies a Boston Crab to Brunzell who reverses that, only to have Dory reverse into a three count. This started off a little slow but once the AWA team started working Terry over, my interest level picked up. Nomination.

Giant Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta v. Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk (Tag Final, 12/11/80)

- This is going to be rough as I go from a 6 minute match to a 45 minute match. However, I always like watching Jumbo vs. the Funks since you automatically have the student vs. teacher potential automatically built into the match. After a long feeling out process between both teams, the match gains some focus as the Funks start working over Jumbo’s leg after he got caught in a Dory Spinning Toe Hold. I think the AWA team work on the leg was more fun but it is kind of cool to see the Funks use the same tactic to keep advantage of the match that was used on them just two days prior. Jumbo escapes after back dropping Terry out of the ring and now Funk’s injured back becomes the focus of the match. Some of Funk’s selling in the match is too comical (back flip over the top rope after a Baba chop) but he sells the hell out of the back injury. Keep an eye out for him piggy-backing Terry in order to get the tag to Dory. The 2nd half of the match is a little less focused as both teams try to put away each other with big moves with the occasional nod to the earlier work. The 2nd half also has some pretty cool strike battles… Terry’s punches vs. Baba’s jumping chops and the Jumbo-Dory dueling European uppercut battle. Great finishing run as Terry coversDory to protect him from a top-rope knee drop and gets put out of commission. This leaves Dory in a handicap match for a duration until Terry gets back to his corner after Dory has absorbed a ton of punishment. When Terry makes the tag, the crowd goes nuts for Terry. He ends up brawling with Jumbo out of the ring but as they make their way back, Baba runs into Terry, knocking him off the apron, giving the natives the win. Sorry for the half-ass play-by-play but it really is the only way I can keep matches separated in my mind. This match is strong enough to easily move forward but there were some parts that bothered me. The crowd’s reaction and the failure of the wrestlers to keep it building is a problem. There were also a couple of points where the wrestlers decided to re-start the match and go a different path in the middle of the match. Still, this one moves forward.

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Terry Funk 4/30/81 (start at 9:23) (59:00)

-I guess when I do the Terry Funk comp, I'll have to include this match as a mattter of historical significance. However, damn is this boring to start off. You know they are going long but mix in a highspot here or there. There were some decent sequences and both guys were good on the mat but sequences that would have taken 5 minutes in a regular match were stretched to ten and fifteen minutes here. The first big move happens about 25 minutes in as Terry gets backdropped out of the ring. He injures his leg on the way out so Dory tries to put the spinning toe hold on and Terry has to find ways to block it. I have to compare this to the Jumbo-Kerry match where those guys went 35 minutes and it felt like ten minutes. This went almost an hour and felt like three. I can see someone nominating it but it won't be me.

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Umanoseke Ueda & Buck Robley (10/06/81)

- Whenever Ueda whips Terry, he flies out of the ring instead of running the ropes. Weird. Later on, Ueda actually throws Dory out of the ring so when Dory has the chance, he throws Robley out in retaliation. When the action spills out of the ring, Ueda attacks Terry with a chair and he has a bloody ear so of course Buck goes to the town on the ear, biting, punching and kicking Terry straight to the head. He even throws Terry out of the ring so Ueda can attack him again with the chair. Now it becomes a fight for Terry to make the tag. Of course, Robley gets put in the spinning toe hold and gets rolled up for the pin. I don’t know how good this is but it was fun as hell and worth a nomination.

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Brusier Brody 10/9/81

- This is the type of brawl that people should point to when they stick up for Brody. The only problem is that this was fun almost entirely due to dory Funk's willingness to play human punching bag. He bleeds, bumps and shows as much emotion as Dory Funk is capable of. Brody sells a little when Dory is ramming him into the ringposts but that is mainly an excuse to let him bleed. There is a pretty sweet post-match brawl with Brody and Dory taking out all of the natives who try to break up the fight. Buck Robley even joins in the fray. I'll throw this one in the discussion pile although I haven't seen a Brody singles match yet that would be considered a strong nomination.

Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka vs. Dory and Terry Funk (12/13/81)

- This is famous for the introduction of Stan Hansen to All Japan. Snuka’s over-sell on a mediocre double forearm shot was embarrassing. The match is built around Dory being punished and the heels cutting off the ring with headlocks but Terry distracts Brody so Dory can recover and make the tag. When Terry gets in, he is also getting controlled by Brody and Snuka but his selling is so much better than anyone else in the match. Man, Terry is making this match. If anyone else is in the ring, I would have already rejected this tag match. His selling, the punching contest with Brody, the dive from the top rope all brought elements to the match that would have been lacking without him. Then, of course there is the lariat that puts him out of commission and allows Snuka and Brody to double team Doryinto oblivion. This gets a nomination in part because of its historical significance but also because of Terry’s great performance.

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Butch Reed 2/3/82 (15:30) (Florida)

- This might be the best match for Bix to point to when he makes the case that Reed was good in Florida. I am on the fence on actually nominating it but it was fine for what it was. Still, nothing really stood out except for the bullshit finish where Reed reverses a piledriver, sending Dory over the top rope for the DQ.

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Billy Robinson (Int'l Title, 03/07/82 in Charlotte, NC)

- I remember watching this match about 5 years ago and really liking it. I still think this is one of the better Dorymatches I have seen but I don’t know how it will do in final voting. Billy looked like he was near the end of his rope but did enough cool stuff to remind you he is Billy Robinson. We’ll put it through to the next round and see where it goes.

Bruiser Brody vs. Dory Funk Jr (Int'l Title, 04/21/82)

- After about ten minutes of ok work, this really picks up when they brawl out in the crowd and Dory gets busted open. The crowd was really hot and Brody gave more to Dory than I have seen him give to anyone not named Baba. Both guys end up covered in blood and it even had a clean ending as Dory goes for a backdrop suplex but Brody pushes off the top rope and rolls through and pins Dory. This might be my favorite singles Brody match so far.

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody & Jimmy Snuka (04/22/82)

- I really love heel Jimmy Snuka. I just think he seemed so much more comfortable being an asshole than lovable savage. In the ring, there was some give and take with neither team really able to capitalize on double teams and advantages. Every once in awhile, the match would spill outside and you get some wild brawling action including a dueling chair fight between Terry and Brody. The most memorable thing about this match was the end where Snuka accidentally splashed Brody instead of Dory. The two of them go at it and Snuka is left a bloody mess thanks to Brody and Robley. I’ll give this a low-level nomination for discussion but I think the post-match is better than the match itself.

Dory and Terry Funk v. Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood (12/2/82)

- This one starts out JIP early on but it doesn’t look like much was missing. Really nice sequence early on as Rick and Jay control working on Terry’s arm. Well, Jay won’t let go as him and Terry tumble outside. Terry gives him an airplane spin, dumps Jay on the canvas and Jay still has a hold of the arm. Most of the match has the teams working evenly with Jay pairing off with Terry and Rick pairing with Dory. The last 5 minutes of action really picked up with Ricky and Jay desperately trying to put away the Funks but Terry reverses a Jay flying body press for the pin. This was just one solid tag match and stands in strong contrast to the shitty Brody/Hansen tag. The biggest thing that hurt the match was a lack of heat. You get the feeling if it happened in Florida or North Carolina, the heat would have been off the charts. Still, this is a nomination.

Dory Funk Jr. v. Super Destroyer (12/07/82)

- This was ok but nothing special. Dory wins after reversing a backdrop into a sunset flip pin.

Dory and Terry Funk v. Harley Race & Dick Slater (12/9/82)

- Both teams are playing up the mutual respect thing, breaking when they get to the ropes, no cheap shots early on. Terry and Slater work early on and both guys were fun to watch. There were som fun spots including the dueling Terry-Slater headbutt battle. Still, Dory Funk is so, so boring. Seriously, whether it is Race-Terry or Slater-Terry, I was interested in the match but when Dory would come in, I would lose interest. This thing goes 40 minutes and there is plenty of good stuff to nominate it but I don’t know how it would fare in voting. Another subdued crowd hurts the match.

Dory and Terry Funk v. Bruiser Brody/Stan Hansen (Tag Final, 12/13/82)

- This was pretty damn fun with Terry and Hansen bringing a lot to the table. This actually makes me want to seek out those Terry-Stan singles matches and check those out ASAP. The one good thing about the Brody-Dory matchup is that it makes sense for Brody to manhandle Dory since he was so damn old at this point. For good measure, both Funks end up bleeding, seemingly for the hell of it. But fuck, every time Terry and Stan were in the ring together, they went at it like dogs. I am nominating this match on that fact alone. The post-match beatdown on Dory, while Terry was down and out in a pile of streamers, was also great.

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody & Stan Hanson (4/20/83)

- Classic Southern tag formula here with Brody and Hansen punishing Dory as face in peril. When Terry hits the ring, the crowd goes nuts and Brody and Hansen actually sell. Didn’t expect that. The Funks turn the tide and for a short time, Brody plays man in peril. One neat spot shows Terry taking off Brody’s boot and before Brody can get the tag, Terry runs over and knocks Stan loopy with Brody’s boot. Just watching Terry against both guys is such a treat. The crowd and the opponents are more energized and I am more enthusiastic about the match as a result. We end up with a countout ending and a post-match brawl after but this is a nomination.

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody & Stan Hanson (4/22/83)

- I had high hopes for this based on the last match but this is bad Hansen and Brody. Hansen and Brody give the Funks nothing. Things that Brody sold for in the last match aren’t getting sold here. When it looks like the Funks should be in control after the damage to Hansen’s leg, he tags out shortly after and it is forgotten. In fact, the Funks rarely ever gain control before it is shrugged off and they go to something else. Brody ends up disqualified but this match was a major letdown after the last one.

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen/Terry Gordy (8/31/83)

- This is Terry’s retirement match and the crowd is ON FIRE. Cool visual eearly on as they brawl before the streamers are cleared out. It just adds to the wild atmosphere. Hansen and Terry are just great in the ring together. For a long stretch, Dory plays FIP with Gordy and Hansen tagging in and out. I wish Terry was in more but Gordy and Hansen do enough stuff to keep it moving along. Once Terry is tagged in, the intensity picks up. He had a bandage on his forehead when the match started and Hansen wastes little time ripping that apart and biting the cut. Hansen and Gordy do some great double teaming as Terry’s leg gets draped on the top rope and Gordy holds the leg while Hansen drops elbows and kicks the knee. The last few minutes seemed rushed but it sets up Terry Gordy missing a top rope splash which sets up a Top rope sunset flip giving Terry the win and an AWESOME farewell that would end up meaning nothing. Still, the tag match is a low-level nomination but the farewell speech makes it a must have match.

Giant Baba & Dory Funk Jr vs. The Mongolian & Goro Tsurumi (11/25/83, Osaka)

- Mongolian submits to the spinning toe hold. I wasn’t feeling this.

Dory Funk Jr. v. Stan Hanson (11/28/83)

- Not one of the better Stan Hansen matches I have seen. It really seemed like the two were in conflict with each other as Dory was trying to work headlocks and stall while Hansen was trying to kick ass. The end result is a somewhat disjointed match. This won't be making my Hansen compo but one of you may like it. Who knows?

Dory Funk Jr vs. Stan Hanson (4/26/84)

- Really solid match that doesn’t have a defining moment in it. Hansen gets busted open and he wears the crimson mask. Dory had Hansen in the spinning toe hold until Bruiser Brody came in and interfered. I won’t nominate this for the All Japan set but I will include it on the Hansen comp.

Bruiser Brody & Stan Hansen vs. Giant Baba & Dory Funk Jr (PWF Tag Title, 08/26/84)

- Brody and Hansen worked really well as a team here but the same old problems plague this as the others.... Dory a punching bag, no-selling, non-finish. Dick Slater gets busted open on the outside and it ends in a big brawl

Stan Hansen/Bruiser Brody vs. Dory and Terry Funk (PWF Tag Title, 12/08/84) - It starts off with Brody & Hansen taking turns abusing Dory. There is a lot of over-exaggerated bumping but everyone is staying active. Of course, when Stan and Terry are in the ring together, they get the best segments out of the match. After an awkward collision, Terry takes a great over the top rope bump to the floor. While the match is perfectly fine, even with a Brody piledriver on Terry that is soon forgotten, nothing really stands out until they start brawling late in the match. Eventually, I think Terry is disqualified for using Brody’s chain and they brawl after the match.

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Road Warriors (10/19/85)

- The thing that works best for this match is that the Roadies have Terry Funk on the other side bumping for them. Not much here besides that.

Giant Baba/Dory Funk Jr. v. Harley Race/Jesse Barr (11/27/85) - Look at Barr's face when he is in a test of strength with Dory. WTF? I love the Baba-Race interactions but I love Baba-Race so that is to be expected. However, besides Barr's crazy facial expressions, I wasn't really into the match as a whole. If they could have made this a good solid 15 minutes, it would have been so much better.

Giant Baba & Dory Funk Jr. vs. Stan Hansen & Ted Dibiase (12/04/85)

- Hansen & Dibiase control Dory early on. When Baba gets in the ring, it is a different story and soon Ted is playing pretend-Texan in peril. Hansen ahs enough and just throws Dory out of the ring. I may have to rewind but it looked likeDory was running away from Hansen. This startegy worked becasue they get the advantage back and work over Doryonce he gets back in the ring. Awkward moment as Ted jumps off the 2nd rope onto Dory. It looks likke he doesn't know what he wants to do or he is too far away so he just kicks him in the face and shoulder. It looked pretty stiff and awkward at the same time. He does it again later in the match so maybe it is his new 2nd rope move. I like the fact thatDory played FIP becasue I prefer to see him getting his ass kicked instead of being on offense. This also allows Baba to get the hot tag and bring the crowd into the match. The match ends in a double countout but Stan & Ted destroyDory in the post-match until Baba clears them out with a chair. As Baba is checking on Dory, Stan comes back in and pounds Baba with the cowbell. Sweet. I would say that the match by itself is a borderline nomination but the fun post-match puts it over the top.

Giant Baba & Dory Funk Jr vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu (12/12/85)

- These guys are going long and they have no problem acting like it. Lots of resting, lots of stationary holds. It picks up in the end but compared to other tags that are nominated, this doest have a chance.

Road Warriors vs. Dory and Terry Funk (10/10/86)

- Terry’s Manny Fernandez moustache is doing him no favors. Too much Road Warrior domination and no-selling for me to nominate but the Funks are making this hard since they are really good at selling and bumping here.

Dory and Terry Funk vs. Rick Martel & Tom Zenk (11/22/86)

- I don’t know if it is the dead crowd but I am not feeling the Zenk/Martel tag team. This was a ho-hum tag with a decent finish. Terry Funk really stood out though as having the most memorable moments of a forgettable match. You could tell he missed performing in Japan and he was eager to please.

Stan Hansen & Ted Dibiase v. Dory Funk Jr & Hiroshi Wajima (04/05/87) - I really don't care for Wajima. Maybe it is his low center of gravity due to having stubby legs and a long torso. Another decent tag that comes up short on this set. Ted and Stan dominate most of the match. However, when Stan goes for the lariat, Wajima gets pulled out of the ring byDory and saved. THe match ends up in a double countount and no nomination.

KRIS Z

Dory Funk Jr. © vs. Terry Funk (4/30/81) This is a legendary matchup that happened only once. You know what kind of psychology is going to be used here and you can tell early on that they are going long so it's expected to see lots of holds and counters which is pretty fun to me at least watching these brothers try and outthink each other on the mat. It started to kick up once Terry took his usual insane bump off a backdrop over the top rope to the floor where he was selling his left knee hard. Dory then goes on the offensive trying to work over Terry's bad knee but Terry fights hard to keep him at bay. Dory would then go to various suplexes to get nearfalls but Terry just keeps on fighting as they trade offense throughout the last 5-10 minutes. Terry would get a sunset flip over the apron on Dory but he would reverse it to get the win in a 50+ minute match. They exchanged hugs and Terry put the belt on Dory after the match which capped off a really well done technical match. I can see why some won't like this but this is too historical and too good not to be a nomination.

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Stan "The Lariat" Hansen (4/26/84) This was really good early on with both men working hard on the mat but it doesn't really get going until they go to the floor where Dory whacks Hansen with a steel chair busting him open and he taps a good one. Hansen then tries to finish off Dory but he would miss a running knee smash into the corner allowing Dory to go for the spinning toehold which brought out Brody for the DQ. This was getting good before the Brody interference.

Dory & Terry Funk vs. Ted DiBiase & Stan "The Lariat" Hansen (8/29/85) DiBiase isn't in his Hansen colors yet as he wears red here and Dory's goatee is awesome. This is good back and forth action and I liked when DiBiase & Terry was in as they were working well together but it looked like to me that Dory & Stan were just going through the motions. Watching DiBiase & Terry go at it made me wish we got a good feud between these two around this time period because they were bringing it. The action would heat up at the end of course as both teams brawled on the floor as Hansen gave Terry a piledriver but Dory would make it back in and we would get Dory breaking out the TEXAS CLOVERLEAF as Hansen was pulled back to the floor by Terry. Hansen who had one shoe on then came back in the ring and just nailed Dory with a lariat which Joe Higuchi called a DQ. Dory was then destroyed with the cowbell afterwards and juiced as Terry just stood on the floor throwing chairs in the ring. This match was really getting hot at the end until the horrible DQ call by Higuchi which kills it as a nomination but this was very fun.

Ted DiBiase & Stan "The Lariat" Hansen vs. Giant Baba & Dory Funk Jr. (12/4/85) Heavy armwork by Baba & Dory on DiBiase's left arm early in the match until Hansen would chase Dory off into the crowd setting up for when he came back in they would work him over. I thought the DiBiase 2nd rope boot to the face was a cool spot and he should've used that more. Dory took a lot of punishment here from both men which was the smart way to go since he would be a better FIP than Baba who when he got the hot tag hit all his spots but you could tell that his days in matches like this were ending. Baba would eat a lariat on the floor and both teams would get counted out before Dory would get destroyed in the ring until Baba cleaned house with a chair. Baba checked on Dory but as this happened, Hansen attacked him with the cowbell then along with DiBiase beat on them some more before leaving. This was good stuff and the brawl after the match was fun as well so I'll push this forward.

CHILDS:

Nikolai Volkoff/Machine vs. Dory Funk Jr/Jumbo Tsuruta (11/2/82) - Dory and Volkoff carried most of the action which wasn't a good thing. Brody ultimately ran in to attack Baba and Dory, so the match felt like a set-up more than anything noteworthy on its own.

Terry Funk vs. Dory Funk Jr. (4/30/81) Dory Funk is in some great matches but lord almighty he can suck the life out of others. That's been among the most striking revelations to me as I've watched a bunch of older All-Japan in the last year. I always assumed Dory was great based on reputation but few wrestlers send me to the fast forward button more often.

[JerryvonKramer]

Thanks for posting all these Will.

 

Just wondering about the 12/08/84 tag with Hansen and Brody ... did the committee consider the fact that Meltzer gave it 5 stars? I mean even if none of you liked it (and I haven't watched it yet), just seems a bit strange to leave off a match like that which has historical significance and critical acclaim when you managed to find room for like ... Joe Malenko vs. Dean Malenko (7/11/89), which was just hideous.

 

I'm not having a go because it's one of the greatest sets ever put together by anyone, but it does seem like the Funks 80s run got kind of shafted at the expense of stuff from 88 and 89 that really didn't matter that much.

 

Also, how come 12/04/85 didn't make the cut with two nominations?

 

---------

 

The other thing I'll say is that you've completely ruled out Dory, but how much of him in the 70s have you watched? And how much of him outside of All Japan? Just wondering really.

 

--------

 

Anyway thanks again, these notes will make for a good basis of comparison when I hit some of this stuff soon.

[Childs]

I don't think we gave much thought to the Dave 5-star thing. It really wasn't a match of huge historical significance. We're not talking Terry's retirement match from '83 or the tag league match with Hansen's debut in '81. And we had a version of the same match-up we clearly liked better. There are a few matches I regret leaving off; that isn't one of them. The only reason anybody talks about it is Dave's oddball rating.

[JerryvonKramer]

Yeah, but wouldn't it have been nice to let those with the set come to that conclusion themselves as per Dynamite Kid vs. Tiger Mask? It was the first AJPW match that Dave gave five stars to.

[Goodear]

I decided to look at Dory as "Hoss" Funk in the WWF just because ... well giggles.

 

JYD & George Steele vs. Hoss and Jimmy Jack Funk - September 14, 1986

 

I'm pretty sure at this point everyone else in this match sucks at this point in history. Sorry Dory! Oh lord am I sorry. Sorry, I wasted 6 minutes watching this thing. No one looked good and I know this isn't fair to Dory as a fair indictment of his talent but he didn't distinguish himself here anymore than anyone else did.

 

British Bulldogs vs. Hoss and Jimmy Jack Funk - August 25, 1986

 

DK and Dory start out with Dynamite running through Dory with a series of shoulder blocks but it really doesn't go anywhere before Davey comes in and starts slamming guys. This is two minutes in and it feels so disjointed and awkward before Dory gets Kid in a corner and lays in some uppercuts. The Funks start a brawl and whip the Bulldogs together but Jack hits Dory with a clothesline by mistake. Jimmy does come back on Kid to get the advantage for his team as Dory hits a nice butterfly suplex to get two. DK fires back but gets caught with a belly-to-back suplex which oddly allows him to tag out (?) just a bad transition to a lukewarm tag. Smith gets his suplex and powerslam before we have a hullabaloo and Smith throws DK on Jimmy Jack for the pin. This never really felt like it got a chance to settle in as any segment would have been improved with some length.

 

Hulk Hogan & JYD vs. Hoss and Terry Funk - March, 3, 1986

 

Terry might have been made to sell Hogan punches, I'm just saying. Dory is more floppy in his back bumping and seems less authentic as a result even though Terry is more theatrical. The Dog and Dory do a criss cross and its... something all right. JYD stops running, Dory keeps running, then Terry comes in and runs the ropes with Dory. I don't even know. Terry takes a moment to threaten Super Mario (with Fire Flower) on the outside and then trips on electrical cords. Terry be on the drugs. But is all is right with the world as he grabs a section of seating and bops Hogan with it. The Funks go to work on what I surmise would be the King Kong Bundy injured ribs at this point. But Hogan hulks up way quickly and tags the Dog. Who immediately gets in trouble as Hoss rips his face off with a boot scrape. Dog is embarrassingly bad here, just so bad. The 2nd heat segment lasts as long as the first (not long) and Hogan pin balls the Funks around until Dory hits him from behind and Terry chokes him with tape. Dog breaks that up but gets hanged, hung, choked with a rope before Hogan runs Terry down with the AX BOMBAAAAAAH for the finish.

 

Better than the first two matches which was pretty much a given as Terry is world's better than Jimmy Jack (like how many worlds is up for debate, I'm thinking like 23) and Hogan was way more dynamic than any other opponent I've seen Dory against thus far. Dory didn't really stand out here either though as Terry tends to hog the spotlight.

[Childs]

Yeah, but wouldn't it have been nice to let those with the set come to that conclusion themselves as per Dynamite Kid vs. Tiger Mask? It was the first AJPW match that Dave gave five stars to.

 

Is there a point in debating this now? I told you the reason. It is what it is.

[goodhelmet]

Did one person ever complain about that match not making it? It isn't even something we considered for the errata. Also, after the success of the New Japan set and the reinforcement of people shitting on those historical picks, we wouldn't have put it on amyway. Every person on the committee gets personal picks. We didn't need one for the Malenko match. We all enjoyed it.

[JerryvonKramer]

Did one person ever complain about that match not making it?

Did a single lamb complain to the shepherd about their impending slaughter?

 

It's alright, it's no big deal.

[goodhelmet]

Right... I would rather slaughter a lamb than watch another Dory match voluntarily.

[JerryvonKramer]

Okay, now for some general frustrations with Dory I've been having:

 

- He never seems to put anyone over. Seriously, I don't think I can recall seeing him pinned even once.

 

- While not as egregious as Backlund, he also seems to work very strong and on top for the best part. There are times when I think he could do with showing more vulnerability, especially when working as a babyface in Japan. It's always Terry who seems to get injured or hurt, and usually it's Dory who is left 2 on 1 or to make the save. Sure, that makes sense since Terry could be a great sympathetic face, but there are also times when Dory could be a bit more giving to opponents. Considering the fact that he looked a bit like a Geography teacher, Dory sort of worked more like he was Superman ... if Superman did matwork.

 

- He's not a big bumper. I don't know if this is a frustration so much as it is an observation. While Brisco, Race and Terry Funk all feel like they are pioneering a new style -- big bumps, motion and action -- Dory seems like a hold over from the previous generation. And he never seems to change or try to adapt his style, even when he's working the blood brawls. I can't decide if that's a bad thing, or actually something that is quite cool. On the one hand, you could say that when everyone else is bumping around, he should have changed it up a bit. But on the other hand, he sort of represents a bridge back to the 1950s.

 

I feel like there was a big transition that took place over the course of the 1970s in the US, generally from a mat-based style to an all-action big-bumping style. Seems to me that Brisco, Harley, and Terry helped usher that change in and you end up with guys like Flair and Steamboat the other side. Dory, however, sticks to his guns. You can spin it either way really: one narrative is that time passed him by and he's an anachronism in the 80s. The other narrative is that he's doing something quite brave still working these really technical psychological matches in 1981 when everyone else is "resorting" to the easier pops that come with more action.

[goodhelmet]

My favorite part of Dory in All Japan in the 80s was him getting his ass kicked. When he was getting beat up, all felt right in the world. When he went on offense, it was like a vacuum suckling up every good vibe the match had up to that point.

[JerryvonKramer]

My favorite part of Dory in All Japan in the 80s was him getting his ass kicked. When he was getting beat up, all felt right in the world. When he went on offense, it was like a vacuum suckling up every good vibe the match had up to that point.

See, I think this is one of the conclusions from the 80s AJPW committee -- that "Dory sucked on offense" -- that needs to be overcome, because it's not really true. It might be true in some of those longer tag league matches from the 80s.

 

From all the reviews I've done so far from the 70s and in singles matches from all over the place, Dory's offense has been a consistent strength. Not necessarily working the mat either, he's very good at building up the offense to the point where he's busting out the European uppercuts or the big delayed butterfly suplex.

 

I'd argue that getting his ass kicked is one of the less effective roles for him, because he doesn't really sell enough.

 

I will get to some more 80s All Japan with Dory soon, but I don't agree with Will's conclusions -- mine are basically the opposite.

 

Will: what do you think of Dory in the tags with Abby/ Sheik? What do you think of him in the singles match with Lawler from 81? Have you seen him kicking the shit out of Steve Keirn in Florida in 81? Have you seen him trading suplexes with Horst Hoffman or Jumbo in the 70s? I don't think you can come out of those matches and argue that the guy didn't have good offense. He's also surprisingly sinister as a heel in that Florida 81 stuff.

 

I do also think that Dory is a victim of some people going into matches with a negative mindset about him and then inevitably coming out shitting on him. And he can look especially boring in the all-action environment of mid-80s All Japan. I do know some of the matches Will is talking about and it is true that matches seem like they are about to get going and Dory seems to suck the life out of them by going back to a hammerlock or something, just as it looks like things are getting heated. I do get the criticism -- I came out of the AJPW 80s set thinking Dory might be one of the most boring guys ever ever -- but it's not ALWAYS true. And I feel like I've seen a lot of matches now where it isn't.

 

We also have to remember that Dory's USP -- the thing that he brought to the table more than most -- was credibility. Solie constantly talks about him being a master at "the human game of chess". And that was his whole deal. He was the subtle heel. His game was all about staying cool, calm, and collected and making his opponent lose their temper and their control -- and that's when he's going to go in for that spinning toehold. It's also that aspect of his makeup that produces the oddly chilling moments when he completely loses it himself -- because even what seems like red mist like decking Keirn with a chair -- comes across like a calculation. That's why I love that 1978 deal with him destroying The Sheik's hand with the bell so much, because it's a rare moment when even the calculation's gone and we get raw primal hatred. When Terry loses it, you kind of expect it. When Dory loses it, it's downright scary and he might legit kill someone -- because this is the guy who is always in control.

 

Larry Matysik is actually pretty good on this. He ranks Dory #13 on his top 50 list:

 

 

 

Command. That's a word experts use a lot in sports. To be "in command." This is what separates the good ones from the pretenders.

 

A pitcher has command of his "stuff". Justin Verlander has command now; Greg Maddux was in command in his heyday. A quarterback is in command of the field and his offense. Tom Brady has command now, just like Joe Montana used to.

 

In pro wrestling, Dory Funk Jr had command of the ring. Command of the psychology. Command of his own actions. Command of the pace. Like an orchestra conductor, Dory subtly and effectively commanded the action, building to a climax.

 

In pro wrestling discussion, that command leads to another critical word: credibility. ... Dory completely understood this concept.

He's right.

[Exposer]

Dory's absence of charisma is so distracting to me in his matches that it really hurts him for me. There's very few times where he shows any urgency, any character, or any body language that shows that he remotely cares. He just sort of does things without any extra personality to what he does. And yes, I've seen the Sheik-Abby matches. Dory tried to show some personality but it didn't feel organic to me. It just felt like Dory trying to act mad. It wasn't really believable. I won't say Dory is bad on offense, because I've seen him work stiff, execute really well, and do okay on the mat. It's the question of why the fuck should I care about a robot?

 

EDIT: I should also say that I haven't seen some of the stuff Parv is referencing so I should be fair to Dory and check that stuff out. Still, the Dory I've seen, which is mostly All-Japan, is pretty boring to me.

[goodhelmet]

I have seen the Lawler - Dory match but Lawler is the master of getting good to great matches out of stiffs so I am not going to praise Dory there. I enjoyed the Hoffman match. But then again, I don't think it was because of Dory but rather because Hoffman is more interesting to me. Of course i have seen thise Sheik Abby brawls. Fuck dude, I know you are discovering these matches for the first time but for some of us, this is old hat. Again, in those matches, it isn't Dory that I cling to when thinking of those matches.

[JerryvonKramer]

I don't see when anyone watched the stuff has to do with anything. But I get it, you won't be voting Dory.

 

Exposer, I'll come back to the point about charisma later.

[JerryvonKramer]

One more match to break the B+ line tonight:

 

Dory Funk Jr. and Dick Murdoch vs Seiji Sakaguchi and Michiaki Yoshimura (12/12/71)

 

Really good two out of three falls tag match that builds superbly as intensity and high-end offense rachet up. Some terrific matwork and chain wrestling from Dory and some great double teaming by him and Murdoch. Good babyface performance by Sakaguchi. End of first fall is excellent.

 

Rating: **** / B+