The Funks: Terry & Dory Funk Jr. In AJPW

Dory Funk Jr. passed away recently. I wanted to put together a guide for people interested in watching his matches. He is one of my favorite wrestlers so there's much more I could recommend. Some of these recommendations are pretty darn old...almost 20 years. Also I am leaving my old star ratings. Also I'm including some Terry singles matches as well since both are wrestling legends. Thank you Dory and Terry! Rest in Peace.

Jack Brisco vs. Dory Funk Jr. (01/24/74) ***** This is possibly one of the top 5 greatest matches that I've seen. People talk about Kyoko/Toyota or Kobashi/Kawada doing hour draws well, my friends this is the dope right here. Excellent mat wrestling for an hour with each fall being a little bit different in style and in story. I can see people not liking this but, one has to appreciate "pro" wrestling and not necessarily a load of moves

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Horst Hoffman (12/15/75) This match is another one of those ones where you can’t really rate it. It is simply a treat to watch two masters go at it. A true wrestling fan would want this match to never end. Sadly it does but it rather clever fashion. If there was more of a story to this, then I believe it would be quite phenomenal. Re-Watch: Just a slight re-watch of five minutes or so and man alive, this is a classic. It’s got that same chemistry like Bockwinkle vs. Robinson. These two are great and this match is a must see for a Dory Funk Jr. fan. You can just see it in his eyes. This is what a world champion looks like.

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Jumbo Tsuruta (12/18/75) The teacher and the student go head to head possibly for the first time. If this ever shows up in a complete form it may be up there in the short list of top matches of the 70’s. The action is there and the story is there to back it up. You have to know your wrestling to “get” this one in full but, man is this is awesome.

Nick Bockwinkle/Black Jack Lanza vs. Dory Funk Jr./Terry Funk 9/21/1978 ***1/2  You've really got to appreciate wrestling holds in order to enjoy this match. Bockwinkle & Lanza really grind Dory's arm out in this one and honestly that's most of the offense until things start to heat up. Unfortunately this middle portion is a bit dull but never boring. The end is pretty good & really gets going. 

The Funk Brothers vs. Umanoseke Ueda & Buck Robley (10/06/81) This was/is on the DVDVR Top 150 of the AJ 80's...whew that's a mouthful...anyhow it's likely to come in near the bottom. So, my expectations were super low which I've found is an awesome place to be in! If this is the worst on the list then I really ought to see the other stuff! The Funks were in effect as always and Ueda (from 3/26/86 NJPW fame) and Buck Robley were just great cheatin' mid-carders. Like most great Funk matches the brawl after the match was as good or better than the actual bout. Really enjoyed this one ****

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Terry Funk (04/30/81) **** This was a 50 minute technical wrestling match in the old style. There were plenty of long mat sections of grinding holds and attempted escapes. The only portion I thought was a bit long was the very beginning when Dory had Terry locked in a series of headlocks. The match went long so it didn't seem necessary to milk 6 minutes at the front. Also there was nothing too explosively exciting with this match like something Terry would do on his own or maybe Ric Flair or even the stuff going on in NJPW at the time. This was good old mat wrestling NWA style and if one can't appreciate the holds and the escapes then this was a good hour to do something else. They picked it up and brought it down a number of times and gave the fans their money worth. More dynamism would have been great though but I think Terry wanted to show that he could hang in there with his older brother. Also to note very few rope breaks were used on holds, which is why I mentioned all of the escapes. Those holds & escapes were the majority of the match. I also would have liked some of the stuff to be a bit smoother but that's ok. It adds to the realism.  

Dory Funk Jr. vs. Bruiser Brody  (04/21/82) **** It's not necessary to dwell on a match like this since it is so basic. This is the primal kind of stuff that transcends styles, moves, eras. It is how wrestling should be done. Of course it's not Misawa vs. Kawada but if you really watch, this type of wrestling provides the base for those 1990s classics and most every classic. 

Dory Funk Jr./Terry Funk vs. Bruiser Brody/ "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka (04/22/82) ***1/2 More of a story match where the main purpose was to break up the Brody/Snuka tag team and turn "Superfly" babyface or possibly explain his absence. It was pretty good at times but when Snuka did the splash on Brody by mistake & they started quarrelling it became clear what this was all about. Jimmy was a bloody mess and Brody was merciless.

Dory Funk Jr./Terry Funk vs. Ricky Steamboat/Jay Youngblood (12/02/82) ****1/4 Wow! What an amazing match this was! Dory & Terry did nothing awesome on a offensive level. However they provided a great foil for the the Steamboat/Youngblood team. This is especially true at the end where they were doing some double team moves 10 yrs. ahead of their time. Just really exciting stuff mainly because the Funks laid out the psychology of the match and let the other team shine with their athleticism and agility, making the finishing section just great. Two teams working with one another to give the fans something to talk about. 

Dory Funk Jr./Terry Funk vs. Stan Hansen/Terry Gordy 8/31/83 **** This was Terry's retirement match and many have said enough about how it didn't last but, in wrestling how often do retirements last? What's really notable is that his matches probably got better after this retirement. That's not to say that his matches of the 70s & 80s weren't great but with age his mannerisms seems more "realistic" or at least plausible with the "middle aged & crazy" Funker. The same probably goes with Flair too. It seems silly when you see how built Flair was and see him flopping around. I bring selling up here because it was a little wacky. Everyone was willing to sell for everything to keep the energy up in this brawl. Dory sold in his normal manner but it looked rather out of place with sluggers like Gordy & Hansen selling shots like they were getting hit with crowbars. Still it was a very exciting match with the fans cheering for the brothers throughout. There just wasn't a whole lot that was memorable except Terry's "Forever!" speech which is incoherent and thouroughly awesome, if you like the Funker. I don't add that on to the stars. It's a match that one has appreciate for what it is & enjoy it. The speech is a bit of gravy.

Dory Funk Jr. vs Stan Hansen (04/26/84): A great match that felt authentic. It was a match where the little things were done right - stiffness, going for pins, wrenching holds, taking openings when they present themselves. 80's finish keeps this from being a near classic but that finish seems to press one of the big storylines of 1984 (or that's how it seems). 

Brody & Hansen vs Terry & Dory Funk Jr. (12/08/84): An absolute all time classic match in my book. The sense of chaos and animosity is as high as its been in all of 1984 All Japan. Terry and Dory Jr. against Brody and Hansen finally is the culmination of one of the main themes of the year. Dory and Baba have faced the absolutely dominant monsters on a few occasions. They have hung in there but never truly were able to match the intensity and ferocity of Brody & Hansen. Terry has been ringside (or guest ref'd in Jumbo vs Bock) so he's been witness or assisted but not been a direct participant. He's not retired anymore (which would have been booked as a "long-term injury" nowadays) so he is able to go to toe with his foes. And Terry is the one guy crazy and ferocious enough to knock the giants on their asses. 

Terry Funk v. Stan Hansen (08/23/85): Oh man, this was wild from the get-go! They were just beating each other up inside and out. Terry took some wild ass bumps. One would have been right at home in mid 2000's NOAH. Also to say this was stiff would be an understatement. We get an 80's finish but is probably my favorite type and Dory ends up coming out and hitting people with his cowboy boot (while wearing a shirt and tie). Great stuff! If you've never seen either guy, this is a excellent match as an introduction. If you're missing some Terry Funk, go watch this one!

Funk Bros vs Road Warriors (10/20/86) - There are a number of Road Warrior matches in '86. This looked like the best one. I'm very glad I watched it. The Warriors at their best - Powerful but also vulnerable. Terry is great too. Comedy at the start but selling his fear but being tough SOB. That's a rarity in wrestling. Dory is the thing keeping them in the fight. They are selling for him and all is right in the wrestling world. Where this match turns great, is the finish. There's a great high spot that kicks it off. I loved this match! It's astounding that of the 4 wrestles in the ring, Dory Jr. is the one still alive. Keep on, keeping on Dory!!

Stan Hansen vs Terry Funk (12/03/86) - These two can do this shit in their sleep. That said, this seemed to be the stiffest match of theirs that I've seen. Terry & Stan were beating the crap out each other. I mean Terry did an overhead elbow right into Stan's face right towards the start of this bout. Things never chilled out from their. This was a very good match overall & the post match was excellent also.

Dory Funk Jr. vs Jumbo Tsuruta (12/03/86) - We only get a third of this but this is slow boiling old school technical match that I would have loved to see in full. Now don't get me wrong, I try to watch stuff under 15 minutes like this TV version especially when looking online. Again, I am trying to get thru my DVD backlog. That said, this was really good and they work a mean headlock match. They are knocking the sweat from each other with their elbows & chops. I dug this one!

Other Recommendations: Dory Funk Jr. & others tag

Jim Brunzell & Greg Gagne vs Dory Funk Jr. & Kerry von Erich (04/24/84, aired 04/28): These next two are Roy Lucier's 1984 AJPW TV episodes and not the Retro Classics that were broadcast in the late 90's. These technically should be with Part #2 but I'm putting these here. I'll try to work new ones in chronologically as I go on. A big reason for expanding beyond just my DVD set was I noticed that there were a couple omissions that I was missing out on. A big omission was Tenryu footage. But there's a bunch of neat tags like this one as well. Cool fact, 3 second generation wrestlers all sons of promoters. All that said, this was a great tag match! Excellent control wrestling from the Highflyers on Dory. Kerry was a great bit of energy for his team (wish we got more of Kerry and Dory Jr.). There's some exciting spots here and excellent wrestling as well. Probably the best tag match that I've seen so far in '84. Not sure why this didn't make the Classics.

Brody & Hansen vs Baba & Dory Jr. (08/26/84): This was fought like a gang fight more than a wrestling match. Absolute furious pace with a stiffness you could hear. A near classic match but with the post match brawl this is a classic. There's a part of me wants to call this an all time classic if you're counting entrance to exit. Did I mention Terry is at ring side? 

Shoehi Baba/Dory Jr. v. Stan Hansen/Ted Dibiase (12/04/85): Quiet crowd but they pop during this match at least  This bout is great though because it is well paced. It is simple yet well executed and well Hansen beats on Dory Jr. like he owes him money. Holy cow, I can't believe he didn't induce a heart attack with those clubbing blows to the chest! One of the main reasons that I bought this DVD set was for the abundance of Hansen/DiBiase tag matches and they do not disappoint. 

Shoehi Baba/Dory Funk Jr v. Jumbo Tsuruta/Tenyru (12/12/85): Holy cow! I wasn't expecting this to be as great as it was. But frankly it was a classic. The in-ring work was amazing. They didn't do the craziest moves of course but used what they had to take us through peaks and valleys. I think it's an excellent example of pacing and layout being more important than dazzling attacks. But don't get me wrong the offense is here as everyone takes some big bumps and in later AJPW fashion dusts some classic moves off the shelf to get the win. On top of that we have the stories of Dory being Jumbo and Tenryu's teacher, Baba being Jumbo's old partner and mentor, and the beginning (?) of something that becomes one of the best things going later in the decade Baba vs Tenryu. I wasn't expecting them to have that here but oh no...it's here and maybe starts here as by the end Baba & Tenryu are really going after each other. I don't recall seeing this in earlier matches. Anyhow, this felt like a quintessential AJPW tag match...maybe I'm crazy but if you like these guys it's at the very least a "great" match...but in my book it's a classic.