Jim Cornette on Dory Funk Jr.

From Episode 143 of Jim Cornette's Drive Thru
Artwork by Travis Heckel!
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[@tomwalker389]

Dory was so good, he lost the World Title to Harley via a textbook suplex. A suplex!

[@kimbalxyz2]

Watched Dory Jr. and Jack Brisco out of St. Louis in the 1970's as a kid, loved it. Cornette nailed it on his descriptions, just how I remember things !

[@chalkboy8]

I saw Dory Funk, Jr at the Great American Bash in the San Francisco Civic Auditorium. Someone shouted out that Dr. Death was wrestling Herb Caen who was a local Newspaper Columnist. ...

[@StevieDamnit]

Dory has been wrestling since John F. Kennedy was still alive and before Beatlemania exploded.

[@jayharvey7043]

Repetition is the key to retention.

[@arthurdaffos1490]

Yes, and also to make it second nature. Its like playing music in essence, if you dont have the basics down then everything falls off sooner or later when you get on stage, and the basics are only acquired by first explained the why and how then repeating it over and over and over so that it becomes almost instinctive. Im dumbing this way down, because there are a lot of subtilities to it but the Idea is the same

[@myyoutube62]

With nothing but love and respect to Chris Candido's memory (RIP), Dory Funk Jr. is the honorary original "No Gimmicks Needed" wrestler. "Great talker" didn't even apply, because he wasn't playing a character. He's a tough, no frills Texan who could knock your block off with his right hand, tie you into a pretzel or go a 60 minute broadway without breathing hard. Terry was more of a character and better at keeping himself relevant to changing wrestling tastes, but Dory Jr. was and is one of the most technically sound, real, believable workers in the history of professional wrestling. He's still working matches and still looks credible at 79 years old! Just this past February, he worked with the Steiner Bros., taking on some Funking Conservatory students in a 3-way tag and as much as I love Scott Steiner's gimmick, Dory is 20+ years older than Scott and looked better in the ring than he did! Let that be a lesson to younger wrestlers: take care of yourself and don't do stupid, needless stuff in the ring and you can be drawing money into your 80's if you're lucky, instead of needing hip transplants in your 40's.

[@akumagouki8668]

Dory has some legit old shoot holds and slams!

[@civy601]

I just watched Dory Funk Jr. Vs Jack Brisco and it was great to watch. It was believable. They actually made it look like they were working to get shit in. Jack Brisco put Dory Funk Jr. in a headlock and actually started wrenching on the head. Making it look like this move was actually meant to cause discomfort. Opposed ti the guys now who just slap on a head lock and do nothing with it.

[@joemixon834]

He wrestled from 1963 to 2018 that's 55 years and he's a funk so he's still may wrestle once again lol Edit: he's still wrestling so that makes 57 years lol

[@exv092]

Gary Hart, Baby!

[@davsavchav]

My favourite user to email corny drive thru so far has to be "Paul from Connecticut".

[@larryfloyd4993]

In St. Louis MO. ..I never saw a dull or bad match with dory funk jr..... dory was a wrestlers wrestler...

[@johnnyskinwalker4095]

It's like people saying Bret Hart was boring or was an average talker. That depends in what you are looking for in wrestling. Bret was probably my favorite talker of all time cause he was real and convincing. No stupid comedy stuff and catchphrases. I want somene to make me believe that this was real and Bret did that. Arn Anderson was also like that.

[@sticky3983]

You win for.best comment. You nailed it! This is more my style.

[@tobiasfarragut292]

Arn wasn’t boring..he cut some very good and clever promos no cussing needed or name calling

[@MaxxCoyote]

Bret was at his best when he had something to talk about. Like the issues with Owen, or his blood feud with Austin, or the America vs Canada feud. But Bret without an issue floundered a bit. Especially compared to guy's like Dusty or Hogan, or guy's like Terry Funk or Cactus Jack who...god knows where they were going to go or what they were going to do. But you know what? Ricky Steamboat couldn't really talk either, and I've never seen anyone call him boring. Ricky and Bret got their shit done in the ring.

[@guacamole9199]

Talking about doing basic ring work on a repetitive basis, reminds me of what Taker said in his current documentary that one of the reasons he was finding it harder to keep up was the fact that only having a couple of matches a year ment he wasn't conditioned to do what he needed. So repetition is obviously the key to not just getting good but staying good!!

[@barrettmabile1020]

Wwrestling pra'tice was 500 single legs, 500 double legs standing switches and so on...in my first few yeafs, so yes reps and reps.

[@Bearwolf13]

I'd like to hear Jim talk more about Jack Brisco and Wahoo McDaniel's...

[@CoopersUNIVERSE]

all hail Cornette

[@MilMaska]

"He would knock your ?!,, straight with those right hand punches" - Ricky Morton

[@indridcold4469]

I have dyslexia and I thought this was a quote from- Rick and Morty

[@kenhill3230]

Dory Jr was awesome.

[@leeberry689]

Dory Funk Jr. is the GREATEST pure technical wrestler that I've ever seen. Followed by Jack Brisco, Billy Robinson, and Nick Bockwinkel.

[@agvga5510]

Manuel Garza Yea run circles around their necks from the ceiling.

[@phillbarlow125]

You're dreaming Benoit came no where near them guys ,Angle or Hart maybe Benoit not a chance

[@leeberry689]

@Manuel Garza I'm speaking on what I know. You obviously have no clue about these guys. And besides 46 AIN'T old.

[@phillbarlow125]

Manuel try watching there right brother first then come back lol

[@PaulVinesPSVODYSSEY]

What about Danny Hodge?

[@yoholmes273]

The two smoothest professional wrestlers of all time without question is Dory Funk Jr. & Nick Bockwinkle. Legendary!

[@Jim-Tuner]

People watching wrestling would find someone like Dory Funk Jr boring today. But at the same time, if a Dory Funk Jr came along today, he would almost certainly be in MMA rather than pro wrestling.

[@chadk890]

Absolutely

[@leeberry689]

100% Dory and Billy Robinson.

[@jadoc3767]

​@@leeberry689 Billy Robinson absolutely. He trained UFC Hall Of Famer Kazushi Sakuraba

[@billyinvain]

Ass over tea kettle is one of my favorite corny sayings!

[@tobiasfarragut292]

‘Too much HaHa’ - Cornette

[@danielcatoe1833]

Before I was ever born the funks would come to my home town Odessa Texas I heard about it from my mom.

[@85futureshock]

The Playboy himself Gary Hart! God if he were around today, he would be killing everyone in the promo game.

[@dquanissavage6287]

Awesome Shoot Today Jim!!🙌🐐🐐

[@falagarius]

I saw him wrestle in 2014 in Korakuen Hall. He shouldn't have wrestled anymore.

[@mikemcbrine958]

I love the illustrations with the videos

[@StreetSmarkAudio]

Dory Funk Jr. is so old he graduated from Plymouth Rock High.

[@stevenstark6104]

This has nothing to do with Jims comments. But Gary Hart's book is about 500 online.

[@rickledford2953]

I loved the simplicity of the Ronnie Garvin Stomp.

[@pd7608]

Simple things amuse simple minds

[@rickledford2953]

@@pd7608 no Simplicity equals order. simplicity equals Harmony. and simplicity equals balance. you obviously have a chaotic mind, how sad.

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

@@rickledford2953 The stomp tied into Garvin's ring personality as a sadistic, fight-fire-with-fire caveman. You'd see it and pay to see him do it to the heel you hated most. Garvin was an 80s version of Dick the Bruiser, who we loved in Detroit because he was a villain who brutalized other villains.

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Dory Funk Jr is the last of the great purists . Even his own brother put a little gaga in his matches but Dory stayed the course .

[@droptopsflipflops2200]

Dory was an icon in Florida for Eddie Graham

[@masterj4777]

Dory is Classic pro wrestling 🤼‍♂️

[@byrdcliffetvwoodstock6801]

Dory vs. RVD in amarillo 97

[@tobiasfarragut292]

Terry funks Wrestlfest right?.. forgot to check on the Network for that event

[@jamalsingh123]

Dory Funk is a legend. Always

[@lucag.lisickza425]

totally 100%agree with what corny told. dory is a legend also terry and should be an honor learn how to wrestle at the funkin academy

[@restotech9445]

How has jim cornette become my favorite person?

[@tonymatrisin4328]

Corny laugh makes me happy

[@teddydeebass]

Love this.

[@evellegend]

Dory is a great guy I've known him over 35 years. Teamed with Lanny Poffo on a show Dory did last Aug and I'll be at his show again this Aug. I love both Marti and Dory they've treated me like gold since day one. Just my view from my own personal experience with both. Haters need not apply.

[@moirabeast8469]

Bob I respect you greatly as a worker, but dory is treated like garbage by that woman. She has made his school a joke.

[@phillbarlow125]

I agree to a degree I never have problems Marti but did see her go little crazy at times on certain people

[@evellegend]

@@moirabeast8469 as I said by MY experience they have both been good to me since day one and I've never seen her treat Dory bad. Again this is from my point of view others one clearly being you have your experiences. And life goes on as they say

[@mikelong2756]

3:55 Hey Jim, don't mention the challenger. Now do it again!. Dusty Rhodes The American Dream Baby- sometime in early 90s

[@tomr3422]

Lobe the Ron Bass story.. When wrestlers were professionals and took the time to learn the profession.

[@nicholasfarrell8403]

Lobe?

[@Macephtopheles]

@@nicholasfarrell8403 "Listen to" I guess...

[@SRTBadbrains90]

My new favorite thumbnail

[@ThymeKeeper]

I mean, you think Ricky Steamboat learned that arm drag WITHOUT practice?

[@colonelrobertsjr.7882]

Gary Hart!! 💪✔️💯

[@seanfitz79]

completely chickened out on the Marty bit

[@kennymcbair7323]

My Wrestling coach said too ‘ Me You Play basketball like A Outta Control car ‘ Come Wrestle in my program’ Coach takes the Credit

[@QCS_AdamCole]

Loved training under Dory at the Funking Conservatory, but yeah I agree, Marti is the problem.

[@phillbarlow125]

I never had problem with Marti but I did see her go crazy and be total bitch to some

[@QCS_AdamCole]

@@phillbarlow125 Lucky you. A group of us had our bags removed from the bus, after a WWE show in Daytona & we were just left in a McDonald's parking lot...

[@daveallman3981]

I remember Dory for his high pitched voice and his European uppercuts. Knew nothing about his early days. Thanks Jim.

[@leeberry689]

Greatest uppercuts EVER!!!!!

[@aaronguerrette]

Love yea Corny

[@SpiralPoliFemboy]

Dory Funk Jr is one of the greats. No questions.

[@dominicomegon4714]

so Brock Lesnar is basically the modern day Dory Funk Jr.

[@Jim-Tuner]

Brock had the potential, but not the opponents to reach that level. Back in the day, there was a whole set of guys who could work in that style. But not anymore.

[@leeberry689]

Honestly I'd put Kurt Angle above Brock Lesnar. At pure wrestling, Lesnar is good but Angle's history speaks for itself.

[@dominicomegon4714]

@T. S. Having a legit shooter be your main champ to make every match against him for the belt feel like an insurmountable mountain.

[@CactusBackWrestling]

Years ago I was talking to Marty on Facebook about purchasing copies of old WWF developmental camp shows from back when Dory was their head trainer as she was the one filming them. She told me to get back to her in a few months and when I did she said she had sold them to WWE. Of course, WWE hasn't done jack shit with those tapes and have been sitting on them for years now. Such a shame we'll probably never see them.

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Dory vs Jack was the Bret vs Shawn of their day

[@larryfloyd4993]

i luv your statement , but dory jr. and jack brisco, would destory micheal and hart...

[@machinegunjackson]

Can someone tell me why Dory Funk still wrestles

[@egyptian316]

Those matches that Dory Funk Jr had with Jack Brisco were absolutely amazing. I think if either of those guys were coming along today they wouldn't have any trouble adapting to modern tastes. Jack was a good enough athlete to do anything he had a mind to do, and Dory was savvy enough to read the room and see what was working. Dory Jr existed in that rarified air of true top-tier technical wrestlers, like Destroyer or Bockwinkel. You always looked good when you faced him, and you were safe in the ring with him. Guys gave him a lot because he was one of those people who could make you back in the day. I would offer Deonna Purrazzo as an example of one of those wrestlers who covers a lot of their opponent's flaws. Go watch one of her matches. Odds are her opponent suddenly has one of the best looking armdrags you've ever seen. Everything she does looks clean, not in a rehearsed way mind, but in a competent competitive way.

[@egyptian316]

@Manuel Garza I don't think anything was 'easier'. It was a different time, the style was different and what was expected was different. The skill required wasn't any less than what's required today. If anything it may have been harder, because you couldn't fall back on splashy highspots to cover weaknesses in your game. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIWcm3Vse7-mgcU Here's 6 minutes of Jack and Dory Jr working. It /is/ old fashioned wrestling, but the core of what they're doing is the same as it is today. There's no slop. There's no air between them when they start throwing hands. All the throws look legit.

[@sticky3983]

@Manuel Garza actually it's easier today because the fans.mostly have no expectations because kayfabe is dead. Bill Watts wouldn't have that stuff. Heels and babyfaces better not.be seen together

[@bigfootaintreal5454]

I was young but Terry Funk scared the fuck'n shit out of me ! Dory was more subdued, I took him serious , but Terry was the crazy, over the top bad mother fucker that you didn't know what the fuck he was going to do !

[@FerretJohn]

I've always said Dory was the Wrestler who could Brawl, Terry was the Brawler who could Wrestle

[@frankiebflat5728]

Carmine

[@tsp11boy]

The greatest wrestler who dominated the state of Florida!

[@gator19f39]

Heyam on raw oets get cornie on smack down

[@anthonycapirichio3957]

I hope Jim keeps doing this forever ....

[@ZBR_ProXP]

When Dory Funk ran out for a Royal Rumble in the 90s, all of us cracked up. Old man cowboy looked like a joke at the time.

[@AVanLifeThing]

First.. First time ever. Loving the show!

[@doseofreality420marianetti2]

Cornette is a social justice warrior

[@racinnut77]

Ballet dancers are pretty damn sore after a 10 work day, just sayin' :-)

[@gayrambo4529]

Ballet absolutely fucks people up. A friend of mine was a ballet dancer since she was s kid, and her feet and knees are destroyed.

[@tomr3422]

O completely agree, I once dated a young lady that had trained for many years to be a dancer, while tiny she was crazy strong and tough as nails.

[@Cobralalalala]

Yeah, I've never understood that analogy.

[@michaelallanrubin2376]

It means that it's not soft it's not ballet

[@Baastilein31]

There should be a female wrestler with a dark tough as nails ballet gimmick. Something like "Black Swan".

[@CokinaClutch]

i heard that he was a far better wrestler than Terry was.

[@75skyloftmexican]

Cult you guys can bury and its fine but.... who's marty??

[@gayrambo4529]

Dory's crazy wife.

[@colonelrobertsjr.7882]

She once took a fan's rare trading card of Dory that he just signed at a fan fair and defaced it by scribbling out Dory's autograph!!

[@travisheckel5576]

Kerry Howard 200% truth

[@marlonanthony2700]

Dory Funk and Nick Bockwinkle had one of most boring matches I've ever seen. But very much fundamentally sound matches, I guess you'd call it a shoot.

[@chrischar9428]

No shoot

[@moirabeast8469]

I agree with the question completely since I've had that exact conversation with the writer. Dory has to be one of the greats of all time, if you've ever been with him and his wife in public, she consistently embarrasses him in many ways. She'll talk up untalented trainees since they give her more money than others, while saying awful shit about trainees with real potential since they want to make it based on their skill and passion.

[@lafan2003]

Im glad another work store location borrowed me for a week back in Feburary. Had the pleasure of checking Dory Funk Junior out at my register that first day there :)

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Wrestling is no longer on the Marquis . Now the Company is the star . In the past wrestling was the star . Boys had grown up wrestling each other andfighting so there was an understanding of difficulties of combat . Now nothing is logical . You can walk right up to a fresh man and body slam him . Try that in a real fight . No , you have to stun your opponent . Defensive posturing ? Whats that ? You either sell or execute now . No one reaches for the rope to break a hold anymore . Which if it were real and you were cinched up on my elbow I would definitely take advantage of your lack of thought in applying that hold any where but in the center of the ring . Wrestling made the move toward theatrics in the sixties and by the nineties thats all most wrestling was , nods to Bret and Shawn . Bret and Shawn were the 90s verdion of Dory and Terry . Both excellent but which you liked more depended on how real you liked your wrestling .

[@HeisLCB3]

I wonder what Corny thinks about the George Floyd, Breona Taylor and Ahmad Arberry Cases 👀

[@hollykost155]

Where did they wrestle?

[@user-dz4ty5tj7q]

Matches were too slow in them days. I just don't find a headlock for 20 minutes entertaining. Or holding an arm bar for 10 minutes.

[@MaxxCoyote]

Well good thing no one held a Headlock for 20 minutes, nor an arm bar for 10, in Dory's day. Which was also Terry's day....and Harley Race's day and so on.

[@richardjackson1858]

Well my friend that's how you work a match.truth be told it just seemed like 20 minutes but thats why they were able to go for an hour,they were taking a rest and also made the high spots more effective.not like today's boring shit.these guys today have no Idea about the science and psychology and the ebb and flow of a great match,nothing but high spots and over in 5 minutes

[@kevinmayhew6337]

Jim...Dory was boring back then...lol

[@RicGagger]

Dory was extremely boring... even in the 80s

[@areguapiri]

Dory was always too boring. Terry Funk was better. I know the Funk family had power in the wrestling industry, so that's why a boring Dory was on tv so much.

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Wrestling is no longer on the Marquis . Now the Company is the star . In the past wrestling was the star . Boys had grown up wrestling each other andfighting so there was an understanding of difficulties of combat . Now nothing is logical . You can walk right up to a fresh man and body slam him . Try that in a real fight . No , you have to stun your opponent . Defensive posturing ? Whats that ? You either sell or execute now . No one reaches for the rope to break a hold anymore . Which if it were real and you were cinched up on my elbow I would definitely take advantage of your lack of thought in applying that hold any where but in the center of the ring . Wrestling made the move toward theatrics in the sixties and by the nineties thats all most wrestling was , nods to Bret and Shawn . Bret and Shawn were the 90s verdion of Dory and Terry . Both excellent but which you liked more depended on how real you liked your wrestling .

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Fans were educated to what combat should look like in the 1960s and 70s . I used to tussle with friend and foe alike . I knew it took a long time to wear out a guy to where his reaction time was slower or he might not be as sharp and then you could land that dropkick . A dropkick is a telegraph move . Its easy to see when you are fresh . Simply side stepping kills it . But if you are tired you might not pick up on the body language . Now though it looks so fake because there is no element of competition .