I’m sad to report that former NWA World Heavyweight Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Dory Funk Jr. has passed away at 85 years old. The cause is not confirmed but his wife indicated that he was in hospice care before his passing. That one title run for NWA ran over four consecutive years in length, surpassed only by Lou Thesz before him, and during his career the respect he earned as a tough/legit athlete led to multiple reigns in multiple divisions in multiple promotions from here to Japan. He also opened a Funking Conservatory wrestling school, with a branch affiliated with the then-WWF called the Funkin’ Dojo. Matt & Jeff Hardy, Edge, Christian Cage, Kurt Angle and many more future stars trained under his tutelage as a coach. My condolences to his friends, family, and many fans worldwide.
WWE also paid tribute to him with a post and I’ve provided an excerpt here: “WWE is saddened to learn that Dory Funk Jr., a WWE Hall of Famer and influential wrestling trainer, has passed away. A member of the legendary Funk wrestling dynasty, they didn’t come much tougher or more respected than Dory Funk Jr. The Texan started developing his wrestling business acumen and grappling mastery at a young age, driven hard by a caring father, Dory Funk Sr., whose own experience between the ropes made him an ideal mentor and role model for his impressionable son. ‘As a kid, I used to dream I could do all the things my father could do,’ Funk said during a 2007 interview with WWE. ‘I wanted to be just like him.’ Alongside his younger brother Terry, Dory earned a distinguished reputation as a marquee attraction in sports-entertainment as both a tag team and singles competitor. He won numerous championships over a career that lasted more than half a century, most notably a four-year run as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, which ranks behind only Lou Thesz for the longest reign in that title’s history.”
Congratulations to Bianca Belair and Montez Ford on the birth of their first child — Romeo Leonardo Allen Crawford!
It appears Mara Sadé got her release and won’t be going back to TNA because of AEW interest in bringing her on board. She was formerly Jakara Jackson in WWE NXT. (FF)
Last week’s Raw did 2.4 million viewers and ranked 7th globally. (Netflix)
Three Main Event matches were taped at Raw, but results are not available, so these can’t be considered spoilers as it only says who faced who. (PWI)
- Ricky Saints vs. Axiom
- American Made vs. Romeo Moreno & Noam Dar
- Ivy Nile vs. PJ Vasa
Mads Krugger’s run with MLW has come to an end. (FF)
Speaking of MLW their issue with the 2300 (ECW) Arena appears to be that they were never paid their share of ticket sales for tapings in June, which is a recurring issue that also happened to New Japan and ROH when they ran shows there. (FF)
Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s right hand man Patrick Dooley appears to have quietly left WWE. He had been with the company since 2018 and was Senior VP of Global Strategy & Creative Operations. (PWI)
MJF can be found in the new trailer for Violent Night 2.
Myles Borne & Tavion Heights are the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
A trial seeking to block the merger of Paramount & WBD is now set for March 2027.
TKO lost $30 million on the gross UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House lawn. I’m playing the world’s tiniest violin for them.
Joey Janela and PRODUCE Wrestling have parted ways.
Storyline or otherwise Shiloh Hill says he’s out of action with a jawbone fracture.
Here’s the early card for NXT next week. (WWE)
- NXT Championship #1 Contenders Match: Cruz Montana vs. Grayson Waller
- NXT Women’s North American Championship Match: Zaria vs. Wren Sinclair
- Shawn Spears & Lizzy Rain vs. The Culling
- Saquon Shugars vs. Dion Lennox
