The professional wrestling world recently had to say goodbye to WWE Hall of Famer Dory Funk Jr., who not only accomplished so much between the ropes in his own career, but helped train multiple generations of new stars. Two of those stars are Matt and Jeff Hardy, who worked with Funk in his Funkin’ Dojo to begin their careers.
Matt appeared on “Busted Open Radio” to help honor Funk’s legacy in the days following his passing, and spoke about training with him. He called Funk’s dojo the “developmental” program of the time.
“You would go to Stamford for two weeks, they would murder you,” he explained. “They would work you so hard in training then at the end of that loop, you’d go out for three or four days and you’d do independent shows and they would say, ‘Put what you’ve learned to usage.’ [Funk] helped us in so many ways, especially talking about working in TV, doing a WWE-style. How to create moments. How to work safely. Everything else. He was also a very passionate teacher… He took his time and he didn’t get frustrated.”
Matt said that you could tell Funk lived a “very full life” as a professional wrestler. He also gave the Hardys advice about life on the road, which Matt still remembers today.
“He said, ‘You are going to spend a lot of time with people you work with,'” Matt explained. “‘You want them to feel like family because you have to trust them with your health and your safety. Just all those things he stressed, really broke it down well for guys who had never been there and worked in a major company, a major territory.”
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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