Dory Funk Jr., an old-school professional wrestler whose technical excellence resulted in a world heavyweight championship that he held for four years, died on Tuesday, his wife said. He was 85.

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The wrestler’s wife, Marti Funk, announced her husband’s death to the Ocala Gazette.

Funk ran a wrestling school in Ocala, Florida.

He was the last surviving member of the Funk wrestling family out of the Flying Mare Ranch in Amariilo, Texas. The Funk family included Dory’s brother, Terry Funk, and their father, Dory Funk Sr.

“WWE is saddened to learn that Dory Funk Jr., a WWE Hall of Famer and influential wrestling trainer, has passed away,” the company said in a statement. “A member of the legendary Funk wrestling dynasty, they didn’t come much tougher or more respected than Dory Funk Jr.”

Funk, whose finishing move was the spinning toehold, defeated Gene Kiniski on Feb. 11, 1969, in Tampa, Florida, to win the NWA world heavyweight championship.

[ Pro wrestling legend Terry Funk dead at 79 ]

Funk said he always wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, who was known as the master of the Texas Death Match.

“As a kid, I used to dream I could do all the things my father could do,” Funk Jr. said during a 2007 interview with WWE. “I wanted to be just like him.”

Funk Jr. and his brother Terry -- who reigned as NWA heavyweight champion from 1975 to 1976 -- were the only siblings to win the NWA’s top prize.

Dory Funk Jr. was born Feb. 3, 1941, NBC Sports reported. He began wrestling professionally in 1963 following his college football career with West Texas State University.

He defeated Kiniski for the title in 1969 and defended the belt all over the world. His subsequent matches with No. 1 contender Jack Brisco during the early 1970s were classic bouts.

Funk lost his title to Harley Race on May 24, 1973, in Kansas City, Missouri, after holding the belt for 1,563 days.

Funk was noted for his businesslike approach to wrestling. While he could become belligerent, Funk remained a formidable wrestling foe to a new generation of wrestlers.

Dory Funk Jr. eventually followed in his father’s footsteps by opening a wrestling school, the Funking Conservatory, in Ocala. He helped train future stars such as Kurt Angle, Edge, Christian, The Hardy Boyz, Mark Henry and Mickie James. He owned and operated the Funking Conservatory with his wife, Marti, whom he married in 1989.

The Funk brothers were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

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