The Funking Conservatory is a

professional wrestling school Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

owned by

Dory Funk Jr. Dorrance Earnest Funk (born February 3, 1941), known professionally as Dory Funk Jr., is an American retired professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. The son of Dory Funk (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk) and brother of Terry Funk, he was the promoter ...

and established in 1991. It started as a six-day camp, but it later expanded to a three-week program. In 2001, it began running a

professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...

called "''!Bang!''" Members of the school and promotion had a chance to appear on its television show ''!Bang! TV''.

School

In 1999, while he was in semi-retirement,

decided to open a professional wrestling camp to train professional wrestlers. It had a branch affiliated with the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

called the "Funkin' Dojo." The Funking Conservatory began as a six-day camp, and it teaches wrestlers how to perform promos, conditioning, and

weight training Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength, size of skeletal muscles and maintenance of strength.Keogh, Justin W, and Paul W Winwood. “Report for: The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Traini ...

. They also train professional wrestling referees. The school accepts students starting at 14 years old. It also trains wrestlers in

hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, inclu ...

—focusing on safety—and includes a hardcore match in every show. It later expanded to a three-week program. In 2001, it began running a

called !Bang!. Members of the school and promotion had a chance to appear on its television show, ''!Bang! TV''. Funk's wife Marti is a producer on the show in addition to acting as the photographer, videographer, and social media director for the school. In 2004, the school moved to the Dory Funk Arena in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

. It consists of a ring, sound stage, and locker rooms.

''!Bang! TV''

The promotion's ''!BANG! TV'' television tapings are held in the Dory Funk Arena on Saturday nights. Billed as "the most exciting pro-wrestling show on the air" and hosted by Dory Funk Jr., ''!Bang! TV'' transmitted weekly on WOGX TV-51, and also My65. A special one-off edition of ''!BANG! TV'' was shown on

The Wrestling Channel The Fight Network (formerly The Wrestling Channel, TWC and TWC Fight!) was a free-to-air digital satellite television sports channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland, devoted to airing programming related to boxing, mixed martial arts, pro-w ...

to viewers in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The show also transmits online via their website.

Championships

Current

*Funking Conservatory World Heavyweight Championship *Funking Conservatory Tag Team Championship *Funking Conservatory United States Championship *Funking Conservatory Florida Heavyweight Championship *Funking Conservatory Television Championship *Funking Conservatory Hardcore Championship *Funking Conservatory Light Heavyweight Championship *Funking Conservatory Women's Championship

Retired, defunct, and inactive championships

*Funking Conservatory International Championship *Funking Conservatory European Championship *Funking Conservatory Premium Championship *Funking Conservatory Queen of Hardcore Championship

References

External links

!Bang! website
{{Professional wrestling in the United States Independent professional wrestling promotions based in Florida Professional wrestling schools 1999 establishments in the United States