Death was never that far away for the legendary wrestling dynasty the Von Erich family. Starting with patriarch Fritz Von Erich, the family reached levels of success in wrestling that people only dream of. Unfortunately, those heights were marred by physical struggles, mental health problems and a string of tragic death. This is the very unfortunate story of the Von Erich family, the subject of the movie The Iron Claw.
Since the 1950s, there’s been a Von Erich wrestling in one capacity or another. Even as of this writing, third-generation Von Erichs, Ross and Marshall, are still tearing it up in the squared circle. The bright side of the Von Erich tale is one of brotherly love and family, and that legacy continues to this day.
It can be hard to keep track of all the Von Erichs, especially since they are now into a fourth generation, so here’s a handy family tree.
A Legacy is Born: The Reign of Fritz Von Erich
There would be no Von Erich family, no Iron Claw movie, no legacy without Fritz. He was born in Jewett, Texas in 1929. He was a formidable man at 6’4” and in his prime he weighed an impressive 240 pounds. He created the Von Erich persona because he recognized the attention he could get as a “heel,” or bad guy, in the wrestling world.
Fritz’s real name was Jack Adkisson. Von Erich is a name he cooked up because it’s German, and Fritz’s rise coincided with the Cold War era, just a few years away from WWII. In fact, Von Erich was a Nazi character, and in the midst of American patriotism at the time, he drove crowds wild with anger. This made him very popular.
He wrestled with fellow “nazi” Waldo Von Erich, even though the two were not related. It was Fritz who came up with the legendary Iron Claw move, where he would grab a foe’s temples and squeeze. Fritz’s monstrous success in the 1950s and ’60s allowed him to oversee his sons’ training, and get them into the industry.
The First Von Erich Death: Jack Junior
The idea that the Von Erich family was cursed perhaps started with the death of the youngest Von Erich sibling: Jack Jr. He was born in 1952 and like his brothers, would not live a long life. While in a trailer park where the family was staying in Niagara Falls, Canada, he was electrocuted, fell into a puddle and drowned. He was six years old.
At the time, Fritz exploded with anger, smashing car windows and screaming, per Kevin Von Erich in the documentary Dark Side of the Ring. Then he just kept on moving forward. What else could he do?
Training the Von Erich Family
The boys were born in fairly quick succession following that. Kevin was born on May 15, 1957. Then David was born in July of 1958. Next came Kerry in February of 1960. Mike was born in March of 1964, and the youngest son, Chris, was born in Sept. of 1969.
Fritz bought a huge swath of land in Texas shortly after Jack died. He wanted to be closer to his family, especially his sons. He was both the caring dad and the strict emperor of the domain. He taught his boys life skills like hunting and fighting back when bullied.
He also built a homemade wrestling ring in the backyard and set up a home gym for the boys to work out. Kevin, David and Kerry all excelled in high school sports, setting some records in the process. The three all started college but everyone dropped out to pursue the family business. In a 1988 interview, Kevin said it was inevitable:
“To be honest, we didn’t even know if we’d like wrestling that much. I mean, wrestling was filled with these old, out-of-shape men, going from one small town to another, looking miserable. But we all knew what was going to happen in the end. It was inevitable. We were going to go into wrestling, because we wanted to be just like our dad.”
Mike and Chris would eventually join up too. Chris, who was small in stature with brittle bones and asthma, struggled the most.
The Von Erich brothers find fame
After he retired from the ring, Fritz took over World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) and used his power to help the brothers any way he could. Kevin said the bond they had helped them communicate in the ring, and it didn’t take long for them to find success.
In the 1970s, and especially the 1980s, wrestling saw a huge rise in popularity due to television deals, and the Von Erichs rode that wave to mainstream acclaim. It didn’t hurt that they each possessed their own unique abilities: Kerry had the physique and charisma, David understood the technicality of the sport, and Kevin was just crazy fast and athletic.
They appeared in TV shows, in comic books and commercials. Could they act? God no. But it didn’t matter, when you’re hot you’re hot, and they rode that wave all the way to the bank. Added bonus? They were all handsome and ladies loved them, and they would be swarmed by crowds outside of their matches.
This would be the peak of the story. It was all down mountain from here.
The tragic deaths of the Von Erichs
Warning: things get fairly grisly, dark and depressing from here on.
David Von Erich was the reigning United National Champion at his peak, and he was on track to take on 1984 NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair. He died at the age of 25 in his hotel room. When they found his body he was reaching for the phone, sparking rumors that he was poisoned, or that he overdosed on drugs.
He actually died from acute enteritis, a condition where perforated intestines fill up with blood, causing the heart to fail. Mike Von Erich, who followed in his brothers footsteps, died three years later. He was touring in Israel and hurt his shoulder. After the surgery, he developed toxic shock syndrome.
He lost weight and had some brain damage issues, which made his public appearances very difficult to watch. His performance suffered, and he was arrested on a DUI charge. In April of 1987, he was found dead in his sleeping bag after overdosing on tranquilizers.
Chris Von Erich, the youngest, never really had the physical ability of his brothers, although he desperately wanted to be like them. He wrestled in the early 1990s with his brother Kevin, who helped to hide his brother’s lack of ability.
After Mike died, Chris fell into a deep depression, and developed a harrowing drug problem. He was also never really suited for wrestling, and wrestling took an incredible physical toll on his body, leaving him in excruciating pain. He committed suicide by gunshot wound to the head on Sept. 12, 1991.
Kerry Von Erich was always supposed to be the superstar. With his charisma and pretty boy looks, he had a bright future ahead of him. Just three months after Mike died, he beat Ric Flair in front of 45,000 at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in Texas in 1984.
Two years later, he was rear ended on his motorcycle. He dislocated his hip, and he lost a foot because he rushed himself back into the ring. Things got worse from there. He developed a pain pill addiction, and was arrested twice. In 1992, his wife Cathy left him. He died by self-inflicted gunshot wound a week after his 33rd birthday.
Patriarch Fritz was the next to die. He outlived five of his sons. Like his son, he also divorced in 1992, after 40 years of matrimony. His final years were marred with brain cancer, and at one point he pointed a loaded gun at Kevin. He died in 1997 at the age of 68.
This leaves Kevin Von Erich as the last of that generation of Von Erichs to survive. In interviews, he expressed that he thought about ending it many times, but fought through and built a wrestling family of his own. His sons Marshall and Ross Von Erich debuted as wrestlers in the 2010s, and they’re still active today.
Kerry’s daughter Lacey Von Erich also joined the family business in 2007, and wrestled until she retired from performing and transitioned to the management side. As for the future of the family, who knows? There could be a young Von Erich in training right now, ready to continue a legacy that started more than 70 years ago.