The wrestling world is getting ready for a movie extravaganza: ” The Iron Claw,” starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson and directed by Sean Durkin, is about to come out. This A24 film, tells the fascinating and sad story of the Von Erich family, a wrestling dynasty that changed the sport forever from the 1960s to the present day.
As the hype for “Iron Claw” grows, the movie promises more than just big muscles and flashy wrestling moves. It will also look at the rise and fall of the Von Erich family. The movie tells the interesting story of a family that became famous in wrestling for their crazy personalities and signature moves, like the iron claw that squeezes the forehead. But the Von Erich family was also known for a string of accidents and deaths that became known as the “Von Erich curse.” The Von Erich curse—what is it? tvacute will learn more about the Von Erich family, their father Fritz Von Erich, and the strange curse that has followed them through the years in this article.
Who is the Von Erich family?
From Texas comes the famous Von Erich family, who have been in professional wrestling for many generations. Jack Adkisson, the head of the family, wore the ring name “Von Erich” as part of his wrestling act. Adkisson, who was also known as Fritz Von Erich, first became famous for playing a Nazi villain in wrestling. He was very big and had typical German features.
Fritz’s glory helped his three boys, Kevin, David, and Kerry, get into wrestling when they were still young. The three brothers became some of the most famous names in the business, and each brought their special skills and charm to the stage. The family patriarch stopped wrestling to become a wrestling producer. The Von Erich brothers were able to shine in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), the federation he set up.
A curse on a family: What is the Von Erich Curse?
People in the wrestling business have made up myths and controversies about the Von Erich curse, which is a slang term for a string of bad luck and brutal deaths in the family. The sad story began when Jack Adkisson’s first son, Jack Jr., drowned and was shocked in a puddle when he was 6 years old. This terrible event set off a string of bad luck that would stay with the Von Erich family for decades.
Fritz Von Erich’s third son was David Von Erich born on July 22, 1958, called “The Yellow Rose of Texas”. It was 1984, and David Von Erich died while on a family trip to Japan at the age of 25. The curse hit again. Nobody knows what happened to him because he was found dead in his hotel room. The Japanese doctor said it was caused by acutte enteritis, which is an illness of the intestines. There are still questions about whether painkillers or other things played a part.
As the curse kept going in its relentless way, it affected Mike Von Erich. In the Von Erich family, he was Fritz Von Erich’s fifth son. His birth took place on March 2, 1964, in Dallas, Texas, and his name was Michael Brett Adkisson known as the “Inspirational Warrior.” Mike Von Erich got toxic shock syndrome after surgery and died of an overdose in 1987 at the age of 23. He took an overdose of Placidyl near Lewisville Lake.
Chris Von Erich was the youngest of his family’s children, born Chris Barton Adkisson in Dallas, Texas on September 30, 1969. Chris missed out on the same level of success as his father and brothers because he was short (5’4″), had asthma, and had very fragile bones. His unquenchable passion for wrestling kept him going through a series of ailments, and he tried his hand at wrestling multiple times before finally finding success. Chris fell into a deep depression and a state of frustration after years of failing to make it big in the wrestling industry. The death of his brother, Mike, had a similar devastating effect on him. Shot himself in the head in 1991, when he was 21 years old.
Kerry Von Erich was Fritz Von Erich’s fourth son. Kerry Gene Adkisson came into this world in Niagara Falls, New York, on February 3, 1960. Kerry, more famous than any other member of the Von Erich family, went by the names “The Texas Tornado” and “The Modern Day Warrior.”
The bulk of Kerry’s wrestling career was devoted to World Class Championship Wrestling, just like his brothers’. He had numerous significant feuds, including with Iceman Parsons, Chris Adams, Gino Hernandez, and The Fabulous Freebirds. At the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions, a tribute show to his older brother David, Kerry became the most successful member of the Von Erich family by defeating Ric Flair to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title.
Kerry had to have his foot amputated because of complications that arose after a motorbike accident in 1986. Then he had problems in his personal and professional life, and there were whispers that he was addicted to drugs. It all changed in 1993 when Kerry Von Erich committed himself, devastated by a broken marriage and engulfed in legal troubles. On February 18, 1993, his family found him at their ranch in Denton County, Texas, wounded in the chest from a 44-caliber gunshot.
Fritz Von Erich, the head of the family, lived longer than five of his six kids, but he also had brain and lung cancer, which killed him in 1997. Many people thought that the Von Erich family was cursed because of the shocking and sudden deaths of the brothers.
Even though the Von Erich curse is controversial and full of secrets, family members have shared their thoughts and ideas about the tragedies. Kevin Von Erich, the only brother who is still alive, has spoken out about the problems and pain his family has been through. In many talks and documentaries, Kevin talked about how close the brothers really were and how they were good people with pure hearts.
In the film “Dark Side of the Ring,” Kevin talks about Mike Von Erich’s problems after toxic shock syndrome and calls them a “nightmare.” He talked about sad times, like seeing Mike try to wrestle even though he was sick, which showed how much it affected the family emotionally.
Even though the wrestling business is full of problems and different points of view, Kevin’s unwavering dedication to the Von Erich tradition is clear. The WWE honored the family’s contributions to the sport by adding them to the Hall of Fame in 2009. Kevin took the award with thanks, speaking for his brothers and father who had died. He did this to show how the Von Erich family’s spirit lives on.
The story of the Von Erich family is one of success and tragedy, fame and pain, and it goes beyond the wrestling ring. As Kevin raises his sons Ross and Marshall to carry on the family name, the Von Erich family history goes on. Even though things have been hard, the family stays close because they all love wrestling. This shows that they are strong and want to protect their special place in the history of professional wrestling.
In conclusion, the Von Erich curse is still an interesting and sad part of wrestling history. It makes us think about how complicated family relationships can be, how much fame costs, and how the Von Erich family changed the sport they loved. The new biopic, “The Iron Claw,” will hopefully bring this amazing journey to life on the big screen, letting viewers see the ups and downs of a family who became wrestling stars and the targets of a long-lasting myth.
Von Erich Family: Where is Kevin Von Erich Now?
