About the family of Von Erich:
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Von Erich family became the first family of Lone Star professional wrestling. The Von Erich family is now linked to Texas-based wrestling. Fritz Von Erich, whose real name was Jack Barton Adkisson Sr., was the patriarch. Fritz Von Erich, whose real name was Jack Adkisson, changed his family name at the advice of his wrestling trainer Stu Hart so that it would fit better with his role as a Nazi officer. He had a successful wrestling career and later became president of the World Class Championship Wrestling company.
In the 1950s, Fritz played a patriotic German “heel” character. In some areas, witchcraft beliefs said that the family curse had its roots in Fritz’s Nazi act. There were scary stories about the Von Erich family, including the idea that the family was cursed by the ghost of a Holocaust victim.
Fritz Von Erich
Fritz’s marriage to Doris J. Smith in 1950 started a family line that would last for many generations. Together, they had six boys, named Jack Barton Jr., Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris. Sadly, their first child, Jack Barton Jr., died when he was only seven years old. Fritz was a very strong wrestler who won the NWA United States Championship 20 times and the NWA World Championship 3 times. His signature move, “The Iron Claw,” became famous and stood for both his power in the ring and the difficulties his kids had to face. Fritz and Doris got a divorce in 1992, after being married for 42 years. Fritz Von Erich passed away on September 10, 1997, from brain and lung cancer.
Jack Barton Jr. (1952–1959), Kevin (born 1957), David (1958–1984), Kerry (1960–1993), Mike (1964–1987), and Chris (1969–1991) are all in the family line. Each son added to the family’s fighting history in his way.
Jack Barton Jr.
Kevin Von Erich’s younger brother Jack Jr. died in a terrible accident on March 7, 1959. He was only seven years old. The event happened when the family was younger and they lived in a trailer. When Jack Jr. was outside playing, he touched an electric trailer tongue by mistake. He was shocked and drowned in a pool of melting snow. This terrible event had a huge impact on the Von Erich family, especially Fritz Von Erich. It changed the way the family worked together and Fritz’s personality. Jack Jr.’s death is still a sad part of the Von Erich family’s past.
The family of Kevin Von Erich:
The second boy who lived, Kevin, made wrestling history that will never be erased. The start of a new era was when he married Pam Adkisson in 1980. Kevin, the last boy still alive, took on the job of continuing the Von Erich family name. The couple runs a family trading business out of Hawaii where they live. Their four kids—Kristen, Jillian, David Michael Ross, and Kevin Marshall—carry on the family name. Kevin even won a world title once.
David Michael Ross Adkisson
He was born on June 1, 1988, and is better known as Ross Von Erich. His father is Kevin Von Erich. He was named after David and Mike. Kevin, Harley Race, and the Pro Wrestling Noah school taught him how to wrestle. Ross went back to Texas to go to college in 2008, according to his family website. He is said to have fought a few times.
Kevin Marshall Adkisson
He was born on November 10, 1992, and is better known as Marshall Von Erich. Kevin Von Erich is the father of Marshall Von Erich. His name comes from his father. Some of the people who taught him were Kevin, Harley Race, and Noah. His first match was in 2012, with his brother Ross in Pro Wrestling Noah. He took up his dad’s signature move of fighting barefoot. Marshall Von Erich got married to Carol Green Adkisson in March 2016. They are parents of two boys. They welcomed their first child Solomon Knox Adkisson. on August 16, 2019The second boy Archie Ross Von Erich was born on October 21, 2021.
The family of David Von Erich
David was married to Candy L. McLeod for the first time. On June 26, 1978, they got married in Denton, Texas. They had a girl named Natosha Zoeanna Adkisson. On October 19, 1978, she was born. Natosha was only 13 weeks old when she died of SIDS. After Candy and David’s terrible loss, they broke up, and on July 12, 1979, they were divorced.
David married Patricia A. Matter, better known as Trisha, on June 8, 1982. They were together until David’s unexpected death. Trisha was interviewed for a tribute to David that came out in The Wrestler magazine in June 1984. She thanked the people for being there for her. Trisha hasn’t been seen by many people since that talk.
The family of Kerry Von Erich:
Kerry got married to Catherine M. Murray in 1983. In the wrestling world, he is known as the Texas Tornado. Hollie Brooke and Lacey Dawn are their two kids from the marriage. Even though they got divorced in 1992, Lacey later went into professional wrestling and was a TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion. From one generation to the next, the family tree kept growing.
Lacey Dawn Adkisson
Lacey Dawn Adkisson is an American professional wrestler who was born July 17, 1986 and is best known by her ring name, Lacey Von Erich. She is best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she was a TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion.
On July 3, 2021, Lacey Von Erich and Grant Blindbury got married. Grant is a partner at Thousand Oaks, California-based FMB Wealth Management. She has a daughter and two boys. Grant is a licensed financial planner specializing in wealth management. He is a partner at FMB right now.
Hollie Brooke
Hollie Brooke was born on September 19, 1984. Hollie Adkisson and Nick Chilton got married on October 5, 2013. Hollie likes to keep her personal life out of the news, but Lacey did what his dad did.
The family of Mike Von Erich:
Mike was born in 1964 and had health problems. He eventually quit his job because of toxic shock syndrome. After he got married to Shani Danette Garza in 1985, a terrible thing happened. Mike’s health was badly hurt, and it was hard for him to get back into wrestling. He died too soon in 1987. Shani had to deal with the death of her husband, a Christian who had become a believer again. Even though Mike and Shani never had kids together, their short relationship is still an important part of the Von Erich family story.
Chris Von Erich
Chris, the youngest boy, was born in 1969 and had special problems, such as asthma and weak bones from taking prednisone. Chris’s sadness and drug problems got worse after his brother Mike killed himself in 1987. Chris killed himself during the year 1991, when he was 21 years old. His problems brought out how complicated the Von Erich family is and how far-reaching their wrestling tradition is.
The Von Erich family tree, with all of its ups and downs, shows how this wrestling dynasty has left a lasting impact. From Fritz’s impressive wrestling career to Kevin’s unwavering dedication to the family name, each person shaped the story in their own way. The problems the family is having, like losing a loved one, being addicted, and having mental health issues, are a powerful warning that real lives are happening behind the glamour of the ring.
The Von Erich family tree is more than just a list of his wrestling accomplishments. It’s also a deeply human story of victory and tragedy. As “The Iron Claw” tells their story, it makes people think about the effects of fame, the weight of heritage, and the strength needed to handle the challenges of family life in the spotlight. With their strong will, the Von Erichs have made their mark on wrestling history, and their family tree is still an interesting part of the sport’s ongoing story.
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