Chris Von Erich

The day my love for professional wrestling died

Four years ago this week, my love for professional wrestling was silenced.

I grew up with a very healthy appreciation for the sport of professional wrestling.  Yes, I know it’s about as scripted as an episode of The Bachelorette, and yes I know that the matches are predetermined 98.3% of the time, but for me it was always the excitement of seeing the good guys – the faces – the heroes – winning against all odds and defeating the heels – the bad guys – the villains.  Who didn’t cheer the day Bruno Sammartino finally defeated Larry Zbyszko in the steel cage match at Shea Stadium?  Or the time when “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat battled to one of the greatest matches ever in Wrestlemania III?

My love for professional wrestling survived many challenges.  I watched it in college – sometimes there were WWF matches at the Clinton Arena, and it was amazing sight to see one of the college drama professors sitting in the front row of the match, screaming and cheering as then-WWF champion Bob Backlund completely destroyed Greg “The Hammer” Valentine.  In the 1990′s, I would have “Monday Night Wrestling” parties over at my house, where I and some of Vicki’s friends and cousins would order pizza and watch WCW Monday Nitro and then – thanks to a working VCR – watch WWF Monday Night Raw.

I kept watching pro wrestling – even the times when the independent shows played in Schenectady at the IUE Hall.  I still remember a match at the IUE Hall between King Kong Bundy and Primo Carnera III.  It was supposed to be a “best two out of three falls” match, but after Bundy jumped off the second rope for a kneedrop, the force of the 500-pound behemoth hitting the ring mat actually snapped one of the bottom ring supports, and the mat sagged under the collapse.  No, the ring wasn’t gimmicked – it just broke.  Great stuff.

I kept watching pro wrestling – and, over time, I interviewed several professional wrestlers for magazine articles.  Bret “Hitman” Hart was a willing participant in an interview for Hockey Digest, where we talked about his ownership of a junior hockey team.  Chris Jericho discussed his metal band Fozzy as part of an interview for the music magazine Goldmine.  RoadKing magazine featured one of my articles about wrestling reunion fanfests, in which I interviewed, among other stars, Mick Foley and Bruno Sammartino.  And Toy Collector Magazine was the beneficiary of an article I wrote on professional wrestling action figures – and yes, I spoke with everyone from Luna Vachon to Ted DiBiase Sr. to Tammy Sytch.

The Von Erichs Wrestling Family | Fun Food and Drink

Copyright (c) 2010 Davide Botticelli

The Adkisson family, better known as the Von Erichs, are described as the hard-bodied, golden-haired, bare-chested hunks of Texas.

The Start

The Von Erich family starts with Fritz who held many important titles in his career. Fritz was very influential during his career not only as an NWA president and president of WCCW (the company he created) but especially for his very important role in Japanese wrestling where he helped the industry revive again after the death of Rikidōzan. Fritz died in 1997, aged 68, after a battle with lung cancer which spread to his brain.

Jack Von Erich

The Von Erich’s family glory is blurred by a series of deaths starting from the first son who died whilst at his neighbor’s house who had been remodeling and left some wiring exposed. Jackie brushed against the wiring knocking him unconscious and fell face down into a puddle of melted snow and drowned at the age of 7.

This death was not the last family tragedy as four of the other five children of Fritz died prematurely and tragically.

David Von Erich (1958 – 1984 aged 25)

David is attributed with many memorable feuds facing Harley Race, Ric Flair (several times for the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship) and teaming with brothers Kevin and Kerry against the Fabulous Freebirds winning the Missouri Heavyweight Championship several times.

David was set to face Ric Flair once again for the NWA World Heavyweight Title in a match that would (according to rumors) see him emerge as winner but David did not make it; he died in 1984, a few days before the match.

The doctor’s report states that he died of acute enteritis but Ric Flair states that “it was a drug overdose that really killed him and that Bruiser Brody (a fellow wrestler who found David) disposed of the narcotics by flushing them down a toilet before the police arrived.”

Mick Foley states that the cause of death appears to be a drug overdose. The Von Erich’s family never issued the death certificate or doctor’s report.

Kerry Von Erich (1960-1993 aged 33)

Kerry spent the majority of his career wrestling in World Class Championship Wrestling and participated in well known feuds such as those against Gino Hernandez, Iceman Parsons, Chris Adams and The Fabulous Freebirds.

Kerry’s popularity came mainly after taking the NWA World Heavyweight Title from Ric Flair at the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions; a tribute show to honor David. Kerry also worked for the WWF and Global Wrestling Federation.

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