The Von Erich family has a renowned professional wrestling legacy, but it is marred by a tragic series of events that many people feel are caused by a “curse.” This article explores the terrible and enigmatic incidents that have plagued one of the most recognizable families in wrestling.
1. The Von Erich Family
If any family has suffered tragedy it’s been the von Eric wrestling family. From the 1950s to the early 1990s the Von Erich family, a father and five of his sons, were a dominant presence in Texas’s regional wrestling circuit.
2. A Wrestling Dynasty
Jack Adkisson and his wife, Doris, birthed a wrestling dynasty with six sons destined for the arena. Several of them seemed poised to break through at the national level, but tragedy visited the family way too many times.
3. Family Business
But who were the Von Erich family wrestlers and how did they become so famous? Why do some people say they were cursed?
4. “The German Giant from Munich”
This famous family’s legal surname was not “Von Erich”. The name was adopted by Fritz (born Jack Adkisson) as part of his wrestling persona. Fritz Von Erich was portrayed as a Nazi.
5. The Curse Began
Legend suggests that a Holocaust survivor confronted Fritz and said that he had lost all seven of his sons. He then cursed Fritz for his offensive on-stage persona. Jack Jr. was the first son of Fritz and the first member of the family to die.
6. What happened to Jack Von Erich?
Jack died at age six in Niagara Falls, New York, on March 7, 1959, after he stepped on a trailer tongue, was electrically shocked, then fell into a melting snow and drowned.
7. The Lineage
Except for their firstborn, all of Fritz’s sons went on to become professional wrestlers. Fritz molded them into stars of World Class Championship Wrestling. Kevin, David, and Kerry Von Erich rose to fame, presenting all-American wholesomeness.
8. “The Yellow Rose of Texas”
David, in particular, was destined for greatness, on the verge of securing the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1984. However, tragedy struck for the second time in Tokyo as David was found dead in his hotel room at 25.
9. Tragedy Struck Again
The US Embassy’s death report says he died of acute enteritis. Ric Flair wrote in his autobiography, “To Be the Man”, that “everyone in wrestling believes” that it was an overdose that really killed him. His mom was devastated.
10. The Controversy
Mick Foley also supported that theory. A tribute show was held a couple of months later in his honor, during which his younger brother, Kerry Von Erich, won the NWA World Title from Ric Flair.
11. Wild Rumors
Pro-wrestler Cody Jones, son of legendary wrestler Mr. Ebony Tom Jones, contests some of the wildest rumors about the Von Erichs. “More than anything, they’re remembered as pioneers.
12. Wrestling Pioneers
“Unfortunately there’s a lot of stigma there, all the tragedies. It overshadows everything else,” Jones said.
13. The “Inspirational Warrior”
Their fifth son Mike replaced David in the arena but almost died in the hospital from toxic shock syndrome as a result of a botched shoulder surgery. Mike replaced David in the feud the Von Erichs had with The Fabulous Freebirds following David’s death.
14. The Pressure of Having to “Be David”
Though he survived a 107 °F (42 °C) fever, he may have experienced brain damage. Mike tried returning to wrestling after partial recovery. He continued to compete despite a lack of mental coordination and strength.
15. “It Was Just a Nightmare”
After an arrest for DUI and marijuana possession, Mike took a fatal dose of tranquilizers and alcohol around April 12, 1987, in Denton County, Texas. He was missing for 4–5 days, with the date of death being set the Sunday after bailing out of jail.
16. A Better Place
He was determined to have died of an overdose. He left a note for his parents saying “Mom and Dad, I have gone to a better place. I’ll be watching.”
17. “The Texas Tornado”
By 1990, Kerry had accepted an offer to go to the WWF. An elaborate cover-up had been pulled off to convince audiences that he was in working condition despite having had his foot amputated following a medical complication from a 1986 motorcycle accident.
18. A Modern Day Warrior
Now exposed to a wider audience and without the protection of his father’s company, rumors about Kerry’s drug addiction began to flourish. He continued wrestling after the accident with a prosthesis and kept the amputation secret from the majority of fans and fellow wrestlers.
19. The Inner Turmoil
He became addicted to painkillers, developed several narcotics problems, and was arrested multiple times. His dad once said that wrestling success became overshadowed by his son’s inner turmoil.
20. Gone Too Soon
In the end, Kerry ended his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot wound through his heart on his father’s ranch in 1993. There is a marker of an angel placed by his father Fritz on the spot where Kerry shot himself.
21. “He Couldn’t Handle The Disappointment”
Bret Hart states in his autobiography, “Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling”, that Kerry had told him months before about his plans, that he had wanted to follow his late brothers, and that they were calling him.
22. They Saw It Coming
His marriage had fallen apart, and some even say that his death was inevitable. It is believed Kerry’s had a drug problem since that accident, and no one was ever about to tell why.
23. The Curse Made Its Way To Chris
The youngest member of the Von Erich clan was also physically the smallest. Although Chris sported the same chiseled physique as his elder brothers, he was just 5 feet 5 inches tall.
24. Chris Could Not Achieve The Same Success
In addition, asthma limited his in-ring abilities, and the medication that he took to combat asthmatic episodes gave him osteoporosis. He performed as a tag team partner with “Gentleman” Chris Adams on the United States Wrestling Association circuit.
25. The Darkest Side of the Ring
However, despite his best efforts, he was unable to emerge from the shadow cast by his brothers. Depressed after a severe arm fracture left him unable to train, Chris ended his own life in September 1991, just weeks before his 22nd birthday.
26. The Family Tragedy Continues
His brother Kevin and his mother attempted to dissuade him from his troubled tendencies that same day, to no success. An apparent note written by Chris had been found at the scene. Toxicology reports also revealed cocaine and valium were in Chris’ system at the time of his death
27. “The Iron Claw”
Fritz Von Erich lost five of his six sons, three of them ended their own lives. With Kevin as the only surviving brother left to tell the tale, he gave Zac Efron his blessing to play himself in the 2023 biopic “The Iron Claw.”
28. “The Golden Warrior”
The majority of Kevin’s career was spent working in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). It was there that Kevin became known for utilizing trademark maneuvers like the body scissors and the iron claw, as well as for wrestling barefoot.
29. The Only Surviving Member
Kevin absconded from the world of sports entertainment to raise his children in Hawaii shortly thereafter. “I wanted to get away from wrestling. I wanted to get out. I wanted to be anonymous,” Kevin explained.
30. The Glory Days
The name ‘The Iron Claw’ pays tribute to Fritz Von Erich’s trademark move, mirrored by his sons during their brief, yet timeless, glory days in the wrestling arena.
