THERE’S NO SHOW quite like professional wrestling. Equal parts feats of strength and Shakespearian epic, wrestling’s popularity stretches back multiple decades, with storytelling married alongside epic fights having become a timeless formula. And yet, despite its outsized popularity, there are parts of wrestling’s past that aren’t as well known to people who maybe got into the sport during the attitude era of the ’90s or who are just curious observers. In short, not everyone knows about the Von Erichs.
The Iron Claw is A24’s big holiday release, and dives deep into the legacy—glorious and tragic—of the family. Anchored by their father, Fritz (Holt McCallany), a new generation of the family, including eldest Kevin (a career-best Zac Efron), and younger sibs David (Harris Dickinson), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), and Mike (Stanley Simons) all aim to find glory inside the ring, only to constantly befall one horrific event after another. Directed and written by Sean Durkin of Martha Marcy May Marlene fame, it’s a wonderfully compelling familial drama, a loving portrait of brotherhood, deeply sad but triumphant. In short, it’s just like a really good wrestling match.
Much of the Von Erich family history is well-documented by The Iron Claw, but if you watched the film and want more insight into the family and their history, we’ve got it all for you. There are some major spoilers for the film’s events—a weird thing to flag for historical events—but worth mentioning nonetheless if you’ve yet to watch it.
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Who are the Von Erichs?
One of the premiere royal families of professional wrestling, the Von Erichs’ legacy started with its patriarch, Fritz. Father Von Erich rose to prominence during the ‘60s and ‘70s, especially in Japan, because of his extremely convincing finisher, the titular Iron Claw. Fritz eventually retired from in-ring competition but kept his edge honed as the (World Class Championship Wrestling) WCCW President in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s in the Dallas, Texas area.
Fritz married Doris (played by Maura Tierney in the film) in the ‘50s, and they had six sons — Jack Jr., Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris.
The Meteoric Rise of the Von Erich Family in Pro Wrestling
As the President of WCCW, Fritz had an inside track on growing and promoting talent to compete for the show. Naturally, that meant he could train his sons for the ring, get them ready, and then push them to be top-tier talents. And so he did; Fritz turned Kevin into a massive talent who was capable of taking on Ric Flair, and WCCW became one of the most well-respected groups in the country as a result of how Fritz ran the show, featuring talents outside of just Kevin, too: Shawn Michaels got his start in WCCW before moving into the big leagues.
As depicted in The Iron Claw, Fritz turned wrestling into a full-family sport with David, Kerry, and Mike also taking up roles in WCCW, whether as solo acts, tag team partners, or more. The WCCW functioned as one of the territories of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), meaning they were free to sanction their own company championships while deterring the parent organization to crown a singular world champion. As such, Fritz made his kids the promotion stars, using other talent on the roster as foes for the Von Erichs to face.
The Many Tragic Deaths of the Von Erichs
Despite their in-ring fame, a number of tragedies befell the family, starting at an early stage. Firstborn Jack Jr. drowned at the age of six outside their home in Niagara Falls in 1959. David died in a Toyko hotel room in 1984, right before he was supposed to compete for the NWA title. Mike overdosed in 1987 after suffering from toxic shock syndrome after surgery on his shoulder. Kerry committed suicide on the Von Erich ranch in 1993 after losing his right foot in a motorcycle accident in June 1986. Chris, who isn’t represented in the film, also committed suicide in 1991.
Kevin is the only surviving child of Doris and Fritz. Much of the latter portions of The Iron Claw deal with Kevin’s journey directly, specifically in how he felt he, too, was cursed alongside members of his family and the lengths he wanted to go to ensure his children wouldn’t suffer the same fate.
The Von Erich Family’s Legacy Today
Luckily for Kevin and Pam, the third generation of Von Erichs are thriving. Three of Kevin’s four kids—Ross, Marshall, and Lacey—have gone on to have wrestling careers, and Kevin and Pam have eleven grandchildren.
Ross and Marshall frequently work together and are currently with the Major League Wrestling promotion, where they won the MLW World Tag Team Championship in 2019. They’ve even wrestled with their father as part of a massive wrestling event called the Rage Megashow in Israel. The largest wrestling event in the country since 1994 was a massive success, with a report stating that fans deemed Kevin a local legend.
In 2009, the entire Von Erich family made it into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of that year’s class. Kevin was on hand to deliver a speech on behalf of the family. It’s powerful and emotional and well worth watching in its entirety.
William Goodman
William Goodman is a freelancer writer, focused on all things pop culture, tech, gadgets, and style. He’s based in Washington, DC and his work can also be found at Robb Report, Complex, and GQ. He’s yet to meet a jacket or cardigan he didn’t love. In his free time, he’s probably on Twitter (@goodmanw) or at the movies.
