On Jul 07, 2025, the tragic story behind the Von Erichprofessional wrestlingfamily will finally be brought to the big screen in the form of an A24 film calledThe Iron Claw.Starring Zac Efron, Lily James, and Jeremy Allen White, the movie will focus on the shaggy-haired brothers who captivated thousands upon thousands of wrestling fans throughout the 1980s while dealing with their own personal demons outside the ring.
The Von Erichs represent perhaps the biggest cautionary tale in the history of pro wrestling, exemplifying both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in the wrestling business. While they achieved incredible success during the height of their popularity, the fame and fortune, as well as the underlying darkness surrounding the family, sadly took a toll on the Texas dynasty.
Five of the six Von Erich brothers died before the age of 34, with Kevin Von Erich (played by Efron in the film) being the only surviving member of the second generation of Von Erichs. Here’s a brief look at the true and tragic story of pro wrestling’s Von Erich family.
The Von Erich Family’s Impact on the Wrestling Business
The Von Erich story starts in the early ’50s when a man from Jewett, Texas, named Jack Adkisson decided to try his luck in the wrestling ring. Following a failed stint in the Canadian Football League, Adkisson met iconic wrestler and trainer Stu Hart. After showing Adkisson the ropes, Hart booked the former football player in his Klondike Wrestling promotion, naming him Fritz Von Erich.
Adkisson teamed up with a Canadian wrestler named Walter Sieber, who assumed the moniker Walter Von Erich. The tag team was billed as a pair of “evil German” brothers, with Hart attempting to capitalize on the relatively recent spread of Nazism as a way to launch Adkisson’s career as acredible villain. Thus, the Von Erich name was born.
The Von Erich tag team eventually broke up, but Adkisson would continue to use the Von Erich name in singles competition, wrestling in promotions across the U.S., including the American Wrestling Association and the National Wrestling Alliance. Adkisson eventually moved to Japan, where the signature wrestling hold that he used during matches earned him the name “Tetsu no Tsume” (in English, “The Iron Claw”).
Adkisson’s in-ring career slowed down by the late ’70s (he officially retired from wrestling in 1982), and he eventually made the transition from competitor to mentor, preparing the next generation of Von Erich wrestlers for stardom. Adkisson would have five sons follow in his footsteps, and while the Nazi gimmick had long faded, the Von Erich name stuck, with Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris all tacking on the last name to their wrestling personas. The Adkissons became known as the Von Erichs from then on out.
Kerry (played by Jeremy Allen WhiteinThe Iron Claw)would become the most renowned Von Erich brother, with his 1984 victory over Ric Flair in front of 45,000 fans at Texas Stadium to win the NWA Heavyweight Championship being his greatest accomplishment. Still, the Von Erichs were pretty much a package deal, and they were treated like rock stars by wrestling fans for the better part of the ’80s.
Wrestling writer Steve Slagle claimed that,at their height, the Von Erichs"experienced fan love and hysteria not unlike what the Beatles provoked when they first arrived at the shores of America." Sadly, that “love and hysteria” would come with a price.
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Five of the Six Von Erich Sons Died Tragically
Tragedy first struck the Adkisson family long before the brothers' foray into the wrestling business. In 1959, when Fritz was still carving his own path as a wrestler, his six-year-old son, Jack Jr., sadly drowned. This devastating death later devolved into what many wrestling pundits refer to as the “Von Erich curse.”
In 1984, David Von Erich was found dead in his Tokyo, Japan, hotel room. He was only 25. While the cause of death was officially listed as acute enteritis, Ric Flair (played by Aaron Dean Eisenbergin the A24 film) claimed in his 2004 biographyTo Be the Manthat Von Erich had actually died from a drug overdose. Allegedly, another wrestler named Bruiser Brody (played by Cazzey Louis Cereghino) discovered Von Erich’s body and flushed the drugs down the toilet before police arrived.
The next tragic Von Erich death came in 1987, when Mike Von Erich overdosed on tranquilizers two years after sustaining career-ending toxic shock syndrome following a botched shoulder surgery in Israel. He was just 23. Four years later, a 21-year-old Chris Von Erich – the youngest Von Erich brother who had struggled to succeed in the wrestling business – shot himself outside the family farm in Edom, Texas.
Finally, in 1993, Kerry Von Erich also fatally shot himself at the family farm at the age of 33 following a severe motorcycle accident, which led to his right foot being amputated, and several subsequent arrests for possessing painkillers without a prescription. Kevin Von Erich, who currently lives in Hawaii with his family, is the last surviving Von Erich brother.
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The Third Generation of Von Erichs
While the “the Von Erich curse” still sadly looms large over the family, several third-generation Von Erichs pursued wrestling careers in spite of the tragic history.
Lacey Von Erich, the daughter of Kerry Von Erich, wrestled from 2007 to 2010, with short stints in the WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Kevin Von Erich’s two sons, Ross and Marshall, also wrestled for TNA, and today, they compete as a successful tag team in the New York-based Major League Wrestling.
Kevin Von Erich has continued to promote his family’s legacy through constant interviews and public event appearances over the years. While not directly involved in the making ofThe Iron Claw,Von Erich has expressed excitement over the film’s releaseand believes that it should be an effective and heartfelt portrayal of the Von Erich story.
