- 6 minutes ago
Biography: WWE Legends - Season 5 Episode 1 - The Curse of the Von Erichs, Part 1
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00:22I think I had to grow up to realize that life is not about just laughing it up all day
00:00:30there's a lot of terrible things that happen but in between those moments or those good ones too
00:00:37you know the laughing children you remember being a little kid too and it's just beautiful
00:00:47I love life can't wait to wake up in the morning so I just say thank you Lord for another
00:00:55day you
00:00:56know he doesn't owe me a thing but a place to be born and a place to die there was
00:01:03a time I thought
00:01:04life is too long and now I think life is too short
00:01:10here comes the Von Eriks you gotta understand how big a star the Von Eriks were in Texas
00:01:17if you knew anything about professional wrestling you knew who and what the Von Eriks were
00:01:21the Von Eriks the royal family of wrestling with father Fritz is the king of the ring
00:01:27and each of his sons waiting to take over the throne Fritz had six kids each of these boys
00:01:33are gonna be world heavyweight champions I'm dedicating my life to it the greatest name
00:01:39in professional wrestling today the Von Eriks we begin to really understand how important the
00:01:44Von Eriks were to the state of Texas they were superheroes the Von Eriks are a prime attraction
00:01:49they were on their way to greatness until all the tragedy struck at six years old Uncle Jackie is
00:01:57just gone David Von Eriks was found lying across his bed early this morning as it's awfully hard to
00:02:03believe it could have been a heart attack Michael Von Eriks remains in critical condition at Baylor
00:02:08Medical Center doctors say the rest of all has toxic shock syndrome investigators found a handwritten
00:02:14note mom and dad I'm in a better place Gary Von Eriks was in an accident recently this crumpled
00:02:21wreckage is all that's left some call it the curse of the iron claw it doesn't get easier
00:02:26Lord please don't take any more of my children was it a curse was it just a series of tragic
00:02:33coincidences was it the pressure of the wrestling business the pressure of family the pressure of
00:02:37the fans they did go through a lot of tragedy it was made for movie it's a new film it's
00:02:43called the
00:02:43iron claw don't you dare question me great acting Zac Efron did a phenomenal job but been nice if they'd
00:02:50had the real story this one is a little different I've never talked about the things I've talked about
00:02:56but I wanted it to be said it might sound like the craziest story you ever heard but I know
00:03:16it's true
00:03:16there you go when I'm out here with my grandkids
00:03:26to me this is as good as it gets had I not been raised the way I was maybe I'd
00:03:33be different but
00:03:33it's just important to me oh when I think about my youth my time with my brothers that's it was
00:03:44so
00:03:44great so much fun we had then and then my dad he didn't have any idea what it was like
00:03:51to have
00:03:53brothers you know it's too bad too because uh because he was an only child and I can't imagine what
00:04:01that
00:04:01would like to be an only child Fritz von Erich is my father he was born Jack Atkinson in Jewett
00:04:13Texas
00:04:15he had pretty rough life I think he's only child and uh my granddad was busy and didn't have a
00:04:21lot of
00:04:21time for him my granddad didn't really pay any attention to my dad it was like if they weren't
00:04:27hunting well they weren't talking any stories I have about granddad being little are things that
00:04:34he told me in their town the dads would bet on their boys and have them fight in the woods
00:04:41and when
00:04:42when granddad would lose um his dad would just beat him in front of everyone the one person that my
00:04:51granddad felt like loved him was his daddy Ross his grandfather and so daddy Ross lived a few hours away
00:04:59and for granddad that was his one source of you know love and encouragement there was a guy in town
00:05:07who asked my granddad if you know he was maybe 12 or 13 years old my granddad was at the
00:05:13time and he said
00:05:15you know Jack if you want to ride I'll give you a ride you can ride in my truck with
00:05:19me and I go out there
00:05:20every weekend I'd be happy to take you and granddad was so excited to take that chance
00:05:28the man drove him in the truck on the way there the man molested my granddad
00:05:38my granddad said I wanted to see daddy Ross so bad that I let that happen every couple of weeks
00:05:44you know
00:05:44to go see daddy Ross and it was worth it so that that you know broke my heart whenever he
00:05:50told me about that
00:05:52that he was um molested as a little boy I didn't know that there are things he didn't tell me
00:06:01but
00:06:01he did tell Kristen it's just really I guess he had no reason to tell me I didn't need to
00:06:07know I suppose
00:06:08but kind of surprising
00:06:15I think that granddad had felt invisible for a large part of his childhood and recognized that
00:06:25the best way to get people to notice him was his athletic ability his size and so he went to
00:06:35college
00:06:36and he actually had a scholarship for football and he threw discus at SMU
00:06:42here you were at SMU with a scholarship and you met this young lady named Doris
00:06:48at the time that my grandparents met they loved each other so much
00:06:53and Mimi she wasn't gonna let this boy go you know like this was a boy that was going places
00:07:00and you eventually married Doris but what did that cost you
00:07:04you mean up till now at that time
00:07:08well it it cost me my scholarship when I started as a freshman at SMU they put a non-marriage
00:07:13rule in
00:07:14and any freshman that came in from then on at that time and later
00:07:17if they got married they lost a scholarship
00:07:19so because you married
00:07:20oh no I didn't think they met me
00:07:21I was too great
00:07:22uh-huh
00:07:23and you lost a scholarship
00:07:24yes sir just to condense it brother that's what happened
00:07:28all this time went on uh I had a wife and a young baby on the way and uh
00:07:34I really didn't didn't know what I was going to do yet
00:07:42he tried lots of jobs he was a detective and a bus driver
00:07:49Ed Stringer Lewis belonging in Colette was one of the greatest all-time writers I guess ever was
00:07:53I said French you got a big name at SMU he said man we can train you for about six
00:07:58months
00:07:58put you in that spot of term you'll sell that building out
00:08:01and when he mentioned how much money I was going to make partner I mean to tell you he got
00:08:04my attention
00:08:05yes he said you're liable to make 20 or 25 thousand dollars your first year in the business
00:08:09man I belong to him after that
00:08:12that's when my dad started professional wrestling
00:08:15Jack Atkinson of Dallas 251 pounder
00:08:19Atkinson is the tall boy on the right
00:08:22so Jack Atkinson started off as a local hero football player from SMU
00:08:26but he set out to travel far and wide to really make this his full-time career
00:08:31in wrestling there's no middle ground you either want the people to love you or to hate you
00:08:38people love to cheer for the good guy and boo the bad guy
00:08:41I think he was really smart in seeing the opportunity there to be a memorable heel
00:08:51a bad guy
00:08:53and so that's what my dad did he thought well the most detestable person I can think of would be
00:08:58a Nazi
00:08:59he changed his name to Fritz von Erich basically the most German name he could think of
00:09:05from Berlin Germany Fritz von Erich
00:09:09and there was a lot of potential in that character
00:09:13but he is rough and tough and nasty
00:09:15growing up as a fan if you watch TV you knew Fritz
00:09:19this guy is just vicious
00:09:21he just looked the part of a villain and he played the part of a villain unbelievably
00:09:25Fritz von Erich then the master of the Iron Claw
00:09:28the Iron Claw was Fritz's infamous finishing hold
00:09:32where he would take his big mitts and just wrap it around the skull
00:09:36and just squeeze until sometimes until blood came out or until they gave up
00:09:42that character was beneficial for his family and he was a family man
00:09:46he wanted Jackie to have everything his wife to be taken care of
00:09:56Granddad
00:09:56Yeah?
00:09:57What you were when you were born?
00:09:59Um, 1957
00:10:04Oh
00:10:05That is, so that's daddy right?
00:10:07Oh okay
00:10:08Okay so Uncle Jackie and you?
00:10:10Yeah
00:10:10By 1957
00:10:11It was just the two of us
00:10:13me, Jackie
00:10:14and my mom and dad
00:10:19My mother loved her children
00:10:21She loved me and Jackie so much
00:10:24My mother was so full of love
00:10:27and my dad loved her
00:10:28We were happy and jovial and
00:10:31it was a great time
00:10:33There you are
00:10:34Look at that cute baby
00:10:36That's me
00:10:37Jackie
00:10:38Jackie
00:10:39Uh, he was my big brother
00:10:40He kissed me
00:10:42Aw
00:10:42He loves you
00:10:44Aw, Jackie
00:10:46He had the best personality they say
00:10:48So funny and
00:10:51Like he's trying to make you laugh
00:10:54Jackie
00:10:54That big brother stuff
00:10:56Aw
00:10:59It was in 1959 up in Niagara Falls
00:11:03We didn't have money back then
00:11:05We were, we lived in a trailer house
00:11:07And uh
00:11:08One day
00:11:09Jackie wanted to go play
00:11:11And my mother was busy
00:11:12And so she said
00:11:14Yeah, go play
00:11:15Uncle Jackie asked if he could go
00:11:18To his friend's house
00:11:19A couple of mobile homes down
00:11:22And Mimi said yes
00:11:23Just go ahead
00:11:24Come, you can come home for lunch
00:11:25But yes, go
00:11:29Later on
00:11:30Mimi called her friend
00:11:32And they chatted for a few minutes
00:11:35And then she said
00:11:37You can send Jackie home
00:11:38Thank you so much for having him
00:11:40And her friend said
00:11:41Well Jackie's not here
00:11:44Mimi said her heart dropped
00:11:46She immediately knew something was wrong
00:11:55That day
00:11:56Mimi was
00:11:58Cleaning and it was cold outside
00:12:01And
00:12:02When she called her friend
00:12:04And said hey
00:12:04Will you please send Jackie home
00:12:06She said Jackie never came over
00:12:08I mean
00:12:09As a mother
00:12:11When you say
00:12:12When you hear that
00:12:13That's
00:12:14I just can't imagine
00:12:19Mimi dropped the phone
00:12:21And just ran outside
00:12:23Looking
00:12:24Screaming his name
00:12:26And
00:12:27They couldn't find him
00:12:29So everybody in the
00:12:30Little town
00:12:31There was looking for him
00:12:34Eventually the neighbors say
00:12:35Just go home and wait
00:12:37Go home and wait
00:12:38And
00:12:38And we're looking
00:12:39Cops are on their way
00:12:41So Mimi goes home
00:12:43So an officer knocked on the door
00:12:46When she opened it
00:12:47He said
00:12:48We found him
00:12:53But she said his countenance
00:12:55Didn't match his words
00:12:56And she
00:12:57Was just like
00:12:58Okay give him to me
00:13:00Give him to me
00:13:00But she said she
00:13:01There was this
00:13:02Siren in her mind
00:13:03Like why is this
00:13:04Why is he not happy?
00:13:05Why does his face not match
00:13:06What I'm hearing?
00:13:08And
00:13:09He just
00:13:10You know said we found him
00:13:11And Mimi said that she like
00:13:13He went to hug her
00:13:14And she just punched him
00:13:16In the chest
00:13:16Over and over
00:13:17And
00:13:19Screamed and cried
00:13:22At six years old
00:13:25He was just gone
00:13:27Just like that
00:13:30What happened was
00:13:32In this mobile home park
00:13:33Someone had a little
00:13:35Trailer or equipment room
00:13:37Or something that had
00:13:38The sheet metal siding
00:13:40And so he was walking by
00:13:42Rubbing his finger on it
00:13:44And he touched a spot
00:13:46Where the skin on the trailer
00:13:47Had been electrified
00:13:50The guy had wired his trailer wrong
00:13:53He touched it
00:13:54It knocked him out
00:13:56He was face down
00:13:58On the ground
00:13:59Some snow had melted
00:14:00So his face was in a puddle
00:14:03And I think the actual cause of death
00:14:05Was drowning
00:14:08And then whenever granddad
00:14:10Finally did get home
00:14:12I cannot even imagine
00:14:14But just holding that news
00:14:17And then he comes home
00:14:18And you say
00:14:19Here's what happened today
00:14:22My dad came home
00:14:23And punched the car window
00:14:25And broke the glass
00:14:26And it was a
00:14:29Such a terrible time
00:14:31Losing Jackie
00:14:32Our first baby
00:14:35Was a terrible blow to me
00:14:39Listening to her tell that story
00:14:41Made me realize
00:14:43Oh, she changed at that point
00:14:49She had an anger towards God
00:14:52God, if you're real
00:14:54Why did you let my little boy die?
00:14:56She loved him
00:14:57But she felt like
00:14:58Almost like
00:14:59But God owed her one
00:15:01For letting her baby
00:15:02Be taken
00:15:05And at the time
00:15:07Granddad blamed himself
00:15:08For being gone
00:15:10Mimi
00:15:10Blamed herself too
00:15:12But she also blamed granddad
00:15:14For being gone
00:15:15So I think that sort of
00:15:18Cumulatively
00:15:18As time went on
00:15:20That, you know, anger
00:15:22That resentment sort of
00:15:24Built upon itself
00:15:32Anyone that loses a child
00:15:35There's no pain and no hurt
00:15:36Anyone can ever go through
00:15:37Unless you lose one of your children
00:15:39How did you feel about God at that time?
00:15:41I didn't have a Lord at the time
00:15:44I didn't know he was there
00:15:45I didn't think he was there
00:15:46I just turned
00:15:47I said, Lord, if you were there
00:15:48If you were getting me back to Texas
00:15:51I said, I will follow you the rest of my life
00:15:54He got me back to Texas
00:15:55He got me back to Texas
00:15:55It took a long time and one in a straight line
00:15:58We went like this, but we got there
00:16:03After Uncle Jackie died
00:16:06Granddad, when he had the opportunity to wrestle in Dallas regularly or in Texas
00:16:10I think that they wanted to pursue that for sure
00:16:15Because it meant that they could, you know, be together more and wouldn't have to be separate
00:16:20So my grandparents and my dad, they moved back to Texas
00:16:32Oh wow
00:16:32There's a ranch
00:16:34That's where your great uncles grew up
00:16:40So after I was born, my mother had four kids, all boys
00:16:44Dave was born in 1958
00:16:46Carrie in 1960
00:16:49Mike was born in 1964
00:16:53And then Chris was born in 1969
00:16:56Look at Uncle Chris
00:16:58There's Chris
00:17:00My little brothers thought the world of me
00:17:02And I was really protective of them
00:17:04And I just fell into the job
00:17:06That was me and my big brother
00:17:08And I loved my brothers
00:17:12Look at you and Uncle Dave, Daddy
00:17:14Yup, Skinny Dave
00:17:16We always hunted and fished
00:17:19And spent time together
00:17:23Oh, what great memories we had
00:17:26We all had horses
00:17:27We rode horses everywhere
00:17:29Didn't everyone have their own motorcycle and their own dog?
00:17:32Yup, we sure did
00:17:33And our own BB gun
00:17:34And that's what we did all day
00:17:37There's Carrie with us for 22
00:17:39Carrie and I grew up together
00:17:42At their house out there in their ranch
00:17:44It was like Disneyland
00:17:47Wear shorts and barefooted and no shirt all through summer
00:17:51So that type of stuff
00:17:52Oh, that was me
00:17:53That's a flip
00:17:54Really?
00:17:54It was a twist and flip
00:17:55You never told me you could do a
00:17:57Oh, yeah
00:17:57A back of 180
00:17:59I said to my dad one day
00:18:01Dad, what should I do for a living?
00:18:02I like to brag and I'm a show off
00:18:05He said, you might want to try pro wrestling, son
00:18:10After Uncle Jackie passed away
00:18:13Mimi and Grandad had this idea that the world is dangerous
00:18:21And they both had the desire to keep their family safe from the ugliness of this world
00:18:31So they tried to make their house be the fun house where you wouldn't want to leave
00:18:38At that time, my Mimi was unbelievably strong
00:18:44I mean, she had to, she had to keep it together
00:18:48To lose a six-year-old is, how do you go on?
00:18:51And whatever she did, I think she did it right
00:18:53I just think it's amazing that both of them had this mentality to hold it all together like that, both
00:19:04of them
00:19:06Tell me about raising the boys
00:19:08The greatest memories I have in my life is raising those youngins
00:19:12Gosh, it was fun, I wish I could do it again
00:19:14I think that my dad learned a lot from his youth
00:19:18Even though his father wasn't around, he learned from that
00:19:22But he's gonna be the kind of father that is around
00:19:25Don't misunderstand me, I made a lot of mistakes raising my children
00:19:28But my wife and I love to prevent it of it
00:19:30That may be the difference in a lot of folks
00:19:31They don't love it
00:19:33A lot of the home movies that we have, you can hear Grandad talking
00:19:36He's narrating the whole thing and just laughing and chuckling
00:19:44He didn't have parents that wanted to spend time with him
00:19:47So he wanted to be a dad that, that did, that wanted to spend time with his kids
00:19:52In the history of wrestling, who would you say is the greatest wrestler of all time?
00:19:59That's a rather leading question, don't you think?
00:20:00What do you think the answer's gonna be there?
00:20:02I would say Fritz Von Erich
00:20:03Right, there's no doubt about that
00:20:05The most winning wrestler, the wrestler that's throwing the most money in the world today
00:20:08Has got to be Fritz Von Erich
00:20:09At the time, Fritz, he just became an idol around here in Dallas-Fort Worth area
00:20:17Fritz Von Erich, by his own admission, the world's greatest wrestler
00:20:21People in Texas love Fritz Von Erich
00:20:24I mean, that guy could have been king of Texas
00:20:26I remember Coach Landry and guys from the Cowboys would call my dad for advice
00:20:31And I just never really dawned on me how important he was
00:20:36Not just Texas, but all over, all over the world
00:20:41My dad was a big star in Japan, and he took each one of us
00:20:46Kevin was the first one of my sons to go on the trip
00:20:50I don't think Kevin even had any idea what to expect when he got there
00:20:57The first time I went with him
00:21:00I looked out the window, and there were all these photographers
00:21:03Like, so many, at least a hundred photographers
00:21:08I said, Dad, there's some kind of movie store
00:21:11You should see all the photographers outside
00:21:13And my dad, that's who they were there to see
00:21:16I couldn't believe it
00:21:18But they just wanted to see us
00:21:19Wanted to see the guy with the iron glow
00:21:23Kids, you know, just like any other little fella out there
00:21:25We wanted to be just like our dads
00:21:27I guess all of y'all are the same way
00:21:30And, you know, so we tried extra hard to
00:21:33I guess, you know, the young kids are just that way
00:21:35Anything my dad did, you know, he was like
00:21:38We just wanted to be like him
00:21:39Someone with Jack Atkinson's mindset, he wants to conquer the world
00:21:43And by this time, you know, he knew how the business of pro wrestling worked
00:21:48And I think he probably just thought, if I'm going to make a go of this
00:21:52If it's worth my time to be a wrestler, it's more worth my time to be running everything
00:21:57He kind of took over the Dallas promotion
00:22:00Now, Fritz was the promoter
00:22:02And Fritz then used that opportunity to exert his power
00:22:07And to kind of take over the booking of the Texas territory and all of the Texas towns
00:22:14Nobody realizes it at the time
00:22:16But the path for the Von Erich boys is being set here
00:22:21And in a lot of ways, that would be a shadow over the family forever
00:22:30All of my brothers were in sports
00:22:32Me, Dave, Kerry, Mike were all athletes
00:22:37And we were good at it
00:22:39But with Chris, he had asthma and had to take medicine for it
00:22:44And it stunted his growth
00:22:47And it...
00:22:49He couldn't breathe
00:22:50He really couldn't get enough air to really be a successful athlete
00:22:55And it's just too bad, it's just the way it is
00:22:57But me, Dave, Kerry, Mike
00:23:00We just had a gift for it
00:23:03Kevin, I mean, in high school
00:23:05He really loved football, man
00:23:08Nobody could tackle him
00:23:10He'd just run over everybody
00:23:11You know, so...
00:23:12There's one game, he averaged like 21 yards a carry
00:23:16When Dad would come to the football games
00:23:18It'd be a touchdown or something, I'd look up in the audience
00:23:21And I'd see his hands do this
00:23:24And that's all I cared about
00:23:25That's all I wanted to see was how he felt about it
00:23:28David was 6'7", so...
00:23:31He was a great basketball player
00:23:32In Lake Dallas
00:23:34The only All-State athletes that that school has ever had were my sons
00:23:38David was All-State in basketball two consecutive years
00:23:41But the kids...
00:23:44I've been very proud of them
00:23:47It was kind of cool
00:23:49David and Kevin both got scholarships to North Texas
00:23:51Which, when North Texas was really a Division 1, you know, powerhouse
00:23:56Kevin went first, and then David went the next year and played basketball and football
00:24:03I went to college to play football
00:24:05I didn't care about my degree or anything like that
00:24:08I loved football, and that's all I could think about
00:24:12It was his freshman year
00:24:14I was there when Kerry went to watch the game in Denton at North Texas
00:24:18And I think somebody got blocked into him, his own man or something
00:24:22And just tore his ACL, you know, just one of the worst things
00:24:26And he came back with a vengeance
00:24:28And I'll be dadgum if he didn't hurt the other one his sophomore year
00:24:33With my knees out, I could tell it took something from my quickness
00:24:38Football wasn't as much fun to me
00:24:42And so, it was just a matter of time before I quit playing
00:24:46It was over
00:24:49I had time to make a living
00:24:51So, I dropped out of college, and I gave wrestling a try
00:24:58Kevin Von Erich was the oldest son
00:25:01And the first to give pro wrestling a shot
00:25:03When he decided to get in, he didn't have to look far
00:25:06I mean, his dad ran the local promotion
00:25:08By then, Jack had taken over the Dallas promotion
00:25:11What's now known as world-class championship wrestling
00:25:14So, this is slowly becoming a family business
00:25:19I remember when Kevin debuted like it was yesterday
00:25:23I remember it because I was such a big fan of Fritz Von Erich
00:25:26And then Kevin debuts
00:25:27And he's this really good-looking young guy with this great body
00:25:31It's this incredible star athlete
00:25:34And you're like, wow, this guy could carry on the Von Erich legacy
00:25:37Kevin majored in football and suffered an injury
00:25:40And football's loss became professional wrestling's game
00:25:43In fact, when I started out wrestling, we had to change buildings
00:25:47Because the crowd was getting bigger
00:25:49From the Will Rogers complex in Fort Worth
00:25:52Here's Saturday Night Wrestling
00:25:54There was the writing on the wall
00:25:55I could never make this kind of money
00:25:58Cleaning catfish and washing dishes
00:26:02Meanwhile, David starts to take notice
00:26:05Of what his brother Kevin was doing out there in the wrestling ring
00:26:08So even as a college student, he begins to dabble in his dad's business as well
00:26:12David Von Erich, high school all-stater
00:26:15In basketball
00:26:16Dave loved basketball
00:26:19When Dave got his first wrestling paycheck
00:26:23Oh, that's Mr. Wilkinson board
00:26:26He thought, goodbye basketball
00:26:29Introducing, from Denton, Texas
00:26:31Weighing 236 pounds, David Von Erich
00:26:35David was the one that picked up on the psychology of matches really well
00:26:41Man, he was really good
00:26:43David blocks race and suplex lifts race
00:26:47Suplex by David Von Erich
00:26:48David had all the tools
00:26:50David was a natural
00:26:52It has been simply all David Von Erich who has dominated Harley Race
00:26:5718 years old
00:26:58He had his first sell-off
00:27:01That's pretty young to sell out a building like he did
00:27:03David Harley Race
00:27:05Oh, he caught him in the claw
00:27:06He caught race in the claw
00:27:09That's it
00:27:12David Von Erich
00:27:15I've known his old man for a long time
00:27:20He's legend
00:27:21And this kid right here
00:27:24Is not damn far behind
00:27:29Party race
00:27:30Dave and I were pro wrestlers now
00:27:37My dad, he never really wanted us to wrestle
00:27:41He really didn't
00:27:42He wanted us to go to college
00:27:44And have desk jobs
00:27:48I never wanted my boys to be in wrestling
00:27:50What I didn't realize was that's the only last they'd ever known
00:27:54My dad was a pro wrestler and so that's the way we were brought up
00:27:56We wanted to be the best we possibly could
00:27:58And so, uh, my dad never pressured us into wrestling or pressured us into anything
00:28:02We just wanted to compete
00:28:03They literally had to talk, for instance, to let them start working
00:28:07And there's David, look at that, over the top and a big dropkick
00:28:10Dad really didn't like that
00:28:12I say he didn't like it, but the buildings were packed
00:28:15You know, sell out crowds every week
00:28:17Kevin Von Erich, that's what the people here want to see
00:28:21My dad was a promoter too, so he liked that
00:28:24I think we have the very finest professional wrestlers in the world
00:28:27Coming up, my son Kevin, my oldest boy Kevin Von Erich
00:28:30Just stay with us, you're gonna enjoy this
00:28:32I don't believe this, look at Kevin
00:28:34Oh!
00:28:36The oldest brother wrestled, so the younger brother wanted to wrestle
00:28:39And my grandmother, she said, whatever they did, my granddad made them do it 110%, so he did give them
00:28:49a choice, but if they wanted to, he made sure that they committed 100%, and she was supportive of that
00:28:55And then also, my dad didn't have to pay us like he did the other guys
00:28:59We didn't mind that dad didn't pay us like the other wrestlers, it was okay with us, you know, because
00:29:04everything was working out great
00:29:06We have probably the greatest wrestling father of all times, a man by the name of Fritz Von Erich
00:29:12Our ambition in life is to live up to his name, and to do as well as he's done in
00:29:16this sport
00:29:18We had a family, and we're a family, and we did it for the family, and it's not for my
00:29:24family, or for Dave's family, it was for THE family
00:29:31At the time, my brother Dave got married young, well he had a girlfriend, and he wanted to do the
00:29:42right thing and marry her, and he did
00:29:44Around this time, David's girlfriend Candy gets pregnant, and in 1978, their daughter Natasha is born
00:29:51David was real excited about her, you know, and Candy was just a wonderful mother
00:29:59Once they had the child, he was already talking like, man, I don't want to be on the road as
00:30:04much, it makes it hard
00:30:05He was so excited about the cruise, I'll never forget, they were going on a cruise, they had never been
00:30:10on a cruise, and back then, hardly anybody had been on a cruise, but
00:30:16And then, sure enough, Dave, he gets a phone call, they were able to get a hold of him, and
00:30:23let him know that the child had died
00:30:28It was SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome
00:30:33It was just horrific, man
00:30:36We didn't understand, I mean, how does a child just, you know
00:30:40Back then, SIDS was a huge question, and you know, that a child could just, a baby could just die
00:30:46in the middle of the night
00:30:47That had been perfectly healthy, but that's what happened, you know
00:30:53Obviously, that was a big blow for Dave
00:30:57David and Candy, it affected their relationship, they just kind of drifted apart, and they ended up getting a divorce
00:31:05It was tough, you know, nobody, nobody wants to bury their kids
00:31:11Jack Jr., Fritz's firstborn son, had died, and then, Jack's first grandchild, dies of SIDS
00:31:21I don't know at that point, if you start thinking in terms of a curse, but it really does seem
00:31:25like, there's a bad moon hanging over this family
00:31:32On my left, the sensational Von Erich brothers, David and Kevin
00:31:39Dave and I were on the road a lot
00:31:41Off the ropes, and a big drop kick
00:31:45We were performing, and so we weren't home like, like Kerry was
00:31:51At home, when Kerry was the big brother, and Dave and I were out
00:31:57Kerry was a lot more permissive than Dave and I were
00:32:01Kerry was out with Mike and Chris, and he'd let things go
00:32:05Things like, uh, drinking, staying out
00:32:09Dave and I would have never let that go
00:32:12Kerry was all about fun
00:32:16Everybody loved him, and he was so good inside
00:32:19He just wanted to make you laugh
00:32:22Kerry was pleasant all the time, laughing and joking
00:32:27Playing ribs constantly
00:32:29But, uh, also, Kerry was really an elite athlete
00:32:35The Von Erichs were all athletes
00:32:38But, my brother Kerry was gifted
00:32:43In fact, Kerry was offered a full-rod scholarship at the University of Texas
00:32:48To play football
00:32:50And Kerry, I heard him say it, I was sitting right there
00:32:53He said, I don't want, I don't really like football coach
00:32:56I don't think I want to do that
00:32:57I'll throw the discus
00:33:00He was number one in the nation, uh, when we were seniors in the discus
00:33:05I'll tell you what, folks, every day my mother was out there
00:33:09Lugging four or five discuses that weighed four pounds apiece
00:33:13Thawing them back to me every day
00:33:15And if she couldn't thaw it that far, she had run it in that far
00:33:18But my mother was there every, every workout
00:33:21And he wound up throwing the discus, but from the University of Houston
00:33:26Tom Tellez was the University of Houston coach
00:33:28He was the Olympic coach, so that's another reason Kerry went to Houston
00:33:32He was really wanting to go to the tryout for the 1980 Olympics
00:33:37And then they boycotted it
00:33:40Kerry said, I don't want to wait until 1984
00:33:42That's four, five years away, basically, nearly
00:33:45And he, he wanted to leave college
00:33:49So that's when Kerry came back home
00:33:52And I knew Kerry from his younger brother, Mike
00:33:57Because Mike and I were in, in class together since third grade
00:34:02And so, Mike was the strongest male athlete in school
00:34:07And I was the strongest female athlete in school
00:34:11So we used to get all the awards together and things like that
00:34:14So, Mike and I were best friends
00:34:17One day, Mike said to Kerry, can I have a party?
00:34:21And Kerry said, only if you invite Kathy Murray
00:34:26Kerry and I got to talking and the rest is history
00:34:29We just stay together after that
00:34:32You know that young love that's so raw and so real
00:34:37And you're so young and it's your first
00:34:39And so that was really powerful for me
00:34:50My dad and my mom, what a beautiful love story they have
00:34:55My mom adores my dad and my dad loves and treasures my mom
00:35:00I got married in 1980, my sweet Pam
00:35:04I've been so happy with her, we've been married 45 years
00:35:11I mean, yes, it probably was scary to her to see
00:35:14This is a semi-famous family, they're all wrestlers
00:35:18But I think when she saw what a beautiful family they were
00:35:21Behind closed doors, and she wanted to be a part of that
00:35:25And they cherished her
00:35:27And she said she had always prayed, I want to marry a godly man
00:35:30That's who my dad was
00:35:32And on the outside, that's not what my dad looked like
00:35:35He just looked like this handsome jock, you know
00:35:40Here's what they're waiting for
00:35:42Kevin Von Erich, David Von Erich
00:35:44Kevin and Dave, I mean, the story was already of the Von Erichs
00:35:48They were drawing everywhere they go
00:35:51And look at this pen of audio
00:35:53But the other thing was, it was
00:35:55It was eating on Kerry
00:35:58Kerry saw that and was just thinking
00:36:01Wow, this is a really big deal
00:36:05Kerry wanted to wrestle, but Fritz wanted him to finish college
00:36:07Kerry was adamant
00:36:10Matter of fact, Kerry literally had a meeting with Fritz
00:36:13He said, I want a meeting with my dad
00:36:15And he told Fritz, either I start working here or I'll go somewhere else
00:36:21You are looking at the spotlight on Kerry Von Erich as he makes his way to the ring
00:36:27After the Olympics, I don't really know that he ever thought of doing anything else
00:36:35Kerry just had this innate ability of this charisma
00:36:39Some guys just walk into a room and have this light come on
00:36:42Kerry Von Erich, listen to the crowd
00:36:45Kerry, Kerry, Kerry
00:36:47Now you got Kevin, Dave and Kerry, so three Von Erichs on the corner
00:36:51They had the look, they had the feel and they could work
00:36:54Dave was the best worker of all of them
00:36:57Kerry had the good looks and the charisma
00:37:00Look at Kerry, up top
00:37:02Kevin had kind of a little mix of all of them
00:37:07All these boys who just dominated every aspect of Texas wrestling
00:37:13There was a short time where Kerry, me and Dave could all be in the same town
00:37:18There they are, the Von Erichs
00:37:21Eventually, after about a year
00:37:23We'd one town have Kerry, one town have me, one town have Dave
00:37:27And the houses were all good, you know, they all sellouts
00:37:30They were great
00:37:31Listen to this crowd roar, they're on their feet
00:37:34It was like a fairy tale for two, three years
00:37:37They're on
00:37:42A good wrestler is one that, you know, a natural athlete first of all
00:37:47Like my sons and his kids like this, they make wrestling what it is today
00:37:51Kerry Von Erich, as his brother David and Kevin, have almost a religious responsibility to learn the art of wrestling
00:38:00from their father since they were small children
00:38:02Winning something our dad instilled in us a long time ago
00:38:05We do it as fairly as we can, but number one, goal is to win
00:38:08Two, three, oh, what a dazzling show of wrestling ability
00:38:18There's a misconception that Fritz sort of dragged all his sons into the ring kicking and screaming
00:38:24But, I think for Kevin and then David and then Kerry, it was hard to turn down the allure of
00:38:30the pro wrestling ring
00:38:31And once they got in there and the crowd started reacting to them, Fritz basically said, well, if they're all
00:38:36in, let's make the most of it
00:38:41Fantastic! What excitement! There's just nothing like it in the whole world!
00:38:48They would come out through the crowd to different songs, it would look range by ZZ Top
00:39:04We wanted to put the kind of wrestling out there that we'd like
00:39:09So rock was a big part of our presentation
00:39:16All of a sudden you have something that becomes this rock show, and it was a rock show
00:39:20You watched the other matches, they were all good
00:39:22But when they came out, that was the show
00:39:26It was just pure energy
00:39:29The guys wanted to be like them, the girls wanted to be with them
00:39:33Everyone trying to grab a hold of Kerry, perhaps get a kiss
00:39:37Boy, she's lucky, isn't she?
00:39:38It was just a spectacle any time that they would come to the ring
00:39:42Every match that you'll see tonight is not from a studio
00:39:45It's from a live arena, one of the oldest, most well-known arenas
00:39:49Certainly in Texas, probably in the world itself
00:39:51The world-famous Sportatorium
00:39:53If it's there, it's the best in professional wrestling
00:39:55The home of the Von Erics
00:39:58Sportatorium's the greatest building world
00:40:00Atmosphere personified
00:40:01This crowd is going wild
00:40:05One of the wildest nights in the history of Texas wrestling
00:40:10I only was able to go once at the Sportatorium
00:40:14I bragged to my friends for weeks
00:40:18Bro, I saw the Von Erics live
00:40:21Watch this
00:40:25It wasn't your daddy's wrestling anymore
00:40:28They changed the demographic
00:40:30And I think also, the show on TV was completely different
00:40:34Hi, I'm Kerry Von Erics
00:40:37And this is my dog Shay
00:40:38For several weeks now, we've been telling you about the changes in the new world-class wrestling show
00:40:42And this is just some of the improvements we've made
00:40:45We want to put boom mics in the ring
00:40:49Cameras not just by the ring, they climb up on the ring
00:40:53I'll never forget it, Fritz sat Kerry and I down in his office
00:40:56And he said, I'm getting ready to do this thing called syndication
00:41:00That we're going to go all over the country and all over the world
00:41:03It's cable TV, and we were like, what is that?
00:41:06You know, when we first started syndication, we had 10 or 12 markets
00:41:10Then we got 20, pretty soon we were in 47 markets
00:41:12When cable started coming around, we finally got world-class wrestling out of Dallas
00:41:18And that's when I was exposed to the Von Erics
00:41:20And how important the Von Erics were to the state of Texas
00:41:25You know, I would watch KTTV, Channel 11, in my dorm
00:41:29It was absolutely amazing
00:41:30Three, Kerry Von Erics wins the box
00:41:34The rock concert atmosphere, the sportatorium craze, the way they looked on TV
00:41:40All of this combined to make the Von Erics the hottest thing in all of Texas
00:41:46The Von Erics in Texas was almost religion
00:41:50It was a family of superheroes
00:41:53Here, obviously, the Dallas Cowboys, how popular they were
00:41:55If there's anything a Texan loves more than chili, it would have to be the sport of football
00:41:59If you saw a Dallas Cowboy at the local sports store, you didn't know who he was
00:42:04Because he didn't have the helmet and the number on
00:42:06To wear with wrestling, you know, there they were, right there in your living room every Saturday night
00:42:10Doing an interview right in your face
00:42:13Yeah, baby, we told you, Bill, there's something magic with Kevin and I in that ring together
00:42:17We would get tickets to go watch them wrestle
00:42:20And so they were pretty popular in terms of what we would talk about in the locker room
00:42:25There was two things that were big in Texas
00:42:27It was football and the Von Erics
00:42:28It wasn't football and wrestling, it was football and the Von Erics
00:42:32I think what really made the Von Erics more popular than a lot of other great babyfaces around the country
00:42:39was
00:42:39You saw them grow up
00:42:41And everybody felt like, almost like, they're part of the life, they're part of what's happening to them
00:42:47They've really come behind us, they were like their kids and they're like all parents and all the young kids
00:42:51around and everything else
00:42:52They're really nice to us here, so we love it
00:42:54They're part of us. We took an ownership of the Von Erics boys
00:42:58These were salt of the earth guys
00:43:01Tell us a little bit about Kevin
00:43:02I've been getting into some cliff diving
00:43:04I went to cliff diving in Acapulco a couple of weeks ago
00:43:07And I like to write poems
00:43:09I like to ride horses
00:43:10I like to fish
00:43:13Kevin and I have just gotten into a little bit of skydiving
00:43:16We've been doing that for about two months now
00:43:18We weren't big shots, we acted like we were your big brother
00:43:22Your son, your grandson, your uncle, your cousin
00:43:27Von Erics was the name Dad gave me and I'm proud to have it
00:43:30It was so important to be a good role model
00:43:33Be respectful
00:43:35My dad was like that
00:43:36I didn't think any of them were presumptuous about who they were
00:43:41Or ever even said, hey, do you know who I am?
00:43:43Or hey, I'm this, I'm that, no, no
00:43:46I think that's Fritz teaching them, hey, you're somebody but you're nobody
00:43:52The people make you who you are
00:43:54With my brothers and I, if we lose a fight
00:43:57The people are right there, they're cheering for us just as loud as if we lose
00:44:01Because they want us to know that they're behind us all the way
00:44:05It was just a great life, you know
00:44:08I can remember the three of us just being young and getting in the car
00:44:12Going to head up to Oklahoma for spot shows or down in the middle of Texas for spot shows
00:44:17But we were kids, everything was fun
00:44:20Everybody was our friend
00:44:21The police all knew us, we all liked each other
00:44:25It just kind of spoils you because you can get in your car
00:44:28All you gotta do is take your boots and your trunks
00:44:31And go to another town and make a living
00:44:34Swim in the rivers all the way up and all the way back
00:44:38And just laugh the whole time
00:44:41Man, that was fun
00:44:43Just me and my brothers
00:44:46The greatest name in professional wrestling today
00:44:48The Von Erics have been for years
00:44:50Today the allegiance of a lot of wrestling fans belongs to the Von Erics
00:44:55To Father Fritz and his three wrestling sons
00:44:57And there are still two more Von Erics waiting to jump into the ring
00:45:01Mike and Chris
00:45:04Right now the Von Erics are a prime attraction
00:45:07A guaranteed draw at dozens of wrestling arenas
00:45:11But as successful as they are
00:45:12They've never forgotten that the most important ingredient in any family business
00:45:17Is the family
00:45:18You talk about Fritz, family man, businessman
00:45:22His business is his family
00:45:25They're your meal ticket right now
00:45:26The dramatic arrival of the Von Erics
00:45:29As hundreds of youngsters come to the ring
00:45:31Seeking autographs, their pictures
00:45:34But there's this just constant demand
00:45:37The feeling that like if we let anything slip
00:45:39Then this could all come crashing down
00:45:41It was just a ton of pressure on them to keep it going
00:45:48We would have a weekly family reunion in there, you know, on Friday nights
00:45:53Good evening and welcome to the world famous Sportatorium
00:45:57The home of world class championship wrestling
00:46:00I'd come down right here
00:46:01Always meet people here, you know
00:46:03And hanging their arms out
00:46:06I've got scars all over my shoulder for the girls
00:46:09Scratching like this
00:46:10You should see my shoulders
00:46:11Kevin Von Erics
00:46:12What a beautiful specimen
00:46:15Well, I grew up in here, you know
00:46:17It's like my little playground
00:46:18Oh, off the rock!
00:46:23Yeah, that's some good memories
00:46:27That's where it all started
00:46:29Kevin was, he was an entertainer
00:46:31But as a person, he was a pretty simple guy
00:46:33You know, like he just wanted
00:46:34To have that sort of isolation
00:46:37That sort of getting away from everything else
00:46:39You're working nearly every night
00:46:41This must be a great way to just take some edge off
00:46:45Oh man, you're right, brother
00:46:46I'd probably crack up if I didn't have the country to come out to
00:46:50If I don't get off on disco dancing
00:46:52And this is really where I'm at
00:46:54That's where my head is
00:46:55Wait for your daughter to get old enough to come out
00:46:58We'll have to see about that
00:47:01Once I had my first baby
00:47:03Once Pam had Kristen
00:47:05Well, my priorities changed
00:47:08And wrestling became work
00:47:11I don't think wrestling
00:47:13Was the number one priority for Kevin anymore
00:47:17He's obligated to do the wrestling
00:47:18He wanted to do the family thing
00:47:20He would show up at the matches
00:47:22He would leave immediately
00:47:23You know, he didn't hang around
00:47:24And go home and be dad
00:47:26And then also, my life went from
00:47:29Loving my dog and my 22
00:47:31To that baby
00:47:33And Pam, my queen
00:47:34That gave me that baby
00:47:36I had somebody to protect
00:47:39Chris, Dad, give me your...
00:47:42Get along, you pretty girl
00:47:45My father
00:47:47Big, mean, tough Fritz
00:47:48He loved being a grandfather
00:47:51He loved being a grandfather
00:47:52Kristen and him were like that
00:47:54Come here, folks
00:47:55My granddad
00:48:02Was one of the best men that I've ever met
00:48:06My baby girl
00:48:07He was just the epitome of safety for us
00:48:14Now, that's what I call pretty, pretty, pretty
00:48:18Now, me, always have one of your pretty face
00:48:22Mimi was also so loving
00:48:25And my grandparents did a really good job
00:48:27Of making us feel like we were all a community
00:48:32And we had each other
00:48:33Look at me, question
00:48:34Oh, you're joking
00:48:38The first time I realized that there was something
00:48:41Maybe different about our family
00:48:42We were gonna have a Six Flags Day as a family
00:48:45And when we arrived at the park
00:48:48There were police everywhere
00:48:50And they put us right on a golf cart
00:48:52And we had a couple hours of the park exclusively
00:48:55But they opened the gate
00:48:57And I just have this image in my mind
00:48:59I was sitting on the back of this golf cart
00:49:01And these people chasing us and screaming
00:49:04And this one lady had mascara running down her face
00:49:08And I remember thinking, you know, they're not chasing anybody else
00:49:11And don't they know how boring my dad is?
00:49:15And how boring my uncles are?
00:49:16Like, why do they think it's so cool?
00:49:19You never realized what kind of rock stars these kids, these kids had become
00:49:25And here they come, the trio of wrestling personified
00:49:30Everybody wanted to see the Von Ericks
00:49:32But they needed a nemesis, you know, and when the Freebirds came in
00:49:36That's when wrestling just blew up
00:49:39Michael Hayes and Terry Gordy
00:49:42Buddy Roberts, the Freebirds
00:49:44You finally had somebody that could go against the Von Erick boys
00:49:48And that was the perfect antithesis in the Freebirds
00:49:51Hey man, we're running these Von Ericks out of Texas
00:49:53When it comes to notorious bad motherfuckers
00:49:58That you love to hate
00:50:01That'd be us
00:50:02If we gotta run over the Von Ericks
00:50:05We'll do it with pleasure
00:50:07Oh my goodness
00:50:08Well, the Freebirds were just so easy to hate
00:50:13The Freebirds brought their own flags from Georgia into Texas
00:50:16Which is something you don't do
00:50:17It kind of became like a college football rivalry in a sense
00:50:22Georgia versus Texas
00:50:23This war is not between Texas and Georgia
00:50:26It's between decency and filth
00:50:31It was like setting a nuclear bomb off in the state of Texas
00:50:34I've never seen anything like it
00:50:37I'm gonna say thanks to the people of Dallas, Texas
00:50:38Cause it's the biggest crowd ever to be in this auditorium
00:50:41Shows that used to on a Saturday night do 500 people
00:50:45All of a sudden we were doing 8,000
00:50:48Just packed to the walls
00:50:49And so this one is gonna start in a hurry
00:50:53The rivalry worked, I think
00:50:55Because when we would get in that ring
00:50:58You could tell that these guys really don't like each other
00:51:02It may take everybody in the arena to separate these two
00:51:05But there was a respect between us that really made it work too
00:51:13You're supposed to make a match
00:51:15That's your job
00:51:16And of course the fans ate it up
00:51:18The whole family sticks together
00:51:20That's been their motto and their creed
00:51:22For two hours or three hours
00:51:24They got to cheer for the good
00:51:26It's not just Arwen, it's all of Arwen
00:51:28And boo the evil
00:51:30And that's what wrestling is
00:51:32I just love it, I really do
00:51:36This is one of the few places where you can come and holler and scream
00:51:38And they don't take you to jail
00:51:40Me and my buddies would ride down there
00:51:42Every Friday night
00:51:43I was there watching the Von Erickson
00:51:44Freebirds go at it
00:51:46You could see those TV ratings shooting up
00:51:49And all we had to do was keep doing what we were doing
00:51:51Just make it a little more dangerous and a little more reckless
00:51:54This looks like it's gonna be a wild plugfest
00:51:58Whoop it over!
00:52:00When you watch those guys, you're like
00:52:01They're beating the shit out of each other
00:52:03I mean this is incredible
00:52:05And that's what Texans love so much about it
00:52:07People love to fight
00:52:09I never wanted to be a fake
00:52:11I really enjoyed what I did
00:52:13I loved it and I felt real doing it
00:52:15I gave people real entertainment
00:52:18Some of my brothers
00:52:19I mean they were really into it
00:52:22Really, really believed
00:52:25That what we were doing
00:52:27Was real
00:52:27Kevin Von Erick is now covered in blood
00:52:31A lot of times after the matches
00:52:32I felt like it was real
00:52:33Because it hurt
00:52:35And the free bird is a loose bird
00:52:37As it goes to the floor
00:52:38And says man alive what hit me
00:52:49When you're young you feel like you're bullet proof
00:52:52Nothing can hurt you
00:52:54And now Kevin Von Erick
00:52:58Struggling
00:52:59You can break a bone
00:53:00And keep going
00:53:02Bo's got a broken nose
00:53:05When you're right you win every time
00:53:07This doesn't hurt a bit
00:53:08There's plenty more
00:53:09You were pretty much always playing with pain
00:53:12You had to wrestle or you didn't get paid
00:53:15My nose has been broken dozens of times
00:53:17I got broken ribs
00:53:18My elbows have been both dislocated
00:53:20My shoulder, my knee operations
00:53:23The tooth knocked out from Michael Hayes' boot
00:53:25We used to take injections
00:53:28Xylocaine, Marcaine, Procaine
00:53:30But they're not drugs
00:53:31They just numb nerve endings
00:53:35And I didn't want to live like that anymore
00:53:39And so to deal with that pain
00:53:42I grew my own marijuana
00:53:45Let's sprout it up here in the carpet
00:53:49I don't want to be a proponent for such a thing
00:53:51But I have to say that
00:53:52I took a healthy approach by growing it myself
00:53:55Hey man, where are we going to smoke one again?
00:53:58Kevin?
00:53:59If God makes it, if it's a vegetable
00:54:01If it grows on a tree or in the ground
00:54:03I want it, but I don't want anything made by man
00:54:08And here comes the modern day warrior
00:54:11Carrie Von Erick
00:54:13For Carrie, the business was becoming
00:54:16Becoming very taxing on the body in general
00:54:20With the amount of time in the gym
00:54:23And pumping iron
00:54:24And then just getting hurt in the ring
00:54:27Oh Carrie is pretty well shaken
00:54:30When you're getting hurt all the time
00:54:33And you start asking for prescription drugs, right?
00:54:38And then how much is enough?
00:54:41And do I need something even harder, stronger
00:54:45To relieve this pain?
00:54:48You know, you can just get caught up in that
00:54:52And there were, there's doctors because of who they are
00:54:55They're famous, who would just write a prescription
00:54:58And here you go
00:55:00And then you take it and you go
00:55:02Well it does help me feel better
00:55:04But the doctor just prescribed it
00:55:06It's legal
00:55:08And I think a lot of people got fooled by that
00:55:11Carrie felt a big responsibility to the business
00:55:15He took care of his fans
00:55:18It's tough, but we know it's a job
00:55:20It's a responsibility that we have to do
00:55:22And my father bred us to be winners, not losers
00:55:26And to fight 100% every night whenever we were in that ring
00:55:29So Carrie fought between his health and keeping up with the image that was so important to the Von Ericks
00:55:58Dave was the only one of all of us that liked strong liquor, had a bottle of it in his
00:56:05bag
00:56:07And then he told us he had a really bad stomach ache and a booze was helping him
00:56:14Stomach pain must have something else
00:56:15I mean, he said it was like a knife
00:56:19He had diarrhea for months
00:56:22At the time Dave was married to Trish
00:56:25I know she didn't think he had a virus or something because it, you know, had some symptoms
00:56:29But he didn't want her to worry, you know, so he wouldn't have said anything
00:56:36So Carrie and I made sure he went to the doctor about it
00:56:40A proctologist, I guess it was
00:56:43They told Dave to lean against this little wall thing
00:56:46They put his elbows down, strapped them in
00:56:49Strapped his elbow here in his knees
00:56:53And Dave got mad easy
00:56:55The doc hit a switch and Dave was butt up
00:57:00And he was furious
00:57:02He said, absolutely not
00:57:04I'll tear this place down
00:57:06And he had to unstrap Dave and let him go
00:57:09But, if they would have done the examination
00:57:13I think they would have found something
00:57:19It's around 83 that David first starts complaining of stomach pain
00:57:23And also, I think, you know, taking a lot of hard bumps in the ring
00:57:27And especially coming up in the Atkinson household
00:57:31Maybe you're just taught to rub some dirt on it, you know
00:57:35Because he wasn't being treated for it, he started turning to painkillers
00:57:40One time he showed up on
00:57:45Quaaludes, you know
00:57:47You know, when you can't talk and you're slurring your words
00:57:50That's when it becomes bad
00:57:52I've seen him where he's a puddle in the middle of the floor
00:57:55And he's supposed to be going to the ring
00:57:58You know, so you gotta try and get him up and get him going
00:58:03Before long, he almost couldn't overcome it
00:58:08Looking at today's world, I'd say Dave had an opioid problem
00:58:11He was addicted to pills
00:58:13And boy, I know Fritz was just irate about it
00:58:16You're doing your fans a disservice anytime you get out of line
00:58:19Because you are an image to them
00:58:21That they want to live up to
00:58:23And so many pro athletes, you know what I'm talking about
00:58:26Man, they have no use for their fans
00:58:29Their fans is what made them
00:58:31It's what made us
00:58:31And we need to always be aware of the responsibility that goes with them
00:58:37Image was really important to granddad
00:58:40But Mimi was, I think, more concerned about family image and reputation than the granddad was
00:58:54She wanted to have a perfect family that didn't fail
00:59:00And Mimi was really concerned about media
00:59:04Granddad maybe was to a point that it affected the business
00:59:08Fritz always said, it's one thing what a man does on his own time
00:59:12But when you're on my time, you need to be top shape
00:59:16They're under pressure
00:59:18They were pretty much on call 24 hours a day
00:59:21Dealing with the public, dealing with the news
00:59:24Several thousand waiting in line for hours
00:59:27To see the famous wrestling Von Erich
00:59:30It was fun though
00:59:32Everywhere you went
00:59:34You were treated like you were royalty
00:59:37We get endorsements through wrestling
00:59:39And so we get three cars from these dealerships
00:59:43They were top stars
00:59:45And Mike and Chris always looked up to them
00:59:48And they were like, if they can do it, I can do it
00:59:52Mike and Chris were super close
00:59:54They came to the matches every week
00:59:55Right after high school, Mike wanted to be a part of what his brothers were doing
01:00:00I've seen the debut of all these guys
01:00:02Kevin, David, Carey
01:00:04And now they debut in just a few minutes of Mike Von Erich
01:00:08For Mike, it was hard not being a Von Erich
01:00:12You know, if he was anywhere with the brothers, he was treated as if he was in the business
01:00:16And it was contagious
01:00:18Little Mike, I say, is a big old stud
01:00:20But tonight I think he's going to show his colors
01:00:21He's a Von Erich right down on the wire
01:00:23Mike wanted to wrestle so bad, he wanted to be like Dave
01:00:27Mike's been taught by the best, because we were taught by the best
01:00:29Do you like your leg in here, Kath?
01:00:31Oh, just stiffer, yeah, yeah
01:00:33Oh, that's an excellent one
01:00:35And now I got his leg
01:00:37Oh, yeah, I go nowhere
01:00:39And here he comes
01:00:41Mike Von Erich
01:00:44He has not only his own career to think about
01:00:47But of course he's upholding the honor of the Von Erich families
01:00:51Part of it for him was just being with his brothers
01:00:55Like, okay, they're not going out on the road and leaving me anymore
01:00:57I get to come along
01:00:59I'm the baby brother
01:01:00And we're going to have a good time together
01:01:01You know, and they did
01:01:02You know, a lot of people think that Von Erichs have bit off more than we can chew
01:01:05They think that Mike's too young to be getting in the ring with us
01:01:08This kid is not going to let me down, we're going to take those freebirds
01:01:11Oh, look at that move
01:01:13At this point, the Von Erichs and the freebirds
01:01:17Our story was so high
01:01:25That it was time to take it to a stadium, which was unheard of back then
01:01:31We were doing the six-man tag team championship, which at that time would have now been Kevin, Carrie and
01:01:37Mike
01:01:39Against the birds
01:01:40Now if the freebirds think they can beat us, go ahead and come on with it all you got
01:01:44And then the main event was going to be Flair versus David for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
01:01:51The Nature Boy Ric Flair, arguably the greatest wrestler of all time
01:01:56I thrive, whoo, I thrive, I'm being called the greatest
01:02:00But it was already decided, it was very hush-hush
01:02:04But David was going to beat Ric Flair for the title
01:02:10And then about five weeks before the show, Dave goes to Japan to work over there
01:02:18For months before the Japan trip, he didn't look right to me
01:02:24But it was the stomach, you know
01:02:28Dave had that ashen look about him, you know, white look
01:02:32Look, his eyebrows would get white
01:02:38And so, Marty has an idea something bad was going to happen
01:02:52This is December 24th, Christmas Eve, 1983
01:03:01It was so cold that day, remember the pond froze over, wow
01:03:04That never happens
01:03:08I lay some bats on it
01:03:10There's Kathy
01:03:11And Uncle Chris
01:03:12There's Chris
01:03:14Dad, thanks for the stereo, dude
01:03:16Oh yeah, babe
01:03:17Wow
01:03:19Thanks
01:03:22There's Uncle Mike and me
01:03:23Ah, Mike
01:03:26All the kids love Mike, don't they?
01:03:29Full is right
01:03:30Full is right
01:03:32Full is right
01:03:36Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for everything you've given us
01:03:40All the family being together, the brothers
01:03:43That's great, Lord, thank you for everything you've given us
01:03:46After that Christmas
01:03:50Our life would not be the same
01:03:54For months
01:03:56Before the Japan trip
01:03:58Dave was white as a ghost
01:03:59He, uh
01:04:01He didn't look right to me
01:04:05I was with him when he wrestled in Austin, Texas
01:04:07And after the matches, he was throwing up
01:04:09He was sick
01:04:11And he kept saying, ah, it's just some virus I got
01:04:14And everybody just thought he had the flu
01:04:16You know, it was
01:04:18This dead winter
01:04:20You know, early February
01:04:22We knew Davey was sick, but they had no idea how sick
01:04:25The boys had been raised to be there
01:04:27Just thousands of people had paid their money to see those boys wrestle
01:04:30So the broken leg brought them, we expect them to be there
01:04:33And he looked pale, and I could just tell my mom's face
01:04:36She was worried about Dave, they were talking
01:04:38And I looked at him, I thought, if I lost him
01:04:41You know, I just put my hands on him
01:04:43Don't you go over there and die, Dave
01:04:44And he said, I won't give
01:04:45I thought, I kissed him
01:04:49No, are you?
01:04:50Yeah, can't happen now
01:05:02When you go to Japan, it's always pretty much the same
01:05:07We would eat, and we'd have, drink beers, and have fun, and you know
01:05:11It was, it was great
01:05:13I talked to Bill Irwin about it
01:05:15He said, they got to that, to Tokyo, and they went about 6 o'clock and had a big steak
01:05:21And Dave wanted two steaks
01:05:23And Bill said he couldn't even finish his, because Dave ate a lot, you know
01:05:27But then Dave ordered a third steak, and ate it
01:05:31We'd get out of there, and go back to the hotel
01:05:34And we'd go into the hotel, and we'd go in, and of course the bar's still open
01:05:37Well, shit, we'd got to go in there
01:05:40And David said, hey, I'll be right back
01:05:44I think he left, and went upstairs, and puked
01:05:47And then he came back down
01:05:49Everybody that's there, including myself
01:05:52We were kind of full, but he ate
01:05:55And he ate some more
01:05:57David and I were in that, in that bar last
01:06:00And David goes, well, come by the room
01:06:02Come on by, you know, we'll have a drink, or whatever
01:06:04Last one, went on into his room, went in, sat down
01:06:07I think we had a beer, or something, right there
01:06:10And you know, after the beer, it was, it was the end of the night
01:06:15He goes, yeah, I'm just gonna call my wife
01:06:18Okay, see you tomorrow
01:06:25Well, tomorrow comes, and everybody's on the bus at 5 o'clock
01:06:28Like, what the hell?
01:06:30You know, where's David?
01:06:33And in the distance, you hear sirens
01:06:38Everybody's looking at each other
01:06:40Everybody up, whew, we all went off the bus
01:06:42Right into the hotel, up the stairs, right to the corner room
01:06:46And they were there with the key, and unlocked his door
01:06:50And there was David, in the same spot I left him
01:06:54Just laid back
01:06:57Still dressed, in the same clothes, everything
01:07:06To this day, I cannot stand a phone call before daylight
01:07:13Because that's what I got that morning that Trish called me
01:07:20And when that phone rang, it was dark
01:07:24And I picked up the phone, and she was crying, I knew
01:07:28And she said, he's dead, Kev
01:07:29And I just said, I have to go
01:07:33I hung the phone up
01:07:37I went outside, and I was just crushed, you know
01:07:42I couldn't stand up, and I just laid down in the forest
01:07:46And pushed the leaves back
01:07:47And put my face in that black dirt
01:07:49And I breathed it, God, let me die
01:08:00Seeing my dad, and knowing that he'd lost his son, he'd lost Dave
01:08:06Oh my gosh, that was, that was the worst part
01:08:12It was, as bad as grief can get
01:08:20Fritz had already said, whatever that autopsy says, we gotta go with
01:08:24Because the public's probably gonna get it sooner or later
01:08:28And everybody thought David died of an overdose, but he didn't
01:08:32I heard all the stories around the industry that
01:08:36It was pills, it was this
01:08:38I'm not saying there wasn't any pills involved, because
01:08:41Undoubtedly he was in excruciating pain
01:08:44And, but did he do enough to OD? No
01:08:48The autopsy said, acute enteritis, heart failure
01:08:53So basically what they were saying was, because of the acute enteritis
01:08:57His intestines ruptured, he filled up with blood
01:09:01And it caused heart failure
01:09:13Some say that David Von Erich's death hit Dallas Fort Worth
01:09:17Like Elvis Presley's death hit the nation
01:09:20David Von Erich died Friday of enteritis
01:09:23He was 25 years old
01:09:26I mean, at the funeral that we're expecting
01:09:30500 to 800 people and we end up with almost 10,000
01:09:35Fans from the area and foes from the ring turned out
01:09:39The 1800 seat church was soon filled to capacity
01:09:43And hundreds stood outside
01:09:45Hoping to catch a few strains of the service from the loudspeaker system
01:09:49It was a quiet but unhappy group
01:09:52It hit everyone, like a ton of bricks
01:09:56The schools let out
01:09:57I live and care for David and I wanted to be here
01:10:01The funeral procession stretched five miles across the Lone Star State
01:10:05It was a hero's send off
01:10:07They shut down the highway all the way from Denton to Oak Grove Cemetery and Oak Cliff
01:10:13Things all of a sudden, it was like, this is like a president died
01:10:19More fans waited at the cemetery for the procession of 150 cars to arrive
01:10:25I don't think that we realized how much we were loved until we saw that
01:10:32We're just overwhelmed today
01:10:35All of these people showing up for the last experience that David's ever going to make
01:10:40Our bodies may be left here on earth, but our souls go to heaven
01:10:44It's made us accept death a lot easier
01:10:47Hey, we know our brother David's in a lot better place than we are right now
01:10:51The loss of a brother was devastating for him
01:10:55He said, you know, I think I should just go and be with David
01:11:01There was always this thing with the brothers that
01:11:05Maybe not so much Kevin because Kevin was the oldest trying to protect his brothers
01:11:09But beyond that, they always wanted to be together
01:11:15After losing Uncle Dave, Mimi was just filled with so much pain
01:11:24But she wanted to have a great image
01:11:27You say, God help me through this
01:11:30You get off your desk and you start moving again
01:11:32You start laughing again
01:11:36And you refuse to stay down
01:11:38You don't get over it, but we do have to keep fighting
01:11:42We have to make it for the weak ones, for our children, for our women, for
01:11:46Those that love us and those that are hurting, you know
01:11:53You know, like Kerry and I were talking about earlier today
01:11:57Dave wanted that world championship more than anything in the world
01:12:00And that world championship
01:12:04It's going to be around the Von Erich waist
01:12:07It has to be not only for our family, but for Dave
01:12:11When David Von Erich died
01:12:14Fritz already has this giant stadium show
01:12:18Booked at Cowboy Stadium
01:12:19And they have to go through with it
01:12:21And now, as much as they might have wanted to
01:12:26Just mourn him
01:12:27They have to keep the business going
01:12:31My dad was a businessman
01:12:34It's a family business
01:12:35This is what I do
01:12:37It's my job
01:12:38I'll never forget after Dave died
01:12:40There was talk about, well, we can't put the belt on the other two boys
01:12:44At that point, and Fritz was like, it's not an option
01:12:47It's a question now, which of you two is going to be the next world champion
01:12:51So when you take that title
01:12:53There's no question to anybody that's mine in the world
01:12:55That you are the best that there is and the best there ever was
01:12:58All in Dave's memory
01:13:00And so Kerry and I had like a coin flip with my dad
01:13:06But, um, the truth of it was
01:13:09That I was married and I did not want to travel
01:13:12Like the world champion has to travel, it's all over the place
01:13:15I had my children
01:13:16I didn't want to be the world champion
01:13:19And, uh, Kerry did
01:13:22And so as far as the coin flip's concerned, it was more like, you win
01:13:30There are no seat belts on the chairs here at Texas Stadium
01:13:33But we almost need them
01:13:35My goodness, I mean, what an atmosphere
01:13:38What a huge match feeling
01:13:42And, Kerry had the weight of the state on his back
01:13:46From Denton, Texas, weighing 259 pounds, Mr. Kerry Lauder
01:13:52You know, when I talk about the butterflies or something like this
01:13:55It's almost impossible to describe in words the way I felt
01:13:58But it was like all of Texas Stadium was electrified
01:14:02That title shot was supposed to be David's
01:14:04David passes away in Japan
01:14:07Now his brother comes and steps in
01:14:10And who does he have to, I mean, Ric Flair
01:14:13Prime Ric Flair
01:14:15Texas Stadium sold out
01:14:17The largest crowd ever
01:14:18To see wrestling anywhere in the world
01:14:21Is on hand here at Texas Stadium
01:14:23A history-making event
01:14:25Everyone right in the state of Texas
01:14:31I was pregnant with Holly and it was a great day for all of us
01:14:37Mary Von Erick
01:14:39Probably the most beautiful ring jacket I've ever seen
01:14:41He wanted to make his dad proud
01:14:45And all the fans too, right?
01:14:47To make sure that that Von Erick image was, you know, upheld
01:14:52This is it, here we go
01:14:55Watching that one
01:14:56Blair can't find a handle
01:14:58At my Papa Jody's house
01:15:01Kerry is rolling now
01:15:05It was like watching a Mike Dyson fight
01:15:09Back to his feet, there's a drive by Kerry
01:15:13And everybody had to go to the fight
01:15:17Power slam!
01:15:19You got 40,000 grieving people
01:15:23We had to have the pop
01:15:26And it's a iron claw!
01:15:31Kerry's got him, here's the Nelson can't
01:15:33Go!
01:15:35Hey!
01:15:36The dream steps through!
01:15:38Yes!
01:15:42It's happened!
01:15:51Man, it gives you kind of, it gives you goosebumps thinking about it
01:15:54How special that was for Kerry to win the title
01:15:57Kerry Von Erick is the new world heavyweight champion!
01:16:02To have our guy Kerry Von Erick
01:16:05You know, that iconic stadium with the Holy Roots so God can watch his team
01:16:10It was a day of celebration in the state
01:16:12For the Texas flag, the big yellow rose, and the heavyweight belt
01:16:17Winning the ultimate prize in dedication to your brother who passed away
01:16:22Kerry Von Erick was a god in the state of Texas
01:16:25Prince there to greet Kerry, there's Mrs. Von Erick, Kerry's father
01:16:31You know, today the world belongs to Texas
01:16:33Because if it wasn't for the Texas people, I wouldn't have nothing
01:16:36And you know what else?
01:16:37My brother David, tonight, he had the best seat in the house
01:16:40Right upstairs looking down
01:16:42And just God bless him, man, because he saw everything I did
01:16:45And we're just so happy
01:16:46It was just one of the greatest moments, I think, in his history of wrestling
01:16:56Then Kerry had to take on the responsibility of being the champion
01:17:00And it's not fun
01:17:02Here now comes world heavyweight champion Kerry Von Erick
01:17:06That's a 360-day deal
01:17:09He goes from, David's dead
01:17:13You're the main event
01:17:15Promos, promos, promos
01:17:19And you can't just say, oh, we're taking a week off
01:17:23So, between that and losing his brother David
01:17:27That's when I started seeing a little bit more of the drugs starting to come in
01:17:33Oh, Bill, there's so much going on inside my head
01:17:36I feel like I'm ready now
01:17:38I believe with all my heart
01:17:39I think before David's death, the drugs were under control
01:17:44Where it wasn't causing any problems for him
01:17:47And then after David's death, it just
01:17:53Kerry Von Erick, the new world heavyweight champion
01:17:55I guess that's something we've all dreamed about
01:17:59That was the right call for Kerry to be world champion
01:18:02For that night, in that stadium
01:18:06Regardless of how it turned out, it was the right call
01:18:09Rick switches him, pulls him back
01:18:11He's got him, he's got him, and that's it
01:18:15And Ric Flair, the world heavyweight champion once again
01:18:19With an 18-day reign, the NWA was sort of doing a solid
01:18:23For the state of Texas, you know, for Dallas, for the Von Erick family
01:18:27For all the tragedy that they were going through right in that moment
01:18:31And it wasn't meant to be a long-term solution
01:18:34I think for Kerry, it didn't matter that he lost it so quickly
01:18:37Because you're on top, right?
01:18:39How much further can you go?
01:18:41Like, I'm accepted now, right?
01:18:43My dad trusted me to be able to do this, and I did it
01:18:46I tried to do this all my life
01:18:47A national wrestling last world champion
01:18:49And I was never able to take it, but Kerry took it
01:18:52Even after losing the title, the Von Ericks, they were still drawing in huge crowds
01:18:57And I think that just says something about their start
01:19:01Listen to this crowd roar, they're on their feet
01:19:06It's getting around that the Von Ericks and World Class Championship Wrestling
01:19:10Is the number one sport in the world today
01:19:14World class was just booming
01:19:18Line, dropkick, and there goes Michael Hayes
01:19:21They would play the show, I think it was at 11am Sunday mornings
01:19:25We would have a replay of that at 6 at night
01:19:30Which was opposite of 60 Minutes
01:19:34Which was the number one show in the country
01:19:36And we would almost double their ratings
01:19:39With a replay
01:19:41At this point, World Class is so successful
01:19:46That, you know, Vince McMahon takes notice
01:19:48If there's one family that's dominant
01:19:51And reigns supreme somewhat in the entire wrestling world
01:19:54It would be the Von Erick family at the beginning
01:19:56There was a meeting that took place in Dallas
01:19:59You know, Vince said, join forces with the WWE
01:20:04We'll go everywhere
01:20:05And at that time, they would even take 40%
01:20:08We would be 60%
01:20:11We didn't do the deal
01:20:13Rich was, why do we need you?
01:20:16We just did 40-some thousand people
01:20:19The wrestling family, which has made Dallas and Fort Worth
01:20:22One of the hottest spots in the sport
01:20:23Is still growing strong
01:20:25The people love the Von Ericks
01:20:27It's amazing, but wherever the Von Ericks go
01:20:29A crowd always follows
01:20:33Kerry, he was extremely popular
01:20:35People just loved him
01:20:37He was actually going to audition with Sylvester Stallone
01:20:40For Rocky IV
01:20:42And they picked Dolph Lundgren for it
01:20:45But becoming famous at a really young age
01:20:48Can be difficult
01:20:53And that was pretty tough for me
01:20:56As a wife, being with somebody that was so famous
01:21:00I love you too, Kerry, but you're married so
01:21:02I'm just worried about his health
01:21:04I'm worried that he's going to get an eye out or something
01:21:07I'm not really worried about the girls kissing on him or anything
01:21:10I know that goes
01:21:11I don't blame him, I would too
01:21:12I'd be jumping all over him too
01:21:14I like Kerry's body
01:21:17All of it was really hard for he and I
01:21:20I kept seeing Kerry Atkinson getting buried
01:21:25Underneath the Von Erick image
01:21:28I was losing a part of my husband that was very important to me
01:21:34Because Kerry Von Erick belonged to everybody
01:21:39Maybe taking the drugs helped him to escape from that
01:21:44At least he told me that one time
01:21:50That's a big responsibility being on top
01:21:53Because you're responsible for feeding everybody
01:21:56And drinking and doing drugs don't help you balance that that well
01:22:01Kerry sometimes, is he 100%, is he 70%?
01:22:04What have we got to work with?
01:22:06And when we finally get him in the ring
01:22:08Michael Hayes or Terry Gordon
01:22:09I don't care which one
01:22:12But when we get you in the ring, baby
01:22:14I ain't going out to hurt you
01:22:15I'm going out to cripple you
01:22:16And I guarantee you that
01:22:20It was hard to be in that position to where
01:22:23You go tell someone that their son's got a problem
01:22:27I mentioned it one time and
01:22:29I got heat for it
01:22:31Not from Fritz, I'll just leave it at that
01:22:35My grandmother loved her boys so much
01:22:39And I love Mimi
01:22:41I love my grandmother
01:22:43But it's frustrating because it
01:22:48It's just so easy to blame Granddad
01:22:50It's not always as it seems
01:22:53A lot of people want to make Fritz the bad guy
01:22:57There is a deep love and respect between the boys and Fritz
01:23:01And it went both ways
01:23:02I saw it firsthand
01:23:04Mr. Efkoson absolutely wanted the best for his boys
01:23:09But he also wanted the best for his business
01:23:12Fritz was also very consumed
01:23:14With making sure that train kept running down that track
01:23:17And we are still breaking attendance records
01:23:20Harry Von Erich literally having to push his way through
01:23:22Life was great
01:23:23Everybody thought it was going to last forever
01:23:28Wrong
01:23:30We had to deal with life as it comes
01:23:32Don't cry about it
01:23:34The tragedy started coming around
01:23:38It had its effect
01:23:41Suicides, drugs, alcohol
01:23:44You name it
01:23:45It all played a part
01:23:56It's so cool how you all got to wrestle together
01:23:59Well just imagine you inside, you know, just playing outside
01:24:02But there's thousands of people watching
01:24:04So that's what's going to happen when they play with their brother
01:24:07In front of a bunch of people
01:24:11There was a time that we could all wrestle in any town and sell it out
01:24:16The Von Erichs have won the hearts of wrestling fans
01:24:19They're the most popular wrestling family in the world
01:24:24Yeah, it's not like people think
01:24:26It's a family business
01:24:28It wasn't fun, it was work
01:24:31You're pressured to be on all of the time
01:24:34An image that they all want to uphold
01:24:38They're just good boys
01:24:39The world just needs heroes today, that's all
01:24:42There's pressure to keep that name alive
01:24:44Professional wrestler Mike Von Erich remains in critical condition
01:24:48If Mike Von Erich dies, the whole world is going to hate you
01:24:51It's in the Lord's plan for these things to happen
01:24:53The Von Erichs are strong
01:24:55I saw a lot of depression in him
01:24:57I do remember times where he wasn't sober
01:25:01The doctor told him he just might never be able to go back and arrest him
01:25:05Dozens of searchers had been scouring Lake Louisville by ground and air since Wednesday night
01:25:10When I got the call, I knew our world was crumbling
01:25:13Investigators found a handwritten note
01:25:15Mom and Dad, I'm in a better place
01:25:18I'd rather die than let you folks down
Comments