'Iron Claw' Depicts Era That Meant Much to Arkansas Wrestling Fans

Tragic tale of Von Erich family done well, but would have benefitted more from being series to provide depth needed

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Dec 23, 2023 11:52 AM EST

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – There are certain sports related memories that are burned into my childhood brain.

Troy Aikman dominating the Razorbacks in the Cotton Bowl on his way to the game's MVP.

The sound of shock in the radio team's voice as Nolan Richardson walked off the court against Texas.

The workout montage featuring Kerry Von Erich set to Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" as he rode a horse shirtless through the area around Denton, Texas, sometime after he beat Ric Flair for the NWA championship at Texas Stadium.

Von Erich's tragic tale is just one in a long line of awful things that befell the many sons of legendary wrestler turned promoter Fritz Von Erich in the '80s and '90s. They were so extensive that "The Iron Claw," the movie that came out this week with the daunting task of trying to tell the sad tale, had to cut an entire Von Erich brother, Chris, and his suicide in 1991 at 21 years old.

For those who haven't seen it yet, the movie isn't bad. It does a good job of weaving the story of wrestling brothers Kevin, David, Kerry and Mike through their rise in World Class Championship Wrestling in Dallas while they navigated the complicated waters of trying to make their father proud.

Holt McCallany shines as the singularly focused patriarch of the Von Erich family. Zac Effron also fits well into the lead role of Kevin Von Erich, the only brother to survive the famous family curse, while most of the wrestlers outside of AEW star Ryan Nemeth's portrayal of Ric Flair nail their roles. Praise should also be given for directors insisting on having the actors repeatedly perform entire wrestling matches over and over to get the action as legitimate as possible with Hollywood actors in the lead.

Unfortunately, packing in four deaths (the oldest brother Jackie died as a kid in perhaps the most horribly sad way possible) while trying to allow room for the audience and actors to process and feel the full emotional impact of everything that went on is difficult. It's a tale that would have been told better as a four or five season television series so everything could breathe.

A lot of the real life events surrounding the Von Erich family would have played out richly. While a reporter in Dallas at the time, allHogs publisher Andy Hodges was well aware of the local Sportatorium's top stars.

"My wife at the time was on staff at Scottish Rite Hospital," Hodges said. "A lot of kids wanted to meet a Von Erich. These were kids with everything from cancer to broken legs. She would call Ralph, who was their lawyer and de facto PR agent. Then one of the Von Erichs would always call her back."

When the call came, there were always four questions:
1. What time do you need us there?
2. What is the age of the child?
3. Is it a boy or girl?
4 What size do they wear?

"They would show up every single time early or on time and would sign autographs for everyone as they came in and went out," Hodges said. "They spent several minutes in the child's closed room with parents or a staff member. Every single time."

This impressed Hodges. He covered the Dallas Cowboys and observed the Von Erichs who were equally as big as their Cowboys counterparts as far as celebrities in the DFW area went.

"Despite their own personal demons, when you are a celebrity, and they were as big as any Dallas Cowboy, Maverick or Ranger in the 1980s, and you are that easy and reliable with kids, you move really high on my list," Hodges said.

One aspect the story glossed over that needed much more development, but couldn't because of time, was the feud with the Fabulous Freebirds. The battle between Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts that pitted Georgia against Texas was one of the hottest storylines to ever hit the wrestling world.

A lot of that had to do with how committed the Freebirds were, especially Hayes, to their heel personas. Hailing from "Bad Street, Atlanta, G-A," the Freebirds were the perfect foil to the Von Erich brothers, who were presented as the ultimate babyface tag team. A group of young, clean-shaven men who were there to defend the honor of Texas against the miscreants from Georgia who were obviously out doing shady things into the early morning hours with their 5 o'clock shadows and by any means necessary approach.

Hayes famously loved carrying out kayfabe, a wrestling term for staying in character, while out on the town. He and his his Freebird partners would stir up trouble all over DFW in the name of making fans truly dislike them and want to spend their hard-earned money to go down the road to see those Texas boys put a whoopin' on them. Hodges happened to be in the right place one night to see one of these performances first-hand.

"Part of a bunch of us regulars were hanging out at Steak & Ale on Greenville," Hodges said. "The Freebirds came in one night mad over something and nearly a full-scale fight broke out. Finally, they got it outside, and I walked out and they were laughing about how many tickets they were going to sell. Except for Buddy Roberts. He got his head slammed a little too hard into the bar."

Things like this are exactly why this should have been a series. The time with the Freebirds should have been its own season. Yes, the individual deaths could have punctuated seasons, but certain feuds and the pursuit of the NWA world heavyweight championship from Harley Race and Ric Flair could have carried individual seasons also.

Another installment could have ended with Kerry's motorcycle crash. The following season could have centered around how his stubbornness eventually led to his foot having to be cut off and his journey back to the ring while hiding his amputation from everyone. The season could have ended with the Von Erich's promotion being in flux as Kerry got the call to go to what is now known as the WWE.

Yes, it made for a solid enough movie that will probably make its money back. But for those of us who grew up in Arkansas back in the territory days with promotions like WCCW, WWF, Mid-South Wrestling, UWF and the NWA on television each week, getting to see the full story carried out accurately with its true depth and complexity would have been a bigger win.