Heroes of World Class and The Iron Claw
A look at the 2006 DVD documentary about the Von Erich family and the 2023 film about their story.
I don't keep up with the movie scene that much, so I wasn't aware of the film The Iron Claw until I saw it out on DVD and Blu-Ray. The movie is about the Von Erich family, who gained particular notoriety in the early 1980s because of their prominence in the Texas pro wrestling territory that became known as World Class Championship Wrestling.
I finally watched The Iron Claw now that it is streaming on Max. Before I get into that film, I wanted to give some background about the Von Erichs and WCCW -- which brings me to one of the best pro wrestling documentaries I've watched: Heroes of World Class.
The 2006 documentary is out of print and has yet to be made available in a streaming service, though I did find somebody who has it up on YouTube. You can also find used copies on Amazon and eBay (though you can expect to pay a lot for it).
I do believe that, in order to appreciate The Iron Claw, it helps to understand the background of the Von Erichs and World Class. I'll first talk about the Von Erich family and touch upon the Heroes of World Class documentary, then I'll get into The Iron Claw.
Jack Adkisson had hoped to pursue a pro football career, but that never came to pass and he turned to pro wrestling. He adopted the ring name Fritz Von Erich, originally with the character of a Nazi sympathizer. Along with wrestling, Fritz became a promoter and part-owner of the Dallas wrestling territory.
The promotion held the bulk of its shows at the Sportatorium, which has a history of its own. Those who worked the venue would share tales about how hot the arena got because there was no air conditioning, while others would bring up how giant rats would get inside. But the shows drew large crowds and wrestlers appreciated how the promotion was run and the atmosphere at the shows.
It wasn't long before Fritz Von Erich dropped the Nazi persona, turned babyface and presented himself as the Texas family man. He and his wife Doris would have six sons, from oldest to youngest: Jack Jr., Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris.
Jack Jr. tragically died when he was just seven years old after he accidentally stepped on a trailer tongue, was electrically shocked, then fell face first into melting snow and drowned. The other five would go on to become involved in the wrestling business.
It was Kevin, David and Kerry who became the focal points of the Dallas-based territory. Kevin made his debut first and was arguably the best when it came to in-ring work. In the Heroes documentary, promoter Gary Hart described Kevin as a tough man who would hit hard. While it's true that pro wrestlers work together to put on matches and ensure they don't injure one another, Kevin would be the type described as someone who works "snug" and his opponents would feel the effect of his strikes.
Kerry originally had his sights set on competing in the 1980 Olympics because he was a top discus thrower not just in Texas but the United States. However, 1980 was when the former Soviet Union hosted the summer Olympics and the United States boycotted them when the Soviets attacked Afghanistan. Kerry thus entered pro wrestling and, while a good worker, was the type of wrestler who had a lot of charisma and an aura about him, that people couldn't help but love him.
David, though, may have been the complete package when it came to a pro wrestler. He was the best three on the microphone and knew how to deliver an interview. In the Heroes DVD, Hart related that some wrestlers thought David only got pushed because he was Fritz's son and said "that was a lie." The reality was David won over many promoters and top wrestlers because of his in-ring ability and promos.
The three brothers came along at the right time, when the rise of cable television and satellite broadcasting would allow wrestling promotions — who relied a lot on television to promote their shows — to reach a larger audience. As detailed in the Heroes documentary, Bill Mercer and Mickey Grant were instrumental in getting Fritz to give the go-ahead to add elements such as TV cameras that would be close to ringside (even in the ring), microphones in multiple locations and improving the sound quality, which allowed wrestlers to take advantage by having music play when they made their way to the ring.
The improved presentation and production values, combined with a deal with the Christian Broadcasting Network, allowed what became World Class to reach a larger audience. Along with the Von Erich brothers, the promotion boasted talents such as The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, Buddy Roberts), "Gentleman" Chris Adams, Gino Hernandez, "Iceman" King Parsons, Jimmy Garvin, Bruiser Brody and Devastation Inc. (among whose members included The Great Kabuki, Kimala and The Missing Link).
After the Von Erich brothers, the Freebirds may have done the most to take the promotion to new heights. Not only did the Freebirds provide the perfect foils for the Von Erich brothers, but they had unique entrances to the ring and were among the first to play music to the ring. And in their case, they recorded their own original entrance music "Badstreet USA."
All of this led to a strong period for the Dallas-based territory from 1981 to 1985. Over time, the promotion took over most of Texas and even held shows outside of the state — which was considered unusual at a time in which wrestling promoters controlled certain territories and had agreements in place that they held exclusivity over said territories.
But the rise of cable and satellite meant things were about to change. Despite the national prominence of World Class, Fritz refused to expand. That would lead to a significant setback when Vincent Kennedy McMahon showed he was willing to take advantage of the landscape, purchase the New York/New England-based Capitol Sports promotion from his father, rebrand it as Titan Sports and the World Wrestling Federation (today the promotion is known as WWE) and begin nationwide expansion.
The other significant setback was what happened with the Von Erich family.
David Von Erich was being talked up as a potential NWA World heavyweight champion candidate and was set to face the champion at the time, Ric Flair, at a planned Parade of Champions supercard in May of 1984. However, on Feb. 10, 1984, David was found dead in a hotel room in Japan when he was there to appear on a pro wrestling card.
There is a dispute over what led to his death, as it was known that David was taking a painkiller and had complained of stomach pain. The autopsy listed the cause of a death as a heart attack, due to his intestines rupturing because of acute enteritis. But there was mention about Bruiser Brody, who first found David in the hotel room, flushing painkillers down a toilet before police arrived. Some have wondered if David’s death was actually because he overdosed on the painkillers.
Regardless of the actual cause of his death, World Class had lost one of its top stars. Though Kerry Von Erich faced Flair for the NWA title in May of that year, Flair regained it several weeks later.
By this point, Mike Von Erich had made his wrestling debut, but he had never shown interest in getting in the ring and was more interested in the production side. Mike also had a gift for music, but seemed to have been urged by his father to become a wrestler instead. Mike never had the charisma or ability that his brothers displayed.
In 1985, Mike injured his shoulder and needed surgery, but suffered from toxic shock syndrome and nearly died. Though he recovered, he had suffered some brain damage as a result of a high fever and was never the same. Meanwhile, Fritz decided to recruit local wrestler Ricky Vaughn and bill him as Lance Von Erich, a cousin of the Von Erich family. However, the move failed to recapture the dynamic that Kevin and Kerry had with David.
In 1986, Kerry was involved in a motorcycle crash and severely injured his foot, to the point that it had to be amputated. By this time, World Class was in decline, with so many wrestlers departing the promotion, many going to the World Wrestling Federation and others to Jim Crockett Promotions, which was now the most prominent promotion in the NWA.
In 1987, Mike Von Erich committed suicide, having disappeared from the Von Erich ranch, then later found at a nearby lake in a sleeping bag, having overdosed on Placidyl, mixed with alcohol.
Chris Von Erich then wanted to get into the ring but medicine he took for asthma had stunted his growth (he was just five feet, five inches tall) and he was never able to make it as a pro wrestler. In 1991, Chris, who was suffering from drug addiction, shot and killed himself.
Kerry had returned to the ring and used a prosthetic boot, which was never made known publicly. He would join the World Wrestling Federation in 1990, but his drug addiction was a major issue. In particular, Kerry was addicted to painkillers and illegally obtained prescriptions, for which he was later arrested and convicted. He shot and killed himself in early 1993.
The documentary is notable for a quote that those interviewed shared about Kevin, in that he used to have his brothers but, now, he was no longer a brother.
In the Heroes DVD, Kevin talked a lot about his father and is pretty defensive of him, but brings up how Fritz's father raised him, such as taking him when he was 12 to go into town to fight other boys his age. Kevin remarked that he could never do that to his own sons, but could understand how that impacted his father and blamed his grandfather more than anyone.
Touching on Fritz for a moment, my impression was that he had the best of his intentions but may have expected too much from his sons, perhaps to the point that a couple of them couldn't handle the pressure.
But back to Kevin: The fact he was able to find a stable relationship with his wife and children may be the main reason why he has been able to carry on, despite losing all five of his brothers at young ages. Kevin does remark on the Heroes DVD that people talked to him as if he is an "expert" on grief, and said he simply had to learn to deal with it. But he does ask people not to feel sorry for him and that he's had a great life.
A lot of background, to be sure, but with that done, let's talk about The Iron Claw. The film is primarily told from the point of view of Kevin, who is portrayed by Zac Efron. I enjoyed Efron's portrayal, as he presents Kevin as down to earth, humbled and truly loved his brothers. He had good chemistry with the majority of the other actors, particularly Lily James, who portrayed Kevin's girlfriend and, later, wife Pam Adkisson.
Harris Dickinson steals scenes in his portrayal of David Von Erich — which may be only fitting because David was the best of the Von Erich brothers on the mic. Jeremy Allen White portrays Kerry Von Erich and Jeremy's facial expressions are probably the best element of his portrayal, along with his ability to pause for effect.
I do think the portrayal of Fritz Von Erich made him, at times, seem like a father who seemed oblivious about his sons and what they went through. Again, while Fritz's actions aren't entirely defensible, I do think he's a more complex person than he's sometimes thought of and I can understand where Kevin is coming from in that the way Fritz was raised likely had a lot to do with how he approached things.
The film does get some things out of order when it comes to the lives of the Von Erichs but I can understand it to a point, because there's only so much you can fit into a two-hour film and you need to make sure the story flows well. I do take issue with the omission of Chris Von Erich from the story because that was a significant element (and the absence is notably felt in certain scenes).
That aside, the film does a great job of mixing the action scenes (obviously, the pro wrestling work) and building anticipation, plus injecting humor at the right times. Perhaps one of the best parts is the montage of the Von Erichs in six-man matches against the Freebirds and other opponents, all set to the tune of Rush's "Tom Sawyer," harkening back to the days when the real Von Erich brothers came out to that song for World Class matches.
The third act, obviously, is the most tragic and there's not a lot to lift you up at that point. I do credit them for ending the film on a positive note, one that drives home how much Kevin's wife and children have gotten him through the loss of all of his brothers.
The Iron Claw was a good way to present the story of the Von Erich family to a new generation, one who may not know anything about the glory days of the real-life family and the trials the family members went through. But while it can be difficult to explore what happened to the family, it does provide perspective on how one can experience plenty of high points, then go through the lowest of lows, but stay strong through it all.