Fritz Von Erich , 1976|193x193px Fritz Von Erich was born Jack Barton Adkisson on August 16, 1929 in
Jewett, Texas. Originally trained by
Stu Hart, Fritz became a top star in many
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) promotions, most notably in St. Louis and in
World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). He held the
AWA World Heavyweight Championship at one time in the 1960s. Despite never winning the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship, he maintained his presence within the NWA, holding many other major belts. Fritz also served briefly as NWA President in the 1970s, as well as President of WCCW when it moved to
Dallas, Texas. Fritz was also a major part of
Japanese wrestling, where he was known as "" (; "The Iron Claw"), and helped rebuild the business after the death of
Rikidōzan. Fritz married Doris on June 23, 1950 and they had six sons before divorcing on July 21, 1992. On September 10, 1997, Fritz died of lung cancer that had spread to his brain.
Second generation Jack Adkisson Jr. Fritz Von Erich's first son was born Jack Barton Adkisson Jr. on September 21, 1952. He died at age six in
Niagara Falls, New York, on March 7, 1959, after he stepped on a trailer tongue, was
electrically shocked, then fell into a melting snow puddle face first and drowned.
Kevin Von Erich Born Kevin Ross Adkisson on May 15, 1957 in
Belleville, Illinois, "The Golden Warrior" Kevin Von Erich is the second oldest and last surviving son of Fritz Von Erich. The majority of Kevin's career was spent working in
World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), where he had feuds with wrestlers including
Chris Adams,
The Fabulous Freebirds, and
Ric Flair. There, Kevin became known for utilizing trademark maneuvers like the body scissors and the iron claw, as well as for wrestling barefoot. Kevin and Pamela J. May married on August 1, 1980 and have four children including two daughters: Kristen Rain (born February 3, 1981) and Jillian Lindsey (born February 10, 1985) as well as two sons: David Michael "Ross" (born June 1, 1988) and Kevin Marshall (born November 10, 1992). Kevin has thirteen grandchildren. In May 2006, Kevin sold the WCCW footage to
Vince McMahon and
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). At
WrestleMania 25, Kevin represented the Von Erich family during their induction into the
WWE Hall of Fame. In 2015, Kevin appeared in an
ESPN 30 for 30 short film titled "Wrestling the Curse".
David Von Erich , "The Yellow Rose of Texas" David Von Erich was the third son of Fritz Von Erich. He was born David Alan Adkisson on July 22, 1958, in
Dallas. David worked in the
World Class Championship Wrestling promotion. It was there that he faced off with Harley Race and later
Ric Flair several times for the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship (never winning), as well as teamed with brothers Kevin and Kerry against
The Fabulous Freebirds. David also wrestled in
Missouri, winning the
Missouri Heavyweight Championship on a couple of occasions. From late 1981 to mid-1982, David wrestled in the
Florida territory to show that he could work as a heel. This run was successful, with David enjoying brief reigns as both singles and tag team champion. David was married on June 26, 1978, to Candy L. McLeod. Together, they had a daughter Natosha Zoeanna (born October 19, 1978). The baby died in infancy and David's marriage soon ended in divorce on July 12, 1979. He married again on June 8, 1982, to Patricia A. Matter. Ric Flair wrote in his autobiography,
To Be the Man, that "everyone in wrestling believes" that it was a drug overdose that really killed him and that
Bruiser Brody (a fellow wrestler who found David) disposed of the narcotics by flushing them down a toilet before the police arrived.
Mick Foley also claims that David died from an apparent drug overdose. Together they had two daughters: Hollie Brooke (born September 19, 1984) and Lacey Dawn (born July 17, 1986). Lacey wrestled for several years, most notably with
TNA as
Lacey Von Erich, before leaving the wrestling business in 2010. Kerry and Catherine later separated, before divorcing on April 22, 1992. On June 4, 1986, Kerry was involved in a
motorcycle accident while attempting to pass a truck on a two-lane road, Von Erich crashed into the back of a police car. The resulting wreck crushed his right foot and dislocated his hip. Matters were made worse sometime later when Von Erich attempted to walk on his already damaged foot well before it healed. As a result, his foot was amputated. He continued wrestling after the accident with a prosthesis and kept the amputation secret from the majority of fans and fellow wrestlers. He became addicted to pain killers, developed several drug problems, and was arrested multiple times. Kerry died by suicide, he shot a .44 caliber bullet through his heart on February 18, 1993 on his father's ranch in There is a marker of an angel placed by his father Fritz on the spot where Kerry shot himself.
Bret Hart said in his autobiography,
Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, that Kerry had told him months before about his plans, that he had wanted to follow his late brothers and that they were calling him. His marriage had fallen apart and he thought his death was inevitable.
Mike Von Erich Mike Von Erich was the fifth son of Fritz Von Erich. He was born Michael Brett Adkisson on March 2, 1964 in Dallas and was later known as the "Inspirational Warrior". Mike replaced David in the feud the Von Erichs had with
The Fabulous Freebirds after David's death. According to the DVD
Heroes of World Class, Mike wanted to work for World Class as a cameraman and had no interest in being in the ring full-time. His only previous appearance on-screen was being involved in an angle where Ric Flair insulted him and wrestled him as a run-up to what was planned as David winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but Fritz pressured Mike into the ring after David's death. Kevin once stated that Mike suffered from the pressure of having to "be David" and to succeed on the same level as his older brothers. Mike was married on February 14, 1985, to Shani Danette Garza, but they divorced later the same year. In 1985, he injured his shoulder on a tour of
Israel and had surgery, leading to
toxic shock syndrome, as there was an infection missed by the surgeons. He suffered some
brain damage as a result of his illness and lost a great deal of weight.
Chris Von Erich Born Chris Barton Adkisson on September 30, 1969, in Dallas, Chris Von Erich was the youngest of the Von Erich family. With his short stature (5'5”),
asthma, and extremely brittle bones, which were prone to breaking, Chris was never able to achieve the success that his father and brothers achieved. He made many attempts to succeed in
the squared circle because of his incredible love of wrestling, which kept him going despite numerous injuries. He managed to be in a major feud with
Percy Pringle in the
USWA/
World Class, but his career did not take off like the rest of the family's. On occasion, he and his brothers Kerry and Kevin, as well as
Chris Adams, wrestled tag-team matches against Percy Pringle and
Steve Austin, but Chris only wrestled Pringle, while the much more athletic Adams, Kerry or Kevin wrestled Austin. After several years of not being able to succeed in the wrestling business, Chris became depressed and frustrated. He was also heartbroken over the loss of his brother, Mike, and experienced drug addiction. On September 12, 1991, aged 21, he shot himself in the head. His brother Kevin and mother attempted to dissuade him from his suicidal tendencies that same day. An apparent suicide note had been found at the scene in
Edom, Texas. Toxicology reports also revealed cocaine and valium were in Chris' system at the time of his death.
Third generation Ross Von Erich David Michael Ross Adkisson (born June 1, 1988), better known as
Ross Von Erich, is the son of Kevin Von Erich. He is named after David and Mike. He was trained by Kevin, Harley Race and the
Pro Wrestling Noah dojo. Ross returned to Texas to attend college in 2008, according to the family website, and reportedly has wrestled a couple of times. In a 2010 interview, Ross stated that he and his brother Marshall are also training to become professional wrestlers. They debuted as a tag team for Pro Wrestling Noah on July 22, 2012. Ross and Marshall made their national television debut as part of the
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)
Slammiversary XII PPV on June 15, 2014, in a tag match defeating
The BroMans via disqualification. In July 2017 Ross, along with his brother Marshall and father Kevin, wrestled at the
Rage Megashow in Israel. In May 2019, Ross and Marshall signed a multi-year contract with
Major League Wrestling (MLW).
Marshall Von Erich Kevin Marshall Adkisson (born November 10, 1992), better known as
Marshall Von Erich, is the son of Kevin Von Erich. He is named after his father. He was trained by Kevin,
Harley Race and at the Noah dojo. He debuted in 2012, with his brother Ross in Pro Wrestling Noah. He adopted his father's trademark of wrestling barefoot. Marshall and Ross made their national television debut at Slammiversary XII on June 15, 2014, where they defeated
The BroMans. On May 29, 2015, the brothers debuted at Imperial Wrestling Revolution, their new home promotion. They won the IWR Tag Team Championships from the Arrow Club in 2017. In July 2017 Marshall, along with his brother Ross and father Kevin, wrestled at the
Rage Megashow in Israel. In May 2019, Marshall and Ross signed a multi-year contract with
Major League Wrestling (MLW).
Lacey Von Erich Lacey Dawn Adkisson (born July 17, 1986), better known as
Lacey Von Erich is the daughter of Kerry Von Erich. She was previously with World Wrestling Entertainment and
Total Nonstop Action (TNA) where she was a former
TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion. She retired in 2010. == Fictional relatives ==