All language subtitles for Biography WWE Legends s05e01 The Curse of the Von Erichs 1.eng

[birds chirping]

[footsteps]

[Kevin Von Erich] I think I had
to grow up to realize

that life is not about just
laughing it up all day.

There's a lot of terrible things
that happen, but in between

those moments are those good
ones, too, you know,

the laughing children.

You remember being a little kid,
too, and it's just beautiful.

I love life now.

Can't wait to wake up in the
morning.

So, I just say thank you, Lord,
for another day.

You know, He doesn't owe me a
thing but a place

to be born and a place to die.

[bell rings]

There was a time I
thought life is too long.

[bell rings]

And now I think
life is too short.

[laughing]

[bell rings]

[Commentator] Here come
the Von Erichs.

[Steve Austin] You gotta
understand how big a stars

the Von Erichs were in Texas.

If you knew anything about
professional wrestling,

you knew who and what
the Von Erichs were.

[Reporter 1] The Von Erichs,
the royal family of wrestling,

with Father Fritz as the king of
the ring and each of his sons

waiting to take over the throne.

[Speaker] Fritz had six kids.

[Fritz Von Erich] Each of these
boys are gonna be world

heavyweight champions.

I'm dedicating my life to it.

[Reporter 2] The greatest name
in professional wrestling today,

the Von Erichs.

[Shawn Michaels] You begin to
really understand how important

the Von Erichs were to the state
of Texas.

[Undertaker] They were
superheroes.

[Presenter 3] The Von Erichs
were a prime attraction.

[Lacey Von Erich] They were on
their way to greatness

until all the tragedy struck.

At six years old, Uncle Jackie
is just gone.

[Reporter 4] David Von Erich was
found lying

across his bed early
this morning.

It's awfully hard to believe it
could have been a heart attack.

[Reporter 5] Michael Von Erich
remains in critical condition

at Baylor Medical Center.

[Reporter 6] Doctors
say the wrestler

has toxic shock syndrome.

[Reporter 7] Investigators found
a handwritten note,

"Mom and Dad, I'm in
a better place."

[Reporter 8] Kerry Von Erich was
in an accident recently.

[Reporter 9] This crumpled
wreckage is all that's left.

[Reporter 10] Some call it The
Curse of the Iron Claw.

[Fritz Von Erich] It doesn't get
easier.

Lord, please don't take any more
of my children.

[David Shoemaker] Was it a
curse?

Was it just a series of tragic
coincidences?

Was it the pressure of the
wrestling business?

The pressure of family?

The pressure of the fans?

[Cathy Murray] They did go
through a lot of tragedy.

It was made for movie.

[Reporter 11] It's a new film.

It's called the Iron Claw.

[Holt McCallany] Don't you dare
question me.

[David Manning] Great acting.

Zac Efron did a phenomenal job,
but it'd been nice

if they'd had
the real story.

[Kevin Von Erich] This one is a
little different.

I've never talked about the
things I talked about,

but I wanted it to be said.

It might sound like the craziest
story you ever heard,

but I know it's true.

[Kevin Von Erich] Down, set,
hut.

[Speaker] Granddad.

[laughing]

[Kevin Von Erich] There you go.

When I'm out here
with my grandkids,

to me this is as
good as it gets.

Had I not been
raised the way I was,

maybe I'd be different, but
it's just important to me.

Oh, Benji.

When I think about my youth, my
time with my brothers,

that's- it was so great.

So much fun we had then.

And then my dad, he didn't have
any idea

what it was like
to have brothers.

You know, it's too bad too,
because, uh,

because he was an only
child, and I can't imagine

what that would be like to be
the only child.

Fritz von Erich is my father.

He was born Jack Adkisson in
Jewett, Texas.

He had a pretty rough life, I
think.

He's the only child, and my
granddad was busy

and didn't have a lot
of time for him.

My granddad didn't really pay
any attention to my dad.

It was like, if they weren't
hunting,

well, they weren't talking.

[Kristen Nikolas] Any stories I
have about granddad being little

are things that he told me.

In their town, the dads would
bet on their boys

and have them fight
in the woods.

And when-when granddad would
lose, um,

his dad would just beat him in
front of everyone.

The one person that my granddad
felt like loved him

was his daddy, Ross,
his grandfather.

And so, Daddy Ross lived a few
hours away, and for granddad,

that was his one source of, you
know, love and encouragement.

There was a guy in town who
asked my granddad if-

You know, he's-

he was maybe 12 or 13
years old,

my granddad was at the time.

And he said, "You know, Jack, if
you want a ride,

I'll give you a ride.

You can ride in my truck with
me,

and I go out there
every weekend.

I'd be happy to take you."

And granddad was so excited to
take that chance.

The man drove him.

In the truck on the way there,
the man, um,

molested my granddad.

My granddad said, I wanted to
se- see Daddy Ross so bad that

I'd let that happen every couple
of weeks, you know,

to go see Daddy Ross, and
it was worth it.

So, that-that, you know, broke
my heart whenever

he told me about that.

[Kevin Von Erich] That he was
molested as a little boy,

I didn't know that, you know.

There are things he didn't tell
me, but he did tell Kristen.

It's just really, I guess he had
no reason to tell me.

I didn't need to know, I
suppose.

It's kind of surprising.

[Kristen Nikolas] I think that
granddad had felt invisible

for a large part of his
childhood and recognized

that the best way to get people
to notice him

was his athletic ability, his
size.

And so he went to college, and
he actually had a scholarship

for football, and he threw
discus at SMU.

[Interviewer] Here you were at
SMU with a scholarship,

and you met this young
lady named Doris.

[Kristen Nikolas] At the time
that my grandparents met,

they loved each other so much.

And Meme, she wasn't going to
let this boy go, you know?

Like, this was a boy that was
going places.

[Interviewer] And, uh, you
eventually married Doris,

but what did that cost you?

[Fritz Von Erich] You mean up to
now or at the end up of it?

[Interviewer] At that
time?

[laughing]

[Fritz Von Erich] Well, it cost
me my scholarship.

When I started as a freshman at
SMU, they put a non-marriage

rule in that any freshman that
came in from then on

at that time and later,
if they got married,

they lost their scholarship.

[Interviewer] So, because you
married-

[Fritz Von Erich] Partner, I
didn't think that meant me.

I was too great.

[Interviewer] Uh-huh, and you
lost the scholarship.

[Fritz Von Erich] Yes, sir.

Just to condense it, brother,
that's what happened.

Well, as time went on, uh, I had
had a wife and a young baby

on the way, and, uh, I really
didn't-didn't know

what I was going to do, Ed.

[Kevin Von Erich] He tried lots
of jobs.

He was a detective and a bus
driver.

[Fritz Von Erich] Ed "Strangler"
Lewis came along, and Ed was

one of the greatest of all-time
wrestlers

I guess there ever was.

He said, "Fritz, you got a big
name at SMU."

He said, "Man, we can train you
for about six months, put you in

that Sportatorium, you'll sell
that building out."

And when he mentioned how much
money I was going to make,

partner, I mean to tell you,
he got my attention.

[Interviewer] Yes.

Yes.

[Fritz Von Erich] He said,
you'll be able to make $20 or

$25,000 your first year in the
business.

Man, I belonged to him after
that.

[Kevin Von Erich] That's when my
dad started

professional wrestling.

[Commentator] Jack Adkisson
of Dallas, 251 pounder.

Adkisson is the tall boy on the
right.

[David Shoemaker] So, Jack
Adkisson started off as a local

hero, football player from SMU,
but he set out to travel far

and wide to really make this his
full-time career.

[Kevin Von Erich] In wrestling,
there's no middle ground.

You either want the people to
love you or to hate you.

[Kristen Nikolas] People love to
cheer for the good guy

and boo the bad guy.

I think he was really smart in
seeing the opportunity there to

be a memorable heel, a bad guy.

[Kevin Von Erich] And so that's
what my dad did.

He thought, "Well, the most
detestable person

I can think of would be a Nazi."

[Kristen Nikolas] He changed his
name to Fritz Von Erich,

basically the most German name
he could think of.

[Commentator] From Berlin,
Germany, Fritz Von Erich.

[Kristen Nikolas] And there was
a lot of potential

in that character.

[Commentator] And he is rough,
and tough, and nasty.

[David Manning] Growing up as a
fan, if you watched TV,

you knew Fritz.

[Commentator] This guy is just
vicious.

[David Manning] He just looked
the part of a villain, and, uh,

and he played the part of a
villain unbelievably.

[Commentator] Fritz Von Erich
and the master of the Iron Claw.

[David Shoemaker] The Iron Claw
was Fritz's infamous finishing

hold, where he would take his
big mitts and just wrap it

around the skull and just
squeeze until,

sometimes until blood
came out or until they gave up.

[Kristen Nikolas] That character
was beneficial for his family,

and he was a family man.

He wanted Jackie to have
everything,

his wife to be taken care of.

[Speaker 1] Granddad, what year
were you born?

[Kevin Von Erich] Um, 1957.

[Kristen Nikolas] Aww, that is-
so that's daddy, right?

[Speaker 2] Oh, okay.

[Kristen Nikolas] Okay, so Uncle
Jackie and you.

[Speaker 2] Yeah.

[Kevin Von Erich] By 1957, it
was just the two of us, me,

Jackie, and my mom and dad.

My mother loved her
two children.

She loved me and Jackie so much.

My mother was so full of love,
and my dad loved her.

We were happy and jovial, and it
was a great time.

[Kristen Nikolas] There you are.

Look at that cute baby.

[Kevin Von Erich] Yeah, that's
me.

Jackie, uh, he was my big
brother.

[Kristen Nikolas] Aww, he loves
you.

Oh Jackie.

[Kevin Von Erich] He had the
best personality.

He was, like, so funny, and-

[Kristen Nikolas] Look, he's
trying to make you laugh.

[Kevin Von Erich] Jackie.

[Kristen Nikolas] Big brother
stuff.

[Kevin Von Erich] It was in 1959
up in Niagara Falls.

We didn't have money back then.

We were- we lived in a trailer
house, and one day Jackie wanted

to go play, and my mother was
busy, and so she said,

"Yeah, go play."

[Kristen Nikolas] Uncle Jackie
asked if he could go to his

friend's house a couple of
mobile homes down,

and Meme said, "Yes,
just go ahead.

Come- You can come home for
lunch, but yes, go."

Later on, Meme called her
friend, and they chatted for a

few minutes, and then she said,
um, "You can send Jackie home.

Thank you so much for having
him."

And her friend said, "Well,
Jackie's not here."

Meme said her heart dropped.

She immediately knew something
was wrong.

[Jillian Caneda] That day, Meme
was cleaning,

and it was cold outside, and
when she called her friend

and said, "Hey, will you please
send Jackie home?"

She said, "Jackie never came
over."

I mean, as a mother, when you
say-

when you hear that, that's-
I just can't imagine.

[Kristen Nikolas] Meme dropped
the phone, and just ran outside,

looking, screaming his name.

[Kevin Von Erich] And, uh, they
couldn't find him,

so everybody in the little
town was looking for him.

[Kristen Nikolas] Eventually,
the neighbors say,

just go home and wait.

Go home and wait, and-and we're
looking.

Cops are on their way.

So, Meme goes home.

So, an officer knocked on the
door.

When she opened it, he said, "We
found him."

But she said his countenance
didn't match his words.

And she was just like, "Okay,
give him to me.

Give him to me."

But she said there was this
siren in her mind like,

"Why is this-
Why's he not happy?

Why does his face not match what
I'm hearing?"

And, um, he just, you know,
said, "We found him."

And Meme said that she, like, he
went to hug her,

and she just punched him on the
chest over and over, and,

um, screamed and cried.

At six years old, he was just
gone, just like that.

What happened was, in this
mobile home park, someone had a

little, uh, trailer or equipment
room or something that had

the sheet metal siding.

[Kevin Von Erich] And so he was
walking by it, rubbing his

finger along it, and he touched
a spot where the skin on the

trailer had been electrified.

The guy had wired his trailer
wrong.

[Kristen Nikolas] He touched it.

It knocked him out.

He was face down on the ground.

Some snow had melted, so his
face was in a puddle, um,

and I think the actual cause of
death was-was drowning.

And then, whenever granddad
finally did get home,

I-I-I cannot even imagine,
but just holding that news,

and then he comes home,
and you say,

here's what happened today.

[Kevin Von Erich] My dad came
home and punched

the car window and
broke the glass.

And it was, uh, you know, such a
terrible time.

[Doris Von Erich] Losing Jackie,
our first baby,

was a terrible blow to me.

[Kristen Nikolas] Listening to
her tell that story

made me realize, oh, she
changed at that point.

She had an anger towards God.

"God, if you're real, why did
you let my little boy die?"

She loved Him, but she felt
like, almost like that God owed

her one for letting her baby be
taken.

And at the time, granddad blamed
himself for being gone.

Meme blamed herself too, but she
also blamed granddad

for being gone.

So, I think that sort of
cumulatively, as time went on,

that, you know, anger, that
resentment, sort of,

just built upon itself.

[Fritz Von Erich] Anyone that
loses a child, um,

there's no pain and no
hurt anyone can ever go

through unless you lose one
of your children.

[Interviewer] How did you feel
about God at that time?

[Fritz Von Erich] I didn't-
I didn't have a-

I didn't have a
Lord at the time.

I didn't-didn't know he was
there,

didn't think he was there.

I just turned.

I said, "Lord, if you're there,
if you'll get me back to Texas,"

I said, "I will follow You the
rest of my life."

He got me back to Texas.

It took a long time, and it
wasn't in a straight line.

We went like this, but we got
there.

[Kristen Nikolas] After Uncle
Jackie died, granddad, when he

had the opportunity to wrestle
in Dallas regularly or in Texas,

I think that they wanted to
pursue that for sure because

it meant that they
could, you know,

be together more and wouldn't
have to be separate.

So, my grandparents and my dad,
they moved back to Texas.

[Joe] Oh, wow.

[Kevin Von Erich]
There's our ranch.

[Speaker] Wow.

[Kristen Nikolas] That's where
your great uncles grew up.

[Kevin Von Erich] So, after I
was born,

my mother had four
kids, all boys.

Dave was born in 1958, Kerry in
1960, Mike was born in 1964,

and then Chris was born in 1969.

[Kristen Nikolas] Look at Uncle
Chris.

[Speaker] What's he riding
there?

[Kevin Von Erich]
There's Chris.

My little brothers thought the
world of me,

and I was really
protective of them.

And-and I just fell into the
job.

That was me, now I'm-I'm big
brother and I-

and I loved my brothers.

[Kristen Nikolas] Look at you
and Uncle Dave, Daddy.

[Kevin Von Erich] Yeah, skinny
Dave.

We always hunted and fished and,
uh, spent time together.

You know, what great memories we
had.

We all had horses.

We rode horses everywhere.

[Speaker] Didn't everyone have
their own motorcycle

and their own dog?

[Kevin Von Erich] Yeah, we sure
did.

And our own BB gun and we-
that's what we did all day.

[Brian Adias] Kerry and I grew
up together at their house out

there in their ranch.

Uh, it was like Disneyland.

Wear shorts and barefooted,
no shirt all through summer.

So, that type of stuff.

[Kevin Von Erich] Oh, that was
me.

That's a flip.

[Speaker] Really?

[Kevin Von Erich] Twist-
a twisting flip.

[Speaker] You never told me you
could do a-

[Kevin Von Erich] Oh, yeah.

[Speaker] A front flip.

[Kevin Von Erich] I said to my
dad one day,

"Dad, what should I
do for a living?

I-I-I like to brag and I'm a
show off."

He said, "You might want to try
pro wrestling, son.

[laughing]

[Kristen Nikolas] After Uncle
Jackie passed away,

Meme and granddad had this idea
that the world is dangerous,

and they both had the desire to
keep their family safe

from the ugliness of this world.

So, they tried to make their
house be the fun house

where you wouldn't wanna leave.

[Jillian Caneda] At that time,
my Meme was unbelievably strong.

I mean, she had to- she had to
keep it together.

To lose a six-year-old is, how
do you go on?

And whatever she did, I think
she did it right.

I just think it's amazing that
both of them had this mentality

to hold it all together like
that, both of them.

[Interviewer] Tell me about
raising the boys.

[Fritz Von Erich] The greatest
memories I have in my life

is raising those young ones.

Um, gosh, it was fun.

I wish I could do it again.

[Kevin Von Erich] I think that
my dad learned

a lot from his youth.

Even though his father didn't-
He wasn't around.

He learned from that.

He's gonna be the kind of father
that is around.

[Fritz Von Erich] Don't
misunderstand me.

I made a lot of mistakes raising
my children,

but my wife and I loved
every minute of it.

That may be the difference in a
lot of folks.

They don't love it.

[Kristen Nikolas] A lot of the
home movies that we have,

you can hear grandad talking.

He's narrating the whole thing
and just laughing and chuckling.

[laughing]

[Kristen Nikolas] He didn't have
parents that wanted

to spend time with him, so he
wanted to be a dad that-

that did, that wanted to spend
time with his kids.

[Commentator] In the history
of wrestling,

who would you say is the
greatest wrestler of all time?

[laughing]

[Fritz Von Erich] That's a
rather leading question,

don't you think?

Who do you think the answer is
going to be there?

[Commentator] I would say
Fritz Von Erich.

[Fritz Von Erich] Right.

There's no doubt about that.

The most winning wrestler.

The wrestler that's drawing the
most money in the world today

has got to be Fritz Von Erich.

[Brian Adias] At the time,
Fritz, he just became, uh,

an idol around here in
Dallas-Fort Worth area.

[Commentator] Fritz Von Erich,
by his own admission,

the world's greatest wrestler.

[JBL] People in Texas loved

Fritz Von Erich.

I mean, he was- That guy could
have been king of Texas.

[Kevin Von Erich] I remember
Coach Landry and guys from the

Cowboys would call my dad for
advice and I-I-

just never really dawned on
me how important he was.

And not just Texas, but all
over, all over the world.

My dad was a big star in Japan
and, uh, he took each one of us.

[Fritz Von Erich] Kevin's the
first one of my sons

to go on the trip.

I don't think Kevin even had any
idea, uh,

what to expect when
he got there.

[Kevin Von Erich] The first time
I went with him,

I looked out the window
and there

were all these photographers,
like, so many,

a-a hu- a hu- at
least a hundred photographers.

I said, "Dad, there's some kind
of movie star.

You should see all the
photographers outside."

And my dad, that's who they were
there to see.

I couldn't believe it.

[Fritz Von Erich] They just
wanted to see us.

They wanted to see, uh, yeah,
the guy with The Iron Claw.

[Kevin Von Erich] When we were
young kids, you know,

just like any other
little fella out there,

we, uh, we wanted to be
just like our dad.

I guess all of y'all are the
same way.

[Commentator] True.

[Kevin Von Erich] And, uh, you
know, so we tried extra hard

to- I-I guess, you know, young
kids are just that way.

Anything my dad did, you know,
he was like-

we just wanted to be like him.

[David Shoemaker] Someone with
Jack Adkisson's mindset,

he wants to conquer the
world, and by this time,

you know, he knew how the
business of pro wrestling

worked, and I think he
probably just thought,

if I'm gonna make a go of this,

if it's worth my time to be a
wrestler,

it's more worth my time to be
running everything.

He kind of took over the Dallas
promotion.

[Bruce Prichard] Now, Fritz was
the promoter, and Fritz then

used that opportunity to exert
his power and to, kind of,

take over the booking of the
Texas territory

in all of the Texas towns.

[David Shoemaker] Nobody
realizes it at the time,

but the path for the Von Erich
boys is being set here,

and in a lot of ways, that
would be a shadow

over the family forever.

[Kevin Von Erich] All of
my brothers were in sports.

Me, Dave, Kerry, Mike, we're all
athletes,

and we were good at it,

but with Chris, uh, he had
asthma and had

to take medicine for it,

and it, uh, it stunted
his growth and it-

He couldn't breathe.

He really couldn't get
enough air to-

to really be a
successful athlete,

and that's
just too bad.

That's just the way it is, but
me, Dave, Kerry, Mike,

we just had a gift for it.

[Brian Adias] Kevin, I mean, in
high school,

he really loved football, man.

Nobody could tackle him.

He'd just run over everybody,
you know.

So, there was one
game, he-he averaged,

like, 21 yards a carry.

[Kevin Von Erich] When dad would
come to the football games,

it'd be a touchdown
or something.

I'd look up in the audience, and
I'd see his hands do this,

[claps]

and that's all I cared about.

That's all I wanted to see, was
how he felt about it.

[Brian Adias] David was 6'7",

so he was a great
basketball player.

[Fritz Von Erich] In Lake
Dallas, the only All-State

athletes that that school has
ever had were my sons.

David's All-State in basketball,
two consecutive years,

but the kids, um, I've been
very proud of them.

[Brian Adias] It was, kind of,
cool.

David and Kevin both got
scholarships to North Texas

which when North Texas was
really a Division One,

you know, powerhouse.

Kevin went first, and then David
went the next year and played

basketball and football.

[Kevin Von Erich] I went to
college to play football.

I didn't care about my degree or
anything like that.

I loved football, and that's all
I could think about.

[Brian Adias] It was his
freshman year.

I was there, me and Kerry went
to watch the game in Denton

at North Texas, and I think,
somebody got blocked into him,

his own man or something, and
just tore his ACL.

You know, just one of the worst
things.

And he came back with a
vengeance, and I'll be dadgummit

if he didn't hurt the other one
his sophomore year.

[Kevin Von Erich] With my knees
out, I could tell it took

something from my quickness.

Football wasn't as much
fun to me, and so, uh,

it was just a matter of time
before I quit playing it.

It was over, and now a time to
make a living.

So, I dropped out of college,
and I gave wrestling a try.

[David Shoemaker] Kevin Von
Erich was the oldest son,

and the first to give
pro wrestling a shot.

When he decided to get in, he
didn't have to look far.

I mean, his dad ran the local
promotion.

By then, Jack had taken over the
Dallas promotion, what's now

known as World Class
Championship Wrestling.

So, this is slowly becoming a
family business.

[JBL] I remember when Kevin
debuted

like it was yesterday.

I remember it because I was such
a big fan of Fritz Von Erich.

And then Kevin debuts, and he's
this- he's this really

good-looking young guy with this
great body.

He's this incredible star
athlete.

You're like,

"Wow, this guy could carry
on the Von Erich legacy."

[Commentator] Kevin majored in
football and suffered an injury,

and football's loss became
professional wrestling's gain.

[Kevin Von Erich] In fact, when
I started out wrestling,

we had to change buildings

because the crowd was
getting bigger.

[Commentator] From the Will
Rogers Complex in Fort Worth,

here's Saturday Night Wrestling.

[Kevin Von Erich] There was the
writing on the wall.

I could never make this kind of
money cleaning catfish and

[laughing]

washing dishes.

[David Shoemaker] Meanwhile,
David starts to take notice of

what his brother Kevin was doing
out there in the wrestling ring.

So, even as a college student,
he begins to dabble

in his dad's business as well.

[Commentator] David Von Erich,
high school All-Stater

in basketball.

[Kevin Von Erich] Dave loved
basketball.

When Dave got his first
wrestling paycheck-

[crowd cheers]

[Commentator] Whoa, that
must have broken some boards.

[Kevin Von Erich] -he thought,
"Goodbye basketball."

[Announcer] Introducing
from Denton, Texas,

weighing 236 pounds,
David Von Erich.

[Brian Adias] David was the one
that picked up

on the psychology of the-
of matches really well.

[Commentator] Reversal.

Rolling cradle by David.

[Brian Adias] Man, he was really
good.

[Commentator] David blocks
Race's suplex.

Lifts Race.

Suplex by David Von Erich.

[Bruce Prichard] David had all
the tools.

David was a natural.

[Commentator] It has been simply
all David Von Erich

who has dominated Harley Race.

[Kevin Von Erich] 18 years old,
he had his first sell out.

That's pretty young to sell out
a building like he did,

Dave and Harley Race.

[Commentator] Oh, he caught him
in the claw.

He caught Race in the claw.

That's it.

[bell rings]

[Commentator] David Von Erich.

[crowd cheers]

[Harley Race] I've known his old
man for a long time.

He's legend, and this kid right
here is not damn far behind.

[crowd cheers]

[Commentator] Harley Race.

[Kevin Von Erich] Dave and I
were pro wrestlers now.

My dad, he never really wanted
us to wrestle.

He really didn't.

He wanted us to go to college
and have desk jobs.

[Fritz Von Erich] I never wanted
my boys to be in wrestling.

What I didn't realize was that's
the only life they'd ever known.

[Kevin Von Erich] My dad was
a pro wrestler,

and so that's the way we
were brought up.

We wanted to be the best we
possibly could, and so, uh,

my dad never pressured us into
wrestling or pressured

us into anything.

We just wanted to compete.

[David Manning] They literally
had to talk Fritz

into letting them start working.

[Commentator] And there's David.

Look at that.

Over the top and a big dropkick.

[Kevin Von Erich] Dad really
didn't like that.

I say he didn't like it, but the
buildings were packed.

We got sell-out crowds every
week.

[Commentator] Kevin Von Erich,

that's what the people
here wanna see.

[Kevin Von Erich] My dad was the
promoter too, so he liked that.

[Fritz Von Erich] I think we
have the very finest

professional wrestlers in the
world.

Coming up, my son, Kevin, my
oldest boy, Kevin Von Erich.

Just stay with us, you're gonna
enjoy this.

[Commentator] I don't believe
this.

Look at Kevin.

Oh.

[Jillian Caneda] The oldest
brother wrestled,

so the younger brother
wanted to wrestle.

And my grandmother, she said
that whatever they did,

my granddad made
them do it 110%.

So, he did give them a choice,
but if they wanted to,

he made sure that they
committed 100%.

And she was supportive of that.

[Kevin Von Erich] And then also,
my dad didn't have to pay us

like he did the other guys.

We didn't mind that dad didn't
pay us like the other wrestlers.

It was okay with us, you know,
'cause everything

was working out great.

[David Von Erich] We have
probably the-

the greatest wrestling father
of all times, uh,

a man by the name of
Fritz Von Erich.

Our ambition in life is to live
up to his name

and do as well as he's done
in this sport.

[Kevin Von Erich] We had a
family, and we're a family,

and we did it for the family.

And-and it's not for my family
or for Dave's family.

It was for the family.

At the time, my brother Dave got
married young.

Uh, he had a girlfriend and, um,

wanted to do the right thing
and marry her, and he did.

[David Shoemaker] Around this
time, David's girlfriend,

Candy, gets pregnant.

And in 1978, their daughter,
Natasha, is born.

[Brian Adias] David was real
excited about her, you know.

And, uh, Candy was just a-a
wonderful mother.

[David Manning] Once they had
the child, he was already

talking like, "Man, I-I don't
wanna be on the road as much.

It makes it hard.

He was so excited about the
cruise.

I'll never forget.

He was-

They were going on a
cruise.

They had never been on a cruise.

And back then, hardly anybody
had been on a cruise, but-

And then, sure enough, Dave,
he gets a phone call.

They were able to get a hold of
him and, uh,

let him know that the
child had died.

?

[Brian Adias] It was SIDS,
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

It was just horrific, man.

[David Manning] We didn't
understand.

I mean, how does a child just,
you know.

Back then, SIDS was a huge
question.

And, you know, that a-
that a child could just-

a baby could just die
in the middle of the night

that had been
perfectly healthy.

Uh, but that's what happened,
you know.

Obviously, that was a big blow
for Dave.

[Brian Adias] David and Candy,
it affected their relationship.

They just kind of drifted apart,
and they ended up

getting a divorce.

It was tough, you know.

Nobody-nobody wants to bury
their kids.

[David Shoemaker] Jack Jr.,
Fritz's firstborn son, had died.

And then Jack's first grandchild
dies of SIDS.

I don't know at that point if
you start thinking in terms

of a curse, but it really
does seem like

there's a bad moon hanging
over this family.

[Announcer] On our left,
the sensational

Von Erich brothers,
David and Kevin.

[crowd cheers]

[Kevin Von Erich] Dave and
I were on the road a lot.

[Commentator] Off the ropes and
a big dropkick.

[Kevin Von Erich] We were
performing,

and so we weren't home like,
uh, like Kerry was.

At home, when Kerry was the big
brother and Dave and I were out,

Kerry was a lot more permissive
than Dave and I were.

Kerry was that way with Mike and
Chris, and he'd let things go.

Things like, uh, drinking,
staying out.

Dave and I would have never let
that go, and Kerry was all about

fun, about- Everybody loved
him, and he was so good inside.

He just wanted to make you
laugh.

[Brian Adias] Kerry was pleasant
all the time,

laughing and joking.

Uh, playing ribs constantly.

But, uh, also, Kerry was, uh,
the- really an elite athlete.

[Kevin Von Erich] The Von Erichs
were all athletes,

but my brother Kerry was gifted.

In fact, Kerry was offered a
full-ride scholarship

at the University of
Texas to play football.

And Kerry, I heard him say it.

I was sitting right there, and
he said, "I don't want-

I don't really like
football, Coach.

I don't think I wanna do that.

I'll-I'll throw the discus."

[Brian Adias] He was number one
in the nation, uh,

when we were seniors
in the discus.

[Kerry Von Erich] And I'll tell
you what, folks.

Every day, my mother was out
there- lugging four or five

discuses that weighed four
pounds apiece,

throwing them back
to me every day,

and if she couldn't
throw it that far,

she'd run again that far.

But my mother was there
every-every workout.

[Kevin Von Erich] And he wound
up throwing the discus,

but for the University
of Houston.

[Brian Adias] Tom Tellez was the
University of Houston coach.

He was the Olympic coach.

So that's another reason Kerry
went to Houston.

He was really wanting to go
try out for the 1980 Olympics,

and then they
boycotted it.

Kerry said, "I don't wanna wait
till 1984."

That's four, five years away,
basically, nearly.

And he-he wanted to leave
college.

[Cathy Murray] So that's when
Kerry came back home,

and I knew Kerry from his
younger brother, Mike.

Because Mike and I were in-

in class together
since third grade.

And so Mike was the strongest
male athlete in school,

and I was the strongest female
athlete in school.

So we used to get all the awards
together and things like that.

So Mike and I were best friends.

One day, Mike said to Kerry,
"Can I have a party?"

and Kerry said, "Only if you
invite Cathy Murray."

Kerry and I got to talking,
and the rest is history.

We just stayed together after
that.

You know, that young love that's
so raw and so real,

and you're so young, and
it's your first.

And so that was really powerful
for me.

Hi, Dad.

[laughing]

[Fritz Von Erich] Hey, Kev.

Get your shot here.

[Jillian Caneda] My dad and my
mom.

What a beautiful love story they
have.

My mom adores my dad, and my dad
loves and treasures my mom.

[Kevin Von Erich] I got married
in 1980.

My sweet Pam.

I've been so happy with her.

We've been married 45 years.

[Jillian Caneda] I mean, yes,

it probably was scary
to her to see.

This is a semi-famous family.

They're all wrestlers.

But I think when she saw what a
beautiful family they were,

behind closed doors, and she
wanted to be a part of that,

and they cherished her.

And she said she had always
prayed,

"I wanna marry a godly man."

That's who my dad was.

And on the outside, that's not
what my dad looked like.

He just looked like this
handsome jock, you know?

[crowd cheers]

[Announcer] Here's what they're
waiting for.

Kevin Von Erich, David Von
Erich.

[David Manning] Kevin and Dave,
I mean,

the story was already
of the Von Erichs.

They were drawing everywhere
they go.

[Announcer] And look at this
pandemonium.

[David Manning] But the other
thing was, it was-

it was eating on Kerry.

[Cathy Murray] Kerry saw that
and was just thinking,

"Wow, this is a
really big deal."

[David Manning] Kerry wanted to
wrestle,

but Fritz wanted him to
finish college.

Kerry was adamant.

He- Matter of fact,

Kerry literally had a
meeting with Fritz.

He-he said, "I want a meeting
with my dad."

And he told Fritz, "Either I
start working here,

or I'll go somewhere else."

[Commentator] You are looking at
the spotlight on Kerry Von Erich

as he makes his way to the ring.

[Cathy Murray] After the
Olympics, I don't really know

that he ever thought of doing
anything else.

[crowd cheers]

[JBL] Kerry just had this innate
ability of this charisma.

Some guys just walk into a room
and-and have this light come on.

[Commentator] Kerry Von Erich,
listen to the crowd.

[crowd chants "Kerry"]

[David Manning] Now you got
Kevin,

Dave, and Kerry, so three Von
Erichs on the card.

They had the look, they had the
feel, and they could work.

Dave was the best worker of all
of them.

[Commentator] The headscissors.

[Bill Irwin] Kerry had the good
looks and the charisma.

[Commentator] Look at Kerry, up
top.

[Bill Irwin] Kevin had kind of a
little mix of all of them.

[crowd cheers]

[Undertaker] All these boys who
just dominated

every aspect of Texas wrestling.

[Kevin Von Erich] There was a
short time when Kerry, me,

and Dave could all be
in the same town.

[Commentator] There they are,
the Von Erichs.

[Kevin Von Erich] Eventually,
after about a year, we-

one town had Kerry, one town
had me, one town had Dave.

And the houses were all good,
you know,

they were all sellouts.

[Bill Irwin] They were great.

[Commentator] Listen to this
crowd roar,

they're on their feet.

[Bill Irwin] It was like a fairy
tale for two, three years.

And then it all come crashing
down.

[Fritz Von Erich] A good
wrestler is one that, uh,

you know, a-a-a natural athlete,
first of all.

Like my sons, and it's kids like
this that make wrestling

what it is today.

[Commentator] Kerry Von Erich as
his brothers David and Kevin

have almost a religious
responsibility to learn the art

of wrestling from their father
since they were small children.

[Kevin Von Erich] Winning is
something our dad instilled in

us a long time ago, and we do it
as fairly as we can,

but number one goal is to win.

[Commentator] Two, three.

[bell rings]

[Commentator] Oh what a dazzling
show of wrestling ability.

[crowd cheers]

[David Shoemaker] There's a
misconception that

Fritz sort of dragged all his
sons into the ring,

kicking and screaming,

but I think for Kevin and then
David and then Kerry,

it was hard to turn down the
allure

of the pro wrestling ring.

And once they got in there and
the crowd started reacting

to them, Fritz basically said,

"Well, if they're all in,
let's make the most of it."

[La Grange by ZZ Top music]

[crowd cheers]

[Commentator] Fantastic.

What excitement!

There's just nothing like it in
the whole world.

[David Shoemaker] They would
come out through the crowd

to different songs, like
La Grange by ZZ Top.

?

[Kevin Von Erich] We wanted to
put the kind of wrestling out

there that we'd like.

[crowd cheers]

[Commentator] The
fans are on their feet.

[Kevin Von Erich] So rock was a
big part of our presentation.

[Commentator] Sort of a pied
piper of the youth of this area.

[JBL] All of a sudden, you have
something

that becomes this rock show, and
it was a rock show.

You watch the other matches,
they're all good,

but when they came out, that
was the show.

[crowd cheers]

[Undertaker] It was just pure
energy.

The guys wanted to be like them,

the girls wanted
to be with them.

[crowd cheers]

[Commentator] Everyone trying to
grab a hold of Kerry,

perhaps, get a kiss.

Boy, she is lucky, isn't she?

[Undertaker] It was just a
spectacle any time that they

would come to the ring.

[Fritz Von Erich] Every match
that you'll see tonight is not

from a studio, it's from a live
arena, one of the oldest,

most well-known arenas,
certainly in Texas,

probably in the world itself.

The world-famous Sportatorium.

If it's there, it's the best in
professional wrestling.

["Stone Cold" Steve Austin] The
home of the Von Erichs,

Sportatorium, the greatest
building in the world.

An atmosphere personified.

[Commentator] This crowd
is going wild.

One of the wildest nights in the
history of Texas wrestling.

[Mark Henry] I only was able to
go once at the Sportatorium.

I bragged to my friends for
weeks.

"Bro, I saw the Von Erichs
live."

[Commentator] Watch this.

[crowd cheers]

[Bill Irwin] It wasn't your
daddy's wrestling anymore.

They changed the-the demographic
and I think also the show

on TV was completely different.

[Kerry Von Erich] Hi, I'm Kerry
Von Erich,

and this is my dog, Shay.

For several weeks now, we've
been telling you about

the changes in the new World
Class Wrestling show,

and this is just some of the
improvements we've made.

[David Manning] "We wanna to put
boom mics in the ring, cameras,

not just by the ring, they climb
up on the ring."

[Brian Adias] I'll never forget
it.

Fritz sat Kerry and I down in
his office, and he said,

"I'm getting ready to do this
thing called syndication,

that we're going to go
all over the country

and all over the world.

It's cable TV."

And we were like, "What is
that?"

[David Manning] You know, when
we first started syndication,

we had 10 or 12 markets, then we
got 20.

Pretty soon we were in 47
markets.

[Shawn Michaels] When cable
started coming around,

we finally got World Class
Wrestling out of Dallas,

and that's when I was
exposed to the Von Erichs,

and how important,

the Von Erichs were
to the state of Texas.

["Stone Cold" Steve Austin] You
know, I would watch KTTV,

Channel 11, in my dorm.

It was absolutely amazing.

[Commentator] Kerry Von Erich
wins the bout.

[bell rings]

[David Shoemaker] The rock
concert atmosphere,

the Sportatorium craze, the
way they looked on TV, uh,

all of this combined to make the
Von Erichs, like,

the hottest thing
in all of Texas.

[Undertaker] The Von Erichs in
Texas was almost religion.

It was a family of superheroes.

[David Manning] Here, obviously,
Dallas Cowboys,

how popular they were.

[Presenter] If there's anything
a Texan loves more than chili,

it would have to be the sport of
football.

[David Manning] If you saw a
Dallas Cowboy at the local

sports store, you didn't know
who he was, because he didn't

have the helmet and the number
on, where with wrestling,

you know, there they were right
there in your living room every

Saturday night, doing an
interview right in your face.

[crowd cheers]

[laughing]

[Kerry Von Erich] Yeah, baby.

We told you, Bill.

There's something magical when
Kevin and I are

in that ring together.

[Timmy Newsome] We would get
tickets to go watch 'em wrestle,

and so they were pretty popular
in terms of what

we would talk about in
the locker room.

[JBL] There was two things

that were big in Texas.

It was football and the Von
Erichs.

It wasn't football and
wrestling.

It was football and the Von
Erichs.

[crowd cheers]

[David Manning] I think what
really made the Von Erichs

more popular than a lot
of other great babyfaces around

the country was, you saw 'em
grow up, and everybody felt

like, almost like they're part
of the life, they're part of

what's happening to them.

[David Von Erich] They've really
come behind us, and we're like

their kids, and they're like our
parents, and all the young kids

around and everything else.

They're really nice to us here,
so we love it.

[JBL] They're part of us.

We took an ownership of the Von
Erich boys.

These were salt-of-the-earth
guys.

[Commentator] Tell us a
little bit about Kevin.

[Kevin Von Erich] I've been
getting into some cliff diving.

I've- I did- I went cliff
diving out in Acapulco

a couple of weeks ago, and, uh-

[Kerry Von Erich] I like
to write poems.

I like to ride horses.

I like to, uh- I like to fish,
and Kevin and I have just gotten

into a little bit of, uh,
skydiving.

We've been doing that for about
two months now.

[Kevin Von Erich] We weren't big
shots.

We acted like we were your big
brother, your son,

your grandson, your uncle, your
cousin.

Von Erich was the name Dad gave
me, and I'm proud to have it.

It was so important to be a good
role model, be respectful.

My dad was like that.

[Bill Irwin] I didn't think any
of 'em were presumptuous about

who they were or ever even said,
"Hey, do you know who I am?"

Or, "Hey, I'm this.

I'm that."

No.

No.

I think that's Fritz
teaching them,

"Hey, you're somebody,
but you're nobody.

The people make you who you
are."

[Kerry Von Erich] With my
brothers and I,

if we lose a fight, the people
are right there,

they're cheering for us just as
loud as if we lose

because they want us to
know

that they're
behind us all the way.

[Kevin Von Erich] It was just a
great life, you know.

??

[Kevin Von Erich] I can
remember the three of us just

being young and getting in the
car and head up to Oklahoma

for spot shows or down to the
middle of Texas for spot shows,

and when we were kids,
everything was fun.

Everybody was our friend.

The police all knew us.

We all liked each other.

It just kind of spoils you
'cause you can get in your car,

all you've gotta do is take your
boots and your trunks and

go to another town
and make a living

[laughing]

and swim in the
rivers all the way-

[laughing]

all the way back and just laugh
the whole time.

Man, that was fun.

Just me and my brothers.

[crowd cheers]

?

[Commentator] The greatest
name in professional wrestling

today, the Von Erichs, have
been for years.

[Presenter] Today, the
allegiance of a lot of wrestling

fans belongs to the Von Erichs,
to father, Fritz,

and his three wrestling sons.

And there are still two
more Von Erichs waiting

to jump into the ring,
Mike and Chris.

Right now, the Von Erichs are a
prime attraction,

a guaranteed draw at dozens
of wrestling arenas,

but as successful as they are,
they've never forgotten that

the most important ingredient

in any family business is the
family.

[Michael Hayes] You
talk about Fritz,

family man, businessman.

His business is his family.

They're your meal ticket right
now.

[Commentator] A dramatic arrival
of the Von Erichs as hundreds

of youngsters come to the ring
seeking autographs,

their pictures.

[David Shoemaker] But there's
this just constant demand.

The feeling that, like, "If we
let anything slip,

then this could all come
crashing down."

It was just a ton of pressure on
them to keep it going.

[Kevin Von Erich] We would have
a weekly family reunion in

there, you know,
on Friday nights.

[Commentator] Good evening, and
welcome to the world-famous

Sportatorium, the home of World
Class Championship Wrestling.

[Kevin Von Erich] I'd
come down right here.

Always be people here, you know,
and hanging their arms out.

And I've got scars all over my
shoulder from the girls

scratching like this.

You should see my shoulders.

[Commentator] Kevin Von Erich.

What a beautiful specimen.

[Kevin Von Erich] Oh, I grew up
in here, you know.

It's like my little playground.

[crowd cheers]

[Commentator]
Oh, off the rope.

[Kevin Von Erich] Yeah, had some
good memories.

It's where it all started.

[David Shoemaker] Kevin was a-
He was an entertainer,

but as a person, he was a pretty
simple guy, you know.

Like, he just wanted to have
that sort of isolation,

that sort of getting away from
everything else.

?

[Commentator] You're
working nearly every night.

This must-must be a great way to
just to take some edge off.

[Kevin Von Erich] Oh, man,
you're right, Bill.

I'd-I'd probably crack up if I
didn't have

the country to come out to.

I don't get off on disco
dancing.

And, uh, this is really where
I'm at.

This is where my head is.

[Commentator] Hey, wait for your
daughter to get old enough

to come out here.

[Kevin Von Erich] We'll have to
see about that.

[laughing]

[Kevin Von Erich] Once I had my
first baby, uh,

once Pam had Kristen, well, my
priorities changed,

and wrestling became work.

[Michael Hayes] I don't think
wrestling was the number one

priority for Kevin anymore.

He's obligated to do the
wrestling.

He wanted to do the family
thing.

[Bill Colville] He would show up
at the matches,

he would leave immediately.

You know, he didn't hang around
and go home and be dad.

[Kevin Von Erich] And then also
my life went from loving my dog

and my .22 to that baby, and
Pam, my queen,

that gave me that baby.

I had somebody to protect.

[Fritz Von Erich] Kristen, come
here.

Come on, you pretty girl.

[Kevin Von Erich] My father,
big, mean, tough Fritz,

he loved being a grandfather.

Kristen and him were like that.

[Fritz Von Erich] Come here,
Kristen.

Yeah, good girl.

[Kristen Nikolas] My granddad
was one of the best men

that I've ever met.

[Fritz Von Erich] Hi baby girl.

[Kristen Nikolas] He was just
the epitome of safety for us.

[Fritz Von Erich] Now that's
what I call

pretty, pretty, pretty.

Now, Meme, let's have one of
your pretty face.

[Kristen Nikolas] Meme was also
so loving, and my grandparents

did a really good job of making
us feel like we were

all a community, and we had each
other.

[Fritz Von Erich] Look at me,
Kristen.

[Kristen Nikolas] I love you,
granddaddy.

[Fritz Von Erich] Oh, you're so
cute.

[Kristen Nikolas] The first time
I realized that there

was something maybe
different about our family,

we were gonna have a Six Flags
Day as a family.

?

[Kristen Nikolas] And
when we arrived at the park,

there were police everywhere,
and they put us right on a golf

cart, and we had a couple of
hours of the park exclusively,

but they opened the gate, and I
just have this image in my mind

of- I was sitting on the back
of this golf cart, and these

people chasing us and screaming,
and this one lady had mascara

running down her face, and I
remember thinking, you know,

"They're not chasing anybody
else, and don't they know how

boring my dad is, and how
boring my uncles are?"

Like, "Why do they
think it's so cool?"

[David Manning] You never
realized what kind of rock stars

these kids-these kids
had become.

[crowd cheers]

[Commentator] And here
they come,

the trio of wrestling
personified.

[JBL] Everybody wanted to see
The Von Erichs,

but they needed a nemesis, you
know,

and when the Freebirds came in,

that's when wrestling just blew
up.

[Commentator] Michael Hayes,
and Terry Gordy,

Buddy Roberts.

The Freebirds.

[JBL] You finally had somebody
that could

go against the Von Erich boys,
and that was the perfect

antithesis in the Freebirds.

[Michael Hayes] Hey, man, we're
running these Von Erichs

out of Texas.

When it comes to notorious,
bad mother [bleep]

that you love to
hate, that'd be us.

[crowd cheers]

[Michael Hayes] If we gotta run
over The Von Erichs,

we'll do it with
pleasure.

[Undertaker] Oh, my goodness.

Well, the Freebirds were just so
easy to hate.

[JBL] The Freebirds brought
their own flags

from Georgia into Texas,
which is something you don't do.

[Michael Hayes] It kind of
became like a college football

rivalry in a sense.

Georgia versus Texas.

[Kevin Von Erich] This war is
not between Texas and Georgia.

It's between decency and filth.

[crowd cheers]

[JBL] It was like setting a

nuclear bomb off in the state of
Texas.

I'd-I'd never seen anything like
it.

[Mike Von Erich] We gotta say
thanks to the people of Dallas,

Texas, 'cause it's the biggest
crowd ever to be

in the Sportatorium.

[David Manning] Shows that used
to, on a Saturday night, do 500

people, all of a sudden,
we were doing 8,000,

just packed to the walls.

[Commentator] And so this one
is gonna start in a hurry.

[Michael Hayes] The rivalry
worked, I think,

because when we would get
in that ring,

you could tell that these guys
really don't like each other.

[Commentator] It may take
everybody in the arena to

separate these two.

[Michael Hayes] But there
was a respect between us

that really made it work, too.

You're gonna
get knocked flat out

in front of the whole world.

[Michael Hayes] You're supposed
to make them mad,

that's your job.

And, of course, the
fans ate it up.

[Commentator] The whole
family sticks together.

That's been their motto and
their creed.

[David Manning] For two hours or
three hours,

they got to cheer for the good.

[Kevin Von Erich] It's not just
our win, it's all of our win.

[David Manning]
And boo the evil.

And, uh, that's
what wrestling is.

[Fan 1] I get so wrapped up in
it.

I mean, I just love it.

[laughing]

I really do.

[Fan 2] This is one of the few
places where you come

and holler and scream,
and they don't take you to jail.

["Stone Cold" Steve Austin] Me
and my buddies would ride down

there every Friday night.

I was there watching
The Von Erichs

and The Freebirds
go at it.

[crowd chants
"Go home, Freebirds"]

[Kevin Von Erich] You could see
those TV ratings shooting up,

and all we had to do was keep
doing what we're doing, just

make it a little more dangerous,
and a little more reckless.

[Commentator] This looks like
it's gonna be a wild slugfest.

Whoa, and over.

[JBL] When you watch
those guys, yeah,

they're beating the [bleep]
out of each other.

I mean, this is incredible, and
that's what Texans love

so much about it.

People love to fight.

[Kevin Von Erich] I never wanted
to be a fake.

I really enjoyed what I did.

I loved it, and I felt real
doing it.

I gave people real
entertainment,

so did my brothers.

[Michael Hayes] I mean, they
were really into it and really,

really believed that what we
were doing was real.

[Commentator] Kevin Von Erich
is now covered in blood.

[Michael Hayes] A lot of times
after the matches,

I felt like it was real,
because it hurt.

[Commentator] And the Freebird
is a loose bird as he goes

to the floor and says,
"Man alive, what hit me?"

[Commentator] And a criss-cross.

Whoa, man, oh.

And look at that thrust kick.

[Kevin Von Erich] When you're
young,

you feel like you're
bulletproof.

Nothing can hurt you.

[Commentator] And now, Kevin
Von Erich struggling.

[Kevin Von Erich] You can break
a bone and keep going.

[Fritz Von Erich] My boy's
got a broken nose.

He's got about a dozen
sutures in his lip.

[Kevin Von Erich] Hey.

That's- When you're right, you
win every time.

This doesn't hurt a bit.

There's plenty more where-

[Michael Hayes] You were pretty
much always playing with pain.

You had to wrestle, or you
didn't get paid.

[Kevin Von Erich] My nose has
been broken dozens of times.

I've got broken ribs.

My elbows have been
both dislocated.

My shoulder.

My knee operations.

A tooth knocked out from Michael
Hayes' boot.

We used to take injections,
xylocaine, Marcaine, procaine,

but they're not drugs.

They just numb nerve endings.

And I didn't want to live like
that anymore,

and so to deal with that pain,
I grew my own marijuana.

Look what sprouted up here in
the carpet.

[laughing]

[Kevin Von Erich] I don't want
to be a proponent

for such a thing, but
I have to say

that I took a healthier approach
by growing it myself.

Hey man, when are we going to
smoke one again?

[Pam Adkisson] Kevin.

[Kevin Von Erich] If God makes
it, if it's a vegetable,

if it grows on a tree or in the
ground, I want it,

but I don't want anything
made by man.

[crowd cheers]

[Commentator] And here comes

"The Modern Day Warrior"
Kerry Von Erich.

[Cathy Murray] For Kerry, the
business was becoming very

taxing on the body in general
with the amount of time in the

gym, and pumping iron, and then
just getting hurt in the ring.

[Commentator] Oh, Kerry is
pretty well shaken.

[Cathy Murray] When you're
getting hurt all the time,

and you start asking for
prescription drugs, right, and

then how much is enough, and do
I need something even harder,

stronger to relieve this pain?

You know, you can just get
caught up in that.

And there were these doctors,
because of who they are, they're

famous, who would just write a
prescription and, "Here you go."

[Michael Hayes] And then you
take it and you go,

"Well, it does help
me feel better.

Well, the doctor just prescribed
it.

It's legal."

And I think a lot of people got
fooled by that.

[Cathy Murray] Kerry felt a big
responsibility to the business.

He took care of his fans.

[Kerry Von Erich] It's tough,
but we know it's a job, it's a

responsibility that we have to
do, and my father bred us to-to

be winners, not losers, and to
fight 100% every night whenever

we were in that ring.

[Cathy Murray] So Kerry fought
between his health and keeping

up with the image that was so
important to The Von Erichs.

?

[Kevin Von Erich] Dave was the
only one of all of us

that liked strong liquor, had a
bottle of it in his bag.

And then he told us he had a
really bad stomachache and booze

was helping him.

Stomach pain must have been
something else.

I mean, he said it was like a
knife.

He had diarrhea for months.

At the time, Dave was married to
Trish.

I know she did think he had a
virus or something because he,

you know, had some symptoms,
but he didn't want her to worry,

you know, so he wouldn't
have said anything.

So, Kerry and I made sure he
went to the doctor about it.

A proctologist, I guess it was.

They told Dave to lean against
this little wall thing.

They put his elbows down and
strapped him in, strapped his

elbow here and his knees, and,
uh, Dave got mad easy.

The doc hit a switch
and Dave was butt up.

He was furious.

He said, "Absolutely not.

I'll tear this place down."

And he had to unstrap Dave and
let him go.

But if they would have done the
examination,

I think they would have
found something.

[David Shoemaker] It's around
'83 that David first starts

complaining of stomach pain.

And also, I think, you know,
you've taken a lot of hard bumps

in the ring, and especially
coming up in the Adkisson

household, you- maybe you're
just taught to rub some dirt

on it, you know.

Because he wasn't being treated
for it,

he started turning
to painkillers.

[Brian Adias] One time he'd
showed up on, uh, uh,

Quaaludes, you know.

You know, when you can't talk,
and you're slurring your words,

that's-that's when it becomes
bad.

[Bill Irwin] I've seen him where
he's a puddle in the middle

of the floor, and he's supposed
to be going to the ring.

Ah, you know, so you've got to
try and get him up

and get him going.

[David Manning] Before long, he
almost couldn't overcome it.

Looking at today's world, I'd
say Dave had an opioid problem.

He was addicted to pills.

[Brian Adias] And boy, I know
Fritz was-

was just irate about it.

[Fritz Von Erich] You're doing
your fans a disservice any time

you get out of line, because you
are an image to them

that they want to live up to.

And so many pro athletes, uh,
and-and you know what I'm

talking about, man, they have no
use for their fans.

The fans is what made 'em.

It's what made us.

And, uh, we need to always be
aware of the responsibility

that goes with that.

[Kristen Nikolas] Image was
really important to granddad,

but Meme was, I think, more
concerned about family image

and reputation
than granddad was.

She wanted to have a perfect
family that didn't fail.

And Meme was really concerned
about media.

Granddad maybe was to a point
that it affected the business.

[Brian Adias] Fritz always said,
"It's one thing what a man does

on his own time, but when you're
on my time,

you need to be in top shape."

[David Manning] They're under
pressure.

They were pretty much on call 24
hours a day,

dealing with the public,
dealing with the news.

[News Journalist] Several
thousand waiting in line

for hours to see the famous
wrestling Von Erichs.

[David Manning] It was fun,
though.

Everywhere you went, you were
treated like you were royalty.

[Kevin Von Erich] We'd get
endorsements through wrestling,

and so we'd get free cars from
these dealerships.

[Cathy Murray] They were top
stars,

and Mike and Chris always
looked up to them.

And they were like, "If they can
do it, I can do it."

[David Manning] Mike and Chris
were super close.

They came to the matches every
week.

[Cathy Murray] Right after high
school,

Mike wanted to be a part of
what his brothers were doing.

[Commentator] I've seen the
debut of all these guys, uh,

Kevin, David, Kerry, and now a
debut in just a few minutes

of Mike Von Erich.

[David Manning] For Mike, it was
hard not being a Von Erich,

you know?

If he was anywhere with the
brothers,

he was treated as if he was
in the business.

And it was contagious.

[Kevin Von Erich] Little Mike, I
say, is a big old stud,

but tonight I think he's
going to show his colors.

He's a Von Erich right down to
the wire.

Mike wanted to wrestle so bad,
he wanted to be like Dave.

[David Von Erich] Mike's been
taught by the best,

because we were
taught by the best.

[Kerry Von Erich] You lock your
leg in here, Kev.

[Kevin Von Erich] Oh, just
step- Yeah.

[Kerry Von Erich] Yeah.

[Kevin Von Erich] Oh, that's an
excellent-

[Kerry Von Erich] And roll
forward right here.

And now I got his leg.

Oh, he ain't
going nowhere.

[Commentator] And here he comes,
Mike Von Erich.

[crowd cheers]

[Commentator] He has not
only his own career

to think about, but, of course,
he's upholding the honor

of the Von Erich families.

[Cathy Murray] Part of it, for
him,

was just being with
his brothers.

Like, "Okay, they're not going
out on the road and

leaving me anymore.

I get to come along.

I'm the baby brother, and we're
going to have a good time

together," you know, and they
did.

[Kevin Von Erich] You know, a
lot of people think

the Von Erichs have bit off
more than we can chew.

They think that Mike's
too young to be getting

in the ring with us.

This kid is not going
to let me down.

We're going to take
those Freebirds-

[Commentator] Oh,
look at that move.

[Michael Hayes] At this point,
the Von Erichs

and the Freebirds, our
story was so hot-

[Commentator] Gordy wrapped
up, one, two, three.

[crowd cheers]

[Michael Hayes] -that it was
time to take it to

the stadium, which was
unheard of back then.

[David Manning] We were doing
the Six-Man Tag Team

Championship, which at that time
would have now been Kevin,

Kerry, and Mike against the
Birds.

[Kevin Von Erich] Now, if the
Freebirds think they can beat

us, go ahead and come on with it
all you got.

[David Manning] And then the
main event was going to be Flair

versus David for the NWA World
Heavyweight Championship.

[Michael Hayes] "The Nature Boy"
Ric Flair, arguably,

the greatest wrestler
of all time.

[Ric Flair] I thrive, woo, I
thrive on being

called the greatest.

[Michael Hayes] But it was
already decided.

It was very hush-hush that David
was going to beat

Ric Flair for the title.

[David Manning] And then about
five weeks before the show,

Dave goes to Japan to work over
there.

[Kevin Von Erich] For months
before the Japan trip,

he didn't look right to me.

But it was the stomach, you
know?

Dave had that ashen look about
him, you know?

White look.

His eyebrows would get white,

and so I already had an idea
something bad was gonna happen.

[engine noise]

[Fritz Von Erich] This is
December 24th, uh,

Christmas Eve, 1983.

[Kevin Von Erich] It was so cold
that day.

Remember the pond froze over?

Wow.

That never happens.

[Kerry Von Erich] I laid some
bets on it.

[Kevin Von Erich] There's Cathy.

[Kristen Rain] And Uncle Chris.

[Kevin Von Erich] There's Chris.

[Chris Von Erich] Dad,
thanks for the stereo, Dad.

[Fritz Von Erich] Oh, yeah,
babe.

[David Von Erich] Wow.

Thanks.

[Fritz Von Erich] Oh, you're
good.

[Kristen Rain] Granddaddy,
quick.

There's Uncle Mike and me.

[Kevin Von Erich] Oh, Mike.

You gotta spur him.

All the kids love Mike, don't
they?

[Speaker] Pull his reins.

[Speaker] Kick him in the shins.

[Speaker] Pull his reins.

Pull hard.

[Mike Von Erich] Ow.

[laughing]

[Kevin Von Erich] Dear Heavenly
Father,

thank you for everything
you've given us.

All the family being together,
the brothers.

It's great, Lord.

Thank you for everything you've
given us.

After that Christmas, our life
would not be the same.

For months before the Japan
trip, Dave was white as a ghost.

He, uh- He didn't look right to
me.

[David Manning] I was with him
when he wrestled in Austin,

Texas, and after the matches,
he was throwing up.

He was sick.

And he kept saying, "Oh, it's
just some virus I got."

[Michael Hayes] And everybody
just thought he had the flu,

you know?

It was- it was dead of winter,
you know, early February.

[Fritz Von Erich] We knew David
was sick,

but they had no idea how sick.

The boy's been raised to be
there.

Thousands of people
had paid their money

to see those boys' wrestle.

Short of a broken leg partner,
we expect them to be there.

[Kevin Von Erich] And he looked
pale,

and I could just tell on
my mom's face

she was worried about Dave.

They were talking.

And I looked at him, I thought,
"If I lost him," you know,

I just put my hands on him and
said,

"Don't you go over there
and die, Dave."

And he said, "I won't, Kev."

[Pam Adkisson] Yeah.

[Kevin Von Erich] And I
thought-

I kissed him.

Now I had uh-

[Kristen Nikolas] Yeah.

It can't happen now.

[Bill Irwin] When
you go to Japan,

it's always pretty
much the same.

We would eat, and we'd have-
drink beers and have fun.

And, you know, it was-
It was great.

[Kevin Von Erich] I talked to
Bill Irwin about it.

He said they got to the-
to Tokyo,

and they went about six
o'clock and had a big steak.

And Dave wanted two steaks,
and Bill said he couldn't even

finish his, because Dave ate a
lot of it.

But then, Dave ordered a third
steak and ate it.

[Bill Irwin] We get out of there
and go back to the hotel,

and we go into the hotel,
and we're going in.

Of course, the bar's still open.

Well, shhh, you know, we've
got to go in there.

And David said, "Hey, I'll be
right back."

I think he left and went
upstairs and puked.

And then he came back down.

Everybody that's there,
including myself,

we were kind of
full, but he ate.

And he ate some more.

David and I were in that- in
that bar last, and David goes,

"Well, come by the room.

Come on by, you know, we'll have
a drink or whatever.

The last one."

Went on into his room.

Went in and sat down.

I think we had a beer or
something right there.

And, you know, after the beer,
it was-

it was the end of the night.

He goes, "Yeah, I-I'm just going
to call my wife."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Well, tomorrow comes, and
everybody's on the bus

at five o'clock.

Like, "What the hell?"

You know, "Where's David?"

And in the distance, you hear
sirens.

Everybody's looking at each
other.

Everybody up, we all went off
the bus, right into the hotel,

up the stairs, right to the
corner room,

and they were there with a
key and unlocked his door.

And there was David in the same
spot I left him.

Just laid back, still dressed,
in the same clothes, everything.

[sighs]

[Kevin Von Erich] To this day,
I cannot stand a phone call

before daylight, because
that's what I got that morning

that Trish called me.

And when that phone rang, it was
dark, and I picked up the phone,

and she was crying.

I knew.

And she said, "He's dead, Kev."

I just said, "I have to go."

I hung the phone up.

I went outside, and, uh, I was
just crushed, you know?

I couldn't stand up, and I just
laid down on the forest

and I pushed the leaves back and
put my face in that black dirt.

I prayed to God, "Let me die."

Seeing my dad, and knowing that
he'd lost his son,

he'd lost Dave, oh, my gosh,
that was-

that was the worst
part.

[sighs]

It was as bad as grief
can get.

[David Manning] Fritz had
already said,

"Whatever that autopsy says
we got to go with because

the public's probably going to
get it sooner or later."

[Bill Irwin] And everybody
thought David died

of an overdose, but he didn't.

[David Manning] I heard all the
stories around

the industry that, "It was
pills, it was this."

I'm not saying there wasn't any
pills involved because,

undoubtedly, he was in
excruciating pain.

And, uh, but did he do enough to
OD?

No.

The autopsy said, "Acute
enteritis.

Heart failure".

So, basic what they were saying
was,

because of the acute enteritis,
his intestines ruptured,

he filled up with blood, and it
caused heart failure.

[church bell rings]

[News Reporter 1] Some say that
David Von Erich's death

hit Dallas, Fort Worth, like
Elvis Presley's

death hit the nation.

David Von Erich died Friday of
enteritis.

He was 25 years old.

[David Manning] I mean, at the
funeral that we're expecting 500

to 800 people, and we end up
with almost 10,000.

[News Reporter 1] Fans from the
area and foes

from the ring turned out.

The 1800-seat church was soon
filled to capacity, and hundreds

stood outside hoping to catch a
few strains of the service

from the loudspeaker system.

It was a quiet but unhappy
group.

[Kevin Von Erich] It hit
everyone like a ton of bricks.

The schools let out.

[Fan] I love and care for David,
and I wanted to be here.

[News Reporter 2] The funeral
procession stretched five miles

across the Lone Star State.

It was a hero's send-off.

[David Manning] They shut down
the highway all the way

from Denton to Oak Grove
Cemetery in Oak Cliff.

Things all of a sudden then
there was like,

"This is like a president died."

[News Reporter 1] More fans
waited at the cemetery

for the procession of
150 cars to arrive.

[Kevin Von Erich] I don't think
that we realized how much

we were loved until we saw that.

[Fritz Von Erich] We're just
overwhelmed today.

All of these people showing up
for the last appearance

that David's ever going to make.

[Kerry Von Erich] Our bodies may
be left here on Earth,

but our souls go to heaven.

It's made us accept death a lot
easier.

Hey, we know our brother David's
in a lot better place than

we are right now.

[Cathy Murray] The loss of a
brother was devastating for him.

He said, "You know, I think I
should just go

and be with David."

There was always this thing with
the brothers that, maybe not so

much Kevin, because Kevin was
the oldest trying to protect his

brothers, but beyond that, they
always wanted to be together.

[Kristen Nikolas] After losing
Uncle Dave, Meme was just filled

with so much pain, but she
wanted to have a great image.

[Doris Von Erich] You say, "God
help me through this."

You get off your duff and you
start moving again.

You start laughing again, and
you refuse to stay down.

[Kevin Von Erich] You don't get
over it,

but we do have to keep fighting.

We have to make it for the weak
ones, for our children,

for our women, for those
that love us,

and those that are
hurting, you know?

[Kevin Von Erich] You know, like
Kerry and I were talking

about earlier today,

Dave wanted that world
championship more than anything

in the world, and that world
championship is going to be

around a Von Erich waist.

It has to be.

Not only for our family, for
Dave.

[David Shoemaker] When David Von
Erich died,

Fritz already has this giant
stadium show booked at-

at Cowboy Stadium, and they
have to go through with it.

And now, as much as they might
have wanted to just mourn him,

they have to keep the business
going.

[Kevin Von Erich] My dad
was a businessman.

It's a family business.

"This is what I do.

This is my job."

[David Manning] I'll never
forget after Dave died, there

was talk about, "Well, we can't
put the belt on the other two

boys at that point," and Fritz
was like, "It's not an option."

[Fritz Von Erich] It's a
question now of which of you two

is going to be the next world
champion.

So, when you take that title,
there's no question in anybody's

mind in the world that you are
the best that there is,

the best there ever was.

All in David's memory.

[Kevin Von Erich] And so Kerry
and I have like a coin flip with

my dad, but, um,truth of it
was, that I was married and I

did not want to travel like the
world champion has to travel.

It's all over the place.

I had my children.

I didn't want to be the world
champion, and, uh, Kerry did.

And so as far as the coin flip's
concerned,

it was more like, "You win."

[Commentator] There are no
seatbelts on the chairs here at

Texas Stadium, but we
almost need them.

[Undertaker] My goodness.

I mean, what an atmosphere.

What a huge match feeling, and
Kerry had the weight of the

state on his back.

[Commentator] From Denton,
Texas, weighing 259 pounds,

Mr. Kerry Von Erich.

[Kerry Von Erich] You know, when
I talk about the butterflies

or something like this,
it's almost impossible

to describe in words the way
I felt,

but it was like all of Texas
Stadium was electrified.

[Undertaker] That title shot was
supposed to be David's.

David passes away in Japan.

Now, his brother comes and steps
in, and who does he have to-

I mean, Ric Flair,
prime Ric Flair.

[Ric Flair] Texas Stadium sold
out.

[Commentator] The largest crowd
ever to see wrestling anywhere

in the world is on hand here at
Texas Stadium.

A history-making event.

[Ric Flair] Kerry Von Erich in
the-

in the state of Texas, phew.

[Cathy Murray] I was pregnant
with Hollie,

and it was a great day
for all of us.

[Commentator] Kerry
Von Erich, probably,

the most beautiful
ring jacket I've ever seen.

[Cathy Murray] He wanted to-to
make his dad proud.

And-and all the fans too, right?

To make sure that that Von Erich
image was, you know, upheld.

[Commentator] This is it.

Here we go.

[Mark Henry] Watching that one-

[Commentator] Flair
can't find the handle.

[Mark Henry] -at my Papa Jody's
house-

[Commentator] Kerry
is rolling now.

[Mark Henry] -it was like
watching a Mike Tyson fight.

[Commentator] Back to his feet.

There's the drive by Kerry.

[Mark Henry] And everybody had
to go to the fight.

[Commentator] Powerslam.

[David Manning] You got 40,000
grieving people.

We had to have the pop.

[Commentator] And it's
the Iron Claw.

Kerry's got him.

Here's the Nelson pin.

Two, three.

Do dream's come true?

[bell rings]

[Commentator] Yes-

-it's happened.

[crowd cheers]

[Undertaker] Man,
it gives you kinda-

it gives you goosebumps
thinking about it,

how special that was for
Kerry to-to win the title.

[Commentator] Kerry
Von Erich is the new

World Heavyweight Champion.

[JBL] To have our guy, Kerry Von
Erich, you know,

that iconic stadium with the
hole in the roof so God can

watch his team, it was a day of
celebration in the state.

[Commentator] Oh, the Texas
flag, the big yellow rose,

and the heavyweight belt.

[Shawn Michaels] Winning the
ultimate prize in dedication

to your brother who passed away.

Kerry Von Erich was a God in the
state of Texas.

[Commentator] Fritz there to
greet Kerry.

There's Mrs. Von Erich, Kerry's
mother.

[Kerry Von Erich] You know,
today the world belongs

to Texas, because if it
wasn't for the Texas people,

we wouldn't have nothing.

And you know what else, my
brother David, tonight,

he had the best seat in the
house,

right upstairs looking
down.

And-and just God bless him, man,
because he saw everything I did.

We're just so happy.

[Cathy Murray] It was just one
of the greatest moments,

I think, in his history of
wrestling.

[David Manning] Then Kerry had
to take on the responsibility

of being a champion,
and it's not fun.

[Commentator] Here now comes
World Heavyweight Champion,

Kerry Von Erich.

[David Manning] That's a 360-day
deal.

He goes from, "David's dead,"
you're the main event, promos,

promos, promos.

And you can't just say, "Oh,
we're taking a week off."

[Cathy Murray] So, between that
and losing his brother, David,

that's when I started seeing a
little bit more of the drugs

starting to come in.

[Kerry Von Erich] Oh, Bill, so
much going on inside my head.

I feel like I'm ready now.

I believe with all my heart I
can-

[Cathy Murray] I think before
David's death,

the drugs were under control,

where it wasn't causing any
problems for him.

And then after David's death, it
just became more of a necessity.

[Commentator] Kerry Von Erich,
the new

World Heavyweight Champion.

[Commentator 2] I guess
that's something

we've all dreamed about.

[Bruce Prichard] That was
the right call for Kerry

to be world champion.

For that night, in that stadium,
regardless of how it turned out,

it was the right call.

[Commentator] Ric switches him,
pulls him back.

He's got him.

He's got him.

And that's it.

And Ric Flair, the World
Heavyweight Champion,

once again.

[David Shoemaker] With an 18-day
reign, the NWA was sort of doing

a solid for the State of Texas,
you know, for Dallas,

for the Von Erich family,
for all the tragedy

that they were going through
right in that moment.

And it wasn't meant to be a
long-term solution.

[Cathy Murray] I think for
Kerry, it didn't matter

that he lost it so quickly
because you're on top, right,

how much further can you go?

Like, "I'm accepted now."

Right?

"My dad trusted me to be able to
do this, and I did it."

[Fritz Von Erich] I tried to do
this all my life, the national

wrestling alliance world
champion, and I was never able

to take it,
but Kerry took it.

[crowd cheers]

[David Shoemaker] Even after
losing the title,

the Von Erichs, they were still
drawing in huge crowds,

and I think that just says
something about their stardom.

[Commentator] Listen to
this crowd roar.

They're on their feet.

[Fritz Von Erich] It's getting
around that the Von Erichs

and World Class Championship
Wrestling is the number one

sport in the world today.

[Brian Adias] World Class was
just booming.

[crowd cheers]

[Commentator] Flying dropkick,
and there goes Michael Hayes.

[Michael Hayes] They would play
the show I think

it was at 11:00 AM
Sunday mornings.

We would have a replay of that
at 6:00 at night,

which was opposite of 60
Minutes,

which was the number
one show in the country,

and we would almost double their
ratings with a replay.

[David Shoemaker] At this point,
World Class is so successful

that, you know, Vince McMahon
takes notice.

[Vince McMahon] If there's one
family that's dominant and

reigns supreme somewhat in the
entire wrestling world,

it would be the
Von Erich family.

[David Manning] There was a
meeting that took place

in Dallas.

You know, Vince said, "Join
forces with the WWE.

We'll go everywhere."

And at that time, they would
even take 40%, we would be 60%.

We didn't do the deal.

Fritz was, "Why do we need you?

We just did 47,000 people."

[crowd cheers]

[TV Presenter 1] The wrestling
family,

which has made Dallas and Fort
Worth one of the hottest spots

in the sport, is still
growing strong.

The people love the Von Erichs.

[TV Presenter 2] It's amazing,
but wherever the Von Erichs go,

a crowd always follows.

[Brian Adias] Kerry, he was
extremely popular.

People just loved him.

He was actually in an audition
with Sylvester Stallone

for Rocky IV, and they picked
Dolph Lundgren for it.

[Cathy Murray] But becoming
famous at a really young age can

be difficult, and that was
pretty tough for me as a wife,

being with somebody that was so
famous.

[Brenda Bright] I love you too,
Kerry, but you're married, so.

[Cathy Murray] I'm just worried
about his health.

I'm worried that he's gonna get
an eye out or somethin'.

[laughing]

I'm not really worried about the
girls kissing

on him or anything.

I-I know how that goes.

I don't blame 'em.

I would, too.

I'd be jumping all over him,
too.

[laughing]

[Cathy Murray] All of it was
really hard for he and I.

I kept seeing Kerry Adkisson
getting buried underneath

the Von Erich image.

I was losing a part of my
husband that was very important

to me because Kerry Von Erich
belonged to everybody.

Maybe taking the drugs helped
him to escape from that.

Um, at least he told me that one
time.

[Michael Hayes] That's a big
responsibility, being on top,

because you're responsible for
feeding everybody,

and drinking and doing
drugs don't help you

balance that that well.

?

[David Manning] Kerry,
sometimes, is he 100 percent?

Is he 70 percent?

What have we got to work with?

[Kerry Von Erich] And when we
finally get him in the ring,

Michael Hayes or Terry Gordy,
I don't care which one,

but when we get you in the
ring, baby,

I ain't going out to hurt you,

I'm going out to cripple you,
and I guarantee you that.

[David Manning] It was hard to
be in that position to where

you go tell someone that
their son's got a problem.

I mentioned it one time, and I
got heat for it.

Not from Fritz.

[laughing]

I'll just leave it at
that.

[Kristen Nikolas] My grandmother
loved her boys so much.

And I love Meme, I love my
grandmother, but, um,

it's frustrating because
it-it-it is just

so easy to blame grandad.

It's not always as it seems.

?

[Michael Hayes] A lot of
people wanted to make Fritz

the bad guy.

There was a deep love and
respect between the boys

and Fritz, and it
went both ways.

I saw it firsthand.

[Cathy Murray] Mr. Adkisson
absolutely wanted the best

for his boys, but he also wanted
the best for his business.

[crowd cheers]

[Michael Hayes] Fritz was also
very consumed

with making sure that train kept
running down that track,

and we are still breaking
attendance records.

[Commentator] Kerry Von Erich
literally having

to push his through.

[Michael Hayes] Life was great.

Everybody thought it was going
to last forever.

Wrong.

??

[Kevin Von Erich] We had
to deal with life as it comes.

Don't cry about it.

[Brian Adias] The tragedy
started coming around.

It had its effect.

[Michael Hayes] Suicides, drugs,
alcohol.

You name it.

It all played a part.

[Kevin's grandson] It's
so cool

how you all got
to wrestle together.

[Kevin Von Erich] Well,
just imagine you and Si

just playing outside but there's
thousands of people watching.

So that's what's
gonna happen one day,

like playing
with your brother,

in front of a
bunch of people.

There was a time that we could
all wrestle in any town and,

uh, sell it out.

[Commentator] The Von
Erichs have won the hearts

of wrestling fans.

They're the most popular
wrestling family in the world.

[Kevin Von Erich] Eh.

It's not like people think.

It's a family business.

It wasn't fun.

It was work.

[Kristen Nikolas] You're
pressured to be on

all of the time.

An image that they all want to
uphold.

[Fritz Von Erich] They're just
good boys.

The world just needs heroes
today.

That's all.

[Hollie Chilton] There's
pressure

to keep that name alive.

[TV Presenter 3] Professional
wrestler, Mike Von Erich,

remains in critical condition.

[Dr. Bill Sutker] If Mike Von
Erich dies,

the whole world is
gonna hate you.

[Kerry Von Erich] It's in the
Lord's plan

for these things to happen.

The Von Erichs are strong.

[Cathy Murray] I saw a lot of
depression in him.

[Hollie Adkisson] I do remember
times where he wasn't sober.

[Fritz Von Erich] The doctor
told him he just might never

be able to go back
into wrestling.

[TV Presenter 4] Dozens of
searchers have been scouring

Lake Lewisville by ground and
air since Wednesday night.

[Cathy Murray] When I got the
call,

I knew our world was crumbling.

[TV Presenter 5] Investigators
found a handwritten note.

"Mom and Dad, I'm in a better
place."

[Kerry Von Erich] I'd rather die
than let you folks down.

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