What Is the Von Erich Curse?
'The Iron Claw'
The Iron Claw has been making headlines for months because of its star-studded—and extremely jacked—cast, but the true story behind the film isn’t the feel-good fare usually seen in sports movies. While the Von Erich family changed the sport of wrestling forever, their lives were so marked by tragedy that fans and observers eventually began saying they suffered from “the Von Erich curse.”
The Von Erich story began in 1929 with the birth of Jack Adkisson, who began wrestling in his early 20s. He took the ring name Fritz Von Erich and had six sons, five of whom became wrestlers as well. When Fritz died in 1997, however, only one of his sons was still alive.
“Not only have I lost a brother, I lost all of them,” second eldest brother Kevin Von Erich said in a 2019 episode of the docuseries Dark Side of the Ring. “There was talk about there being a curse on the family. It’s ridiculous. A curse. What happened was just a terrible terrible thing, but no curse.”
Filmmaker Sean Durkin, who wrote and directed The Iron Claw, became aware of the so-called curse as a preteen when he read in his favorite wrestling magazine that Kerry Von Erich, the most successful Von Erich brother, had died at age 33. “I still remember that night,” Durkin told Entertainment Weekly in November 2023. “I remember how I felt, and how I'd heard that the other brothers had died. It just really hit me.”
Durkin started working on a film about the family in 2015, and now, eight years later, it’s finally hitting theaters. Keep reading to learn the true story behind The Iron Claw.
Related: From 'HSM' Golden Boy to 'Iron Claw,' Zac Efron's Net Worth In 2023
Who are the Von Erich brothers?
The Von Erich brothers are the six sons of Fritz Von Erich (born Jack Adkisson) and his wife, Doris Von Erich (née Smith). They were born between 1952 and 1969, but only one of them, Kevin Von Erich, is still alive.
Jack Adkisson Jr.
Born in 1952, Jack Adkisson Jr. was the youngest son of Fritz and Doris. He died in a freak accident in 1959 when he was electrocuted by a live wire. He then fell into a melting snow puddle and drowned. He was 6 years old.
Kevin Von Erich
Kevin Von Erich, born in 1957, was raised as the eldest Von Erich brother. He began wrestling in 1976 for his father’s World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) promotion and formally retired in 1995. In the early days of his career, he was known for wrestling without boots, which earned him the nickname the Barefoot Boy.
As the last surviving Von Erich brother, Kevin represented his entire family when they were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. In 1980, Kevin married wife Pamela, with whom he shares four kids. Two of them, sons Ross and Marshall, are also professional wrestlers. Zac Efron plays Kevin in The Iron Claw, while Lily James stars as Kevin’s wife, Pamela.
A24
David Von Erich
Born in 1958, David Von Erich was named after his mother’s brother, who died of a brain tumor at age 14 weeks before David was born. David began wrestling in 1977 after dropping out of North Texas State University, where he’d enrolled on a scholarship to play football and basketball.
David married Candy McLeod in 1978, and they welcomed daughter Natosha later that year. Natosha died of SIDS when she was 13 weeks old. David and Candy subsequently separated and finalized their divorce in 1979. In 1982, David married Trisha Matter.
David died in 1984 at age 25 of acute enteritis, which is inflammation of the small intestine, while he was on tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling. Harris Dickinson plays David in The Iron Claw.
Kerry Von Erich
Kerry Von Erich, born in 1960, was the most successful wrestler among the Von Erich brothers, debuting in 1978 with his father’s promotion. Throughout his career, he had a rivalry with Ric Flair, whom he beat for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship title in 1984, just three months after the death of his brother David. In 1986, Kerry was in a near-fatal motorcycle accident that resulted in the amputation of his right foot. He continued wrestling after the accident with a prosthetic foot; the amputation was kept secret from the public until after his death.
Kerry was married to Catherine Murray from 1983 to 1992. They had two daughters, Hollie and Lacey. Lacey briefly followed in her dad’s footsteps, wrestling from 2007 to 2010.
Kerry died by suicide in 1993 at age 33. He is played by Jeremy Allen White in The Iron Claw.
Mike Von Erich
Born in 1964, Mike Von Erich made his wrestling debut in 1983, but his brother Kevin said he never wanted to be a wrestler at all—he wanted to work as a cameraman for WCCW, or perhaps the leave family business altogether and become a musician. In 1985, he married wife Shani Garza. That same year, he developed toxic shock syndrome after a shoulder surgery and was possibly left with brain damage.
Mike died by suicide in 1987 at age 23. Stanley Simons plays Mike in The Iron Claw.
Chris Von Erich
Chris Von Erich, born in 1969, was the youngest Von Erich brother. He grew up doing odd jobs for WCCW and started amateur wrestling as a kid. Chris suffered from asthma and was the smallest Von Erich brother at only 5’5” tall, which hindered him from achieving the same level of success in wrestling that his brothers did.
Chris died by suicide in 1991 at age 21. His story is not featured in The Iron Claw.
What is the Von Erich curse?
The Von Erich curse is the popular term for the series of tragedies that befell the Von Erich family. Five of the six Von Erich brothers died before age 35, and four of those five died in a period of less than 10 years.
“It just doesn't seem like this could all happen to one family,” Zac Efron, who plays Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw, told Entertainment Weekly in November 2023. "There's a huge element of the movie that's, of course, about wrestling and the showmanship aspect. But really, at its core, this movie's an incredible story about family, love, loss, and ultimately the triumph of a man who tries to break the cycle of this crazy curse.”
Related: All About Zac Efron’s Evolving Look: Why His Famous Face Appears Different Nowadays
How did the Von Erich brothers die?
Jack Adkisson Jr., who was the youngest son of Fritz Von Erich and Doris Von Erich, died at age six after he was electrocuted by a live wire and subsequently fell in a melting snow puddle and drowned.
The more contemporary string of Von Erich tragedies began in 1984 with the death of David Von Erich. He was 25 when he died of ruptured intestines from acute enteritis during a wrestling tour in Japan. Three years later, Mike Von Erich died by suicide at age 23 after drinking alcohol and overdosing on sleeping pills.
In 1991, Chris Von Erich died by suicide at age 21 after suffering a gunshot wound to the head. His body was found by his brother Kevin and their mother Doris. Two years later, Kerry Von Erich died by suicide at age 33, also from a gunshot wound.
What does Kevin Von Erich do now?
After retiring from wrestling in 1995, Kevin Von Erich returned to the ring in 2017 for a wrestling show in Israel with his sons Ross and Marshall, both of whom are wrestlers. Kevin and his wife, Pamela, have 11 grandchildren and live in Hawaii, where they run a family investment business. In 2023, he and his family bought a ranch in his native Texas, but they still maintain their home on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
How does Kevin Von Erich feel about The Iron Claw?
Kevin Von Erich wasn’t involved in the production of The Iron Claw, but he’s developed a friendship with director Sean Durkin over the years. “They seem like really nice people,” Kevin told The Dallas Morning News in May 2023. “I just talked to the director, a nice guy, and I said, ‘Sean, look, I hope you’re not going to make this movie about what you see on YouTube. There’s crazy stuff out there about me.’ He said, ‘Everything in this movie is going to be about something I heard you said or saw a tape of you saying.’ I thought, ‘Oh, no. I’ve been on the air for 30 years. There’s no telling what I said.’”
In the same interview, Kevin said he doesn’t know much about Zac Efron, who plays him in the movie, but his family approves. “I don’t keep up with the movies so much, but my daughters do and they love him,” Kevin explained. “I think the guy is great. He’s got a great body. My sons met Zac and they think he’s a super great guy. My sons said when the wardrobe section came in, they had this big rack of clothes that I wore in the old days. And they said, ‘Dad, it was like being in your closet.’”
In November 2023, Efron said Kevin told him he enjoyed the movie. “I can’t really put into words how that feels,” Efron told Variety. “It’s far and away the most important review to me on so many levels. It meant the world, and everything just came full circle.”
How accurate is The Iron Claw?
While Kevin Von Erich wasn’t involved in the production of The Iron Claw, Sean Durkin consulted with real-life wrestler Chavo Guerrero Jr. (who also plays Edward “The Sheik” Farhat) on everything relating to the actual sport of wrestling. During a press conference in November 2023, Kevin credited Guerrero with helping the film’s wrestling sequences look as accurate as possible. “[He] did a great job pushing them and getting them ready,” Kevin told reporters. “Because it was a lot more difficult than it looks and they did so well.”
That said, Durkin did take some liberties with the Von Erich family’s story. Youngest brother Chris Von Erich, who died by suicide in 1991, is not included in the film. “The movie just couldn’t withstand another brother’s death,” Durkin told Vulture in December 2023. “It’s hard to say this from a human level but from a narrative and character standpoint, there’s a repetition that’s just hard to take. Mike, Kerry, and Chris all suffered similar fates: They took a gun or a bottle of pills into a field on their ranch and killed themselves overnight. I don’t want to say it was stopping the movie from happening but if I’m honest, it was. It took me a year to write it and take him out.”
What is the iron claw wrestling move?
Fritz Von Erich, the patriarch of the family, popularized “the iron claw,” a move where a wrestler grips his opponent’s face with all five fingers and squeezes hard. The move has since diminished in popularity, but all the Von Erich brothers who wrestled used it in the ring.
