So, this post is a bit off of my usual topics, but the people who truly know me know that I grew up in a house full of pro wrestling fans in Texas. Hell, I spent years working in the business of professional wrestling as a wrestler and one failed attempt as a promoter. The movie isn’t really about pro wrestling anyway. Plus, I want to share my thoughts as the message of the movie was powerful.

The Von Erich Curse

The tragedy that forms the basis of the movie is something from wrestling lore called The Von Erich Curse. Tragedy after tragedy befell this family. Of the six brothers, five lived to become adults, one died under mysterious circumstances, and three committed suicide at young ages.

The oldest brother, Jack Jr. died at age six when he touched a live wire, and the shock knocked him unconscious, whereupon he fell face first into a puddle of melting snow and drowned.

Next was David, who died while on tour in Japan. The official cause is listed as acute enteritis. Rumors of drugs being involved swirled immediately. I still remember the punch in the gut feeling as I sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee, and Pop read the news story to the room. David was my favorite wrestler at the time, and it was tough news for me.

Mike was the least interested in being a wrestler. He was injured in a match in Israel (separated shoulder if memory serves). He had surgery and went home. He spiked an astounding fever of 107 degrees, went into a coma, and almost died from toxic shock syndrome. He pulled through but was never the same. He commented suicide via drug overdose.

Chris Von Erich was the least suited for the wrestling business. Suffering from asthma, the medication caused his growth to be stunted and his bones to be brittle. He probably wanted to be a wrestler more than any of them, but his career never got any traction. He killed himself at the age of 21.

Kerry had the most success in the business. I think it was in ’86 that Kerry was in a horrific motorcycle accident. From what I have been told, he was only wearing shorts and was either barefoot or wearing shower shoes. The accident caused several bad injuries, but the worst was a mangled foot. The doctors originally tried to save the foot, but Kerry walked on it too soon, and amputation was necessary. Kerry returned to the ring with a prosthetic foot, which, according to those who knew him, caused tremendous pain. Then, in ’93 came the drug arrests. Knowing that he was facing jail time, he ended his life with a gunshot to the chest.

The Movie

I hesitated to see the movie. As a wrestling fan, I saw the entire story above unfold in real time. I was concerned that it would be depressing. But this isn’t a movie about the Von Erich Curse. It is about family, overcoming tragedy, and finding a path to move forward. It depicted the harsh reality of what suicide does the family. It treated the subject with respect.

To the purist, yes, the movie gets the chronology of events wrong in a lot of places. But to nit-pick that is a sign of a lack of an interesting life. It’s a movie. Chris Von Erich’s story isn’t even in the movie, but the message of the movie still comes through. The film uses the story of Kevin Von Erich and how he pulled through tragedy after tragedy with the help and support of his Wife and kids.

The Iron Claw has enough wrestling to keep the fan interested, but there is so much more to the movie than wrestling. I enjoyed it, and can recommend it to those over 17, as the subject is a little heavy for kids.