How Old Every Von Erich Brother Is In The Iron Claw

May 17, 2024, 7 p.m.

Movies

How Old Every Von Erich Brother Is In The Iron Claw

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Summary The tragic story of the Von Erich wrestling family explores addiction, mental health, and untimely deaths.

The Iron Claw showcases the personal struggles and lasting impact of the Von Erich family in wrestling history.

Through heart-wrenching narratives, the film captures the legacy of the Von Erich brothers in a poignant manner.

This article discusses issues around drug addiction, mental health, and suicide.

The Iron Claw told the tragic story of the Von Erich wrestling family and depicted the brothers at different points throughout their lives. With life stories that were categorized by one heartbreaking event after another, many of the Von Erichs had untimely deaths and suffered from addiction issues, mental health troubles, and a myriad of personal problems. While the story of The Iron Claw was seen through the eyes of the only living brother, Kevin Von Erich (Zac Efron), the harrowing circumstances of the entire legendary wrestling family’s existence were captured throughout.

While not every Von Erich brother was depicted in The Iron Claw, most of the siblings were seen throughout the film, and the eldest son, who died before the events seen on screen, even made a brief appearance. While showcasing the heart-wrenching personal lives of the Von Erichs as well as the many wrestling matches seen in The Iron Claw, writer and director Sean Durkin captured a part of wrestling history that was unknown to the majority of the general public with pathos and vulnerability. While so many of the Von Erichs died tragically young, their legacy lives on in The Iron Claw.

The Von Erich Brothers Date Of Birth Portrayed By Jack Adkisson Jr. September 21, 1952 Romeo Newcomer Kevin Von Erich May 15, 1957 Zac Efron David Von Erich July 22, 1958 Harris Dickinson Kerry Von Erich February 3, 1960 Jeremy Allen White Mike Von Erich March 2, 1964 Stanley Simons Chris Von Erich September 30, 1969 Not featured in The Iron Claw

6 Jack Adkisson Jr.

September 21, 1952 - March 7, 1959

The sad story of Jack Jr. was the first in a series of tragic events for the Von Erich wrestling family, as he died at just six years old before the events of The Iron Claw. Jack Jr.'s death loomed large throughout The Iron Claw as the family struggled with the “Von Erich curse” that haunted their family, and his passing was just the first of many untimely deaths for the brothers. After Jack Jr.’s death, Kevin became the oldest living brother, although he struggled with this new role and, when questioned, would state, “I’m not the oldest.”

On March 7, 1959, Jack Jr. stepped on a trailer tongue and was electrocuted, which caused the young boy to fall into a puddle of melting snow and drown. The Iron Claw did not expand on the details of Jack Jr.’s death, but he did briefly appear in the scene where Kerry was reunited with his brothers in the afterlife and was played by Romeo Newcomer. Only Kevin was born before Jack’s passing, so none of the other Von Erich brothers ever got to know their oldest sibling, although they all felt the ripple effects of his important and heartbreaking legacy.

5 Kevin Von Erich

May 15, 1957

Kevin Von Erich is Fritz Von Erich's last surviving son, and the story of The Iron Claw was primarily told through his life experiences. Zac Efron was 35 years old when he portrayed Kevin in a career-defining performance, and although he was briefly seen as a young child in the opening black-and-white scene, he was 22 during the first wrestling match in 1979. The Iron Claw took viewers through the 1980s as Kevin succeeded as a professional wrestler and pursued his dream of becoming the World Heavyweight Championship and gaining his father’s approval.

Kevin married Pamela J. May in 1980, when he was just 23, and they had four children together. In 1983, at 26, Kevin finally got his chance at the Heavyweight Championship title in a match against Ric Flair, for which he was disqualified for using his family’s signature iron claw move for too long while grieving the recent loss of David and Mike. The Iron Claw ended with the title card that revealed Kevin, along with his brothers, were inducted into the WWE half of fame in 2009, when he was 52. In 2024, Kevin's 67 years old.

The Iron Claw ended with a title card that told Kevin's story after the events of the film and stated: “Kevin and Pam have been married for 40 years. They bought a ranch, and everyone came to live with them. All four children and thirteen grandchildren.”

4 David Von Erich

July 22, 1958 - February 10, 1984

David Von Erich, known as ‘The Yellow Rose of Texas,’ was just one year younger than his brother Kevin, whom he was seen fighting alongside in The Iron Claw. David was portrayed by Harris Dickinson, who was 25 years old when The Iron Claw was released. The film tracked David’s life from the age of 21 in 1979 until his untimely death at just 25 in 1984. David supported his older brother's ambitions to become a world champion but soon overtook him and gained his own shot at the title in a match against Ric Flair in 1984 in Japan.

Sadly, David never fought for the Heavyweight Championship title as he died while touring with All Japan Pro Wrestling before the match. While the cause of David’s death was only alluded to in The Iron Claw,, the official cause of death was listed by the U.S. Embassy as acute enteritis, a type of intestinal inflammation that can lead to complications such as heart failure. In his 2004 autobiography, To Be the Man, Ric Flair claimed that "everyone in wrestling believes" David died of a drug overdose, although The Iron Claw failed to address these rumors.

3 Kerry Von Erich

February 3, 1960 - February 18, 1993

As the only Heavyweight World Champion in the family, Kerry Von Erich was the most well-known member of the Von Erichs and, much like most of his siblings, had a tragic life story. Kerry’s ambitions initially were outside of the field of professional wrestling, as, at 20 years old, he trained to compete in the 1980 Summer Olympics but could not participate due to a boycott imposed by President Carter. Following this, Kerry joined his brothers Kevin and David, and together they fought as a trio in 6-man tag team championships.

The highlight of Kerry’s career came in 1984, when he was 24 and won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Ric Flair. Sadly, at 26 years old, just two years after Kerry’s historic title win, he was in a tragic motorcycling accident that led to Kerry’s right foot being amputated. The consequences of this accident led to Kerry’s addiction to pain medication, drug problems, and a series of troubles with the law. In 1993, just 15 days after his 33rd birthday, Kerry died by suicide from a gunshot and became the fourth Von Erich child whose life ended tragically short.

Kerry Von Erich was portrayed by Jeremy Allen White in The Iron Claw. White was best known as Carmy Berzatto from the FX on Hulu comedy-drama The Bear and was 32 years old when The Iron Claw was released in 2023.

2 Mike Von Erich

March 2, 1964 - April 12, 1987

Mike Von Erich was the youngest brother seen in The Iron Claw and was depicted as taking after his father’s musical abilities more than his wrestling skills. Despite this, Mike still pursued a career as a professional wrestler, although his time in the ring was short-lived and ended in tragedy, like many of his siblings before him. Mike was portrayed by Stanley Simons in The Iron Claw, who was 23 years old when the film was released.

Mike was only shown in one wrestling match in The Iron Claw during his tour of Israel in 1985, when he was 21 years old. This match led to a shoulder injury, which eventually resulted in toxic shock syndrome that caused brain damage. Although Mike did return to wrestling after a partial recovery, he lacked mental coordination and strength. In 1987, Mike died after a fatal dose of tranquilizers and alcohol added to yet another death in a string of heartbreaking incidents for the Von Erich family.

1 Chris Von Erich

September 30, 1969 - September 12, 1991

The only Von Erich brother not depicted in The Iron Claw was the youngest, Chris Von Erich. Director Sean Durkin stated that he chose not to include Chris in The Iron Claw as he felt the film could not endure another tragedy. The sad truth behind Chris’s life story was that it was filled with as much pain and difficulties as the rest of his brothers, and he died by suicide in 1991 at just 21 years old.

Chris was also a professional wrestler and grew up with his brothers on their ranch in Texas. Chris was 12 years younger than his oldest living sibling, Kevin, and followed in his brothers' footsteps to fight in tag team matches against notable fighters like Percy Pringle and Steve Austin. Chris suffered from asthma, which limited his success as a wrestler, and with a smaller physical build than his other brothers, he was frustrated by his inability to succeed. On September 12, 1991, Chris was found dead by his family after a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Sean Durkin’s full quote on why Chris Von Erich was not in The Iron Claw (via Los Angeles Times):

There was a repetition to it, and it was one more tragedy that the film couldn’t really withstand. I honestly don’t know if it would have gotten made. Chris was in the script for five years. [...] When you’re trying to get a film made, you have to separate it at some point and say, 'These are characters on a page, and this is a film, and there’s no way you’re going to fully capture the life of a person in a film.' You have to make difficult choices to try and get to something truthful or representative or emotional that reflects the core of the journey you’re choosing to tell within this family.

Sources: To Be the Man by Ric Flair, Los Angeles Times