Iron Claw brings more than just bulging muscles in skimpy wrestling gear to the big screen on December 22 — it tells a real-life story.
Starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson, A24’s new film from writer-director Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene) depicts “the rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a wrestling dynasty that has made a major impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present,” according to the official tagline.
Known for their unusual personalities in the ring – as well as their forehead-squeezing iron claw and other protective maneuvers – the clan became equally famous for a series of accidents and deaths dubbed the “Curse of Von Erich”. When patriarch Fritz Von Erich died in 1997, five of his six sons predeceased him, each from different circumstances.
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Today, 66-year-old Kevin Von Erich, played by Efron in the film, is the only living brother. In 2009, he represented his entire family when they were collectively inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Hall of Fame.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the film’s world premiere in Dallas, Texas in November, Kevin joked that Efron “had a tough job. It’s not easy being me.” An actor playing a wrestler with decades of experience means “a lot to cram into a movie,” he added, “but he pulled it off … he’s a real star.”
Also starring Stanley Simons, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany and Lily James, Iron Claw received excellent reviews, with the National Board of Review naming it one of the 10 best films of 2023 and awarding the cast an award for Best Ensemble. Read on for the stranger-than-fiction story that inspired it.
Who was Fritz Von Erich?
Jack Barton Adkisson Sr., born in Texas in 1929, made a name for himself in the Fritz Von Erich ring in the 1950s as he transitioned from discus and football throwing to playing villains in professional wrestling. Fritz worked his way to a record 20 NWA United States Heavyweight Championship victories in Texas and many other victories in the United States and Japan.
By the 1980s, he had established himself as a promoter and entrepreneur. Fritz owned World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) which broadcast live matches from the Sportatorio in Dallas, Texas.
IN Iron Claw, Fritz is portrayed by McCallany. Tierney plays his wife Doris J. Smith.
(Left to right:) Buddy Marino and Fritz Von Erich wrestle.
Bettmann Archive
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Who were the Von Erich brothers and how did they become popular wrestlers?
Fritz and Doris were married in 1950 and had a total of six children, all sons: Jack Barton Jr., Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris.
Most followed in their father’s footsteps and began honing their stage character in the Sportatorium. As regional wrestling matches became more popular thanks to syndicated television, Kevin, David and Kerry established a dynasty, wrestling each other or against rivals including Ric Flair, Chris Adams and The Fabulous Freebirds.
In the film adaptation, Dickinson plays the second oldest David, while White plays the third oldest Kerry. Simons plays the fourth oldest, Mike, who was reportedly less interested in the family’s wrestling legacy than his brothers. However, he briefly stepped into the ring in the mid-1980s – when tragedy began to strike the Von Erichs.
What is the “Von Erich Curse” and how did each of the brothers die?
Unfortunately, the Von Erichs became as famous for a series of events that occurred outside the spotlight as they were for their victories within it.
Although Kevin grew up as the eldest Von Erich brother, Jack Barton Jr. he was the one who was born first, in 1952. He died in 1959 after a freak accident, he was electrocuted by a live wire and drowned in a puddle of melting snow.
So family loss was no stranger when David was found dead in 1984, at the age of 25, of a ruptured intestine caused by acute enteritis while on tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Zac Efron says he was motivated to make Kevin Von Erich ‘proud’ of him Iron Claw Performance
In 1985, Mike, who started wrestling to fill the void left by David, injured his shoulder during a match in Israel. The resulting operation led to toxic shock syndrome and alleged brain damage. He returned to the ring before dying at the age of 23 from a fatal overdose of tranquilizers in 1987.
Youngest son Chris, who was asthmatic and smaller than all of his brothers, died by suicide in 1991 at the age of 21, reportedly depressed over failure and injuries sustained in the ring.
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“Iron Claw”.
A24
Kerry, who won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship shortly after David’s death and became the family’s most successful wrestler, was involved in a motorcycle accident in 1986 that resulted in the loss of his right foot. The amputation was kept a secret, and Kerry continued to wrestle wearing a prosthetic. In 1993, he died at the age of 33, also by suicide.
“I didn’t just lose my brother, I lost them all,” Kevin said The last of the Von Erichsdocumentary episode The dark side of the ring. “There was talk of a curse on the family. That’s funny. Curse. What happened was just a horrible horrible thing, but no curse.”
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What is Kevin Von Erich up to now?
Kevin, who in addition to being a popular figure in the ring inherited WCCW from his father, married Pamela J. May in 1980. They now live in Hawaii and together have four children – including champion wrestlers Marshall and Ross Von Erich – and 11 grandchildren.
On November 8 in Dallas, the WWE Hall of Famer joined Durkin and crew Iron Claw to celebrate the premiere of the film.
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Kevin Von Erich and Zac Efron at the premiere of “The Iron Claw” on November 8.
Omar Vega/Getty
Is Iron Claw a faithful biopic?
Iron Claw presents important moments in the story of the Von Erichs from the 1960s to the 1980s, except for one major omission: Chris does not appear in the story. Per Entertainment Weeklywriter-director Durkin cut the youngest brother from the script to keep his film’s runtime at a manageable length.
To recreate real-life wrestling matches, Durkin filmed many in one take in front of a live audience, according to EW. Efron, White, Dickinson, Simons and McCallany studied archival footage of the Von Erichs and trained with professional wrestler and stunt coordinator Chavo Guerrero Jr. in order to faithfully act as athletes.
At the film’s premiere in Dallas in November, Kevin revealed to PEOPLE that there are “pain points” when seeing his life story on the big screen. “But there are also beautiful ones. I think they were good to show the love we had for each other and the love I had for my father. It will appear that he was a very difficult man, but he was a difficult man. But then there were many fathers.”
A24 will announce Iron Claw in theaters on December 22.
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