Texas Stadium and The Von Erichs

Texas Stadium will soon be no longer. The Dallas Cowboys lost their final game at Texas Stadium Saturday to the Baltimore Ravens, as the team will move into a brand new building next season. There have been many fantastic moments at the Stadium; from football to concerts to wrestling. Back in the 1980s, Texas loved three things: the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas the t.v. show and The Von Erichs of World Class Championship Wrestling.

I don’t think I know of a family with a more tragic story then the Von Erichs (real name Adkisson). Fritz Von Erich and his wife lost five of their children! One as a child (Jack) was electrocuted; three committed suicide (Kerry, Chris and Mike); while another (David) died due to reasons still disputed to this day with some saying it was an accidental drug overdose and others saying it was purposeful. There is only one of the boys left and that’s Kevin.

When David Von Erich passed away in 1984, the regional territory that the Von Erichs ran and made famous, World Class Championship Wrestling put on a show at Texas Stadium in memory of David. At that show, Kerry Von Erich defeated Ric Flair for the N.W.A. World Title in front of 40,000 fans.

I’ve only seen that match on replay and indeed there were fans in the audience crying. In a business where so little is authentic, that event and those tears, were so very real.