Illegal Foreign Object

On June 18, 1983, the legendary Kerry Von Erich married Catherine Murray. The couple spent their honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, then returned to Dallas where Kerry wrestled “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin and Michael “P.S.” Hayes on back-to-back nights. While clearing U.S. Customs, agents found 18 unmarked pills in Kerry’s pants pockets during a routine check. An additional search uncovered 300 more pills, 10 grams of marijuana, and 6 ½ grams of an undetermined “blue and white powder” in the crotch of his pants. Officers arrested Kerry and took him to a local jail (where every bit of evidence against him miraculously disappeared).

Eighteen months later, with no evidence to prosecute, all charges against Kerry were dropped.

Having built his family up on the foundation of “God, country, and family values” in the eyes of the public, Fritz Von Erich wouldn’t let anything get in the way of the family business, much less a silly drug bust.

Kerry escaped prosecution, but it was the first sign that all was not well in Von Erich Camelot. Within four years, it had all fallen apart.

In the early-to-mid-’80s, the only thing in North Texas that topped the unbridled love for the Von Erichs was the collective adoration for the 2-time Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys. By the end of 1983, though, after losing three consecutive games (including a Wildcard Playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams), the shine was off the Cowboys’ star. The finish to the season signaled the end of an almost 2-decade run of NFL dominance. Dallas is a front-running town — there’s no such thing as a “lovable loser” in DFW. It needed a new winner, and North Texas hitched its collective wagon to the Von Erichs. The family patriarch, Fritz Von Erich, was happy to oblige.

Pushing his kids David, Kevin, and Kerry to rock star status in North Texas, Fritz’s wrestling territory (with plenty of help from The Fabulous Freebirds) exploded. The Von Erich boys didn’t go anywhere without being mobbed. Mall and amusement park appearances had to be shut down by the police because of the sheer mass of fans hoping to get a glimpse of the brothers. “The public saw these kids grow up,” said Freebird Michael Hayes, “and they were over like Rover.” The Von Erichs ate it up; they had a free pass just about anywhere in the DFW area (and took advantage of every last perk). With Fritz eyeing an NWA Worlds Title run for David, a fourth Von Erich brother was brought into the family business.

One can’t help but wonder if Mike Von Erich should have ever even become a professional wrestler. He was quieter than his older brothers, more like his mom than his dad. Kerry had the looks of a Greek god, David had the charisma and smarts, and Kevin had the boyish charm and athleticism. Mike was more reserved, quieter, and not nearly as big or athletic.

Michael Brett Adkisson, better known to the wrestling world as Mike Von Erich, debuted in May ’83 at 19, wrestling in a 6-man Tag Match with brothers Kerry and Kevin against the hated Fabulous Freebirds. Six months later, at World Class Championship Wrestling’s Star Wars Thanksgiving show, he debuted as a singles wrestler before a sellout Reunion Arena crowd of 19,200 people. That night, Mike defeated Skandor Akbar, the manager of Devastation Incorporated. It may have been one of the last times he felt like Michael Adkisson.

With David earmarked as a possible future NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, Fritz needed Mike to step in and, in effect, take his place. The Von Erichs wrestled a ton of 6-man Tag Matches — they also covered the massive Texas territory (which Fritz ran out of Dallas) while making frequent trips to Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Florida. If Fritz was to position nationally, he needed a third brother to keep the wheels turning locally. Unfortunately, less than two months later, everything would take a decided change for the worse.

David Von Erich had been complaining of stomach pain. He also had a trip to Japan that he couldn’t miss. The last thing the National Wrestling Alliance wanted to have in a champion was a guy who didn’t make his dates. “He told me he didn’t feel like going,” said Fritz, “but he said, ’Dad, when I get there, I’ll be okay.’ I said, ’David, that’s the way it is, son. You’ve got a contract. Those people over there have sold out a building to see a Von Erich.’ And he said, ’Dad, I’m going.’”

David traveled to Japan despite Kevin Von Erich asking his younger brother to reconsider. It was the last time David’s family saw him alive. According to the Consular Report of Death provided by the U.S. Embassy in Japan, the cause of death was acute enteritis, a rupturing of the intestines. Locker room chatter chalked it up to a drug overdose — Ric Flair said when Bruiser Brody went into David’s room and discovered him dead, he flushed all his pills down the toilet to protect the Von Erich name and business back home.

“Had David not died in Tokyo,” said Michael Hayes, “he would have been the next NWA Champion.”

On February 15th, 1984, David Von Erich was laid to rest. An estimated 5,000 people turned out to say their goodbyes. It remains one of the largest funeral gatherings in the history of the Metroplex.

Less than three months later, on May 8, 1984, before 41,000 raucous fans in Texas Stadium, Kerry won the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship from “Nature Boy” Ric Flair on the David Von Erich Memorial Show. “David was right there next to me,” said Kerry. It was a ‘feel good’ wrestling moment the family would never again celebrate. Just 19 days later, Kerry lost the title to Flair in Japan. With whispers surrounding David’s death, Kerry’s narrow escape from the possibility of a federal drug conviction, and the belief that Fritz slotted the strength of his territory ahead of the health of his boys (all of whom were considered undisciplined kids), those inside the NWA weren’t interested in an extended Von Erich run with the world title.

With his oldest boy gone, Fritz doubled down on that “old-time religion”, bringing in Gary Holder, a minister who would come to be known as the official World Class chaplain. Perhaps Fritz’s intent was pure of heart — maybe it was a last-ditch effort to salvage whatever perceived purity the Von Erich family retained in the hearts and minds of the viewing public.

Fritz also began pushing Mike, who was 20 years old and tasked with giving the promotion a much-needed shot in the arm. Unfortunately, Mike couldn’t carry the load heaped upon him by his father. Though billed as 220 pounds, Mike weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 pounds. He reportedly used dangerous amounts of steroids to add size to a frame not meant to carry the same mass as his brothers.

Multiple victories over The Fabulous Freebirds, “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts, some of the best heels of the era, were meant to push Mike up to the same level as his brothers, but not even an NWA American Heavyweight Title win over Gino Hernandez could cover up that Mike didn’t possess the same talent and skill as his older brothers. It weighed on him, and he responded by acting increasingly erratic, dabbling in pharmaceuticals until it became a full-on downward spiral into a dark addiction to prescription pain pills.

Seemingly hell-bent on self-destruction, Mike’s personality underwent a complete change. Once shy and kind, he became violent and out of control. In May ‘85, he was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault against Dr. Timothy Shepherd after an altercation in the First Texas Medical Center emergency room in Lewisville, TX. A Denton County judge acquitted him of both charges. The power of Fritz had struck again.

A chronic arm issue reared its ugly head in Tel Aviv in August ’85, after Mike took a nasty fall in the ring and dislocated his shoulder. He had surgery on the shoulder back in Dallas, but a terrible fever (ranging from 105 °F to 107 °F, depending on who you ask), diagnosed as a blood infection called toxic shock syndrome, attacked his body. At one point, doctors at Baylor Medical Center weren’t sure he’d live through the night — the hospital received an outpouring of well-wishes from concerned fans. Despite going into kidney failure, Mike pulled through, but not without irreparable damage to both his body and brain.

Undoubtedly happy to still have his son (but with a business to run), Fritz wasted no time marketing Mike as “The Living Miracle”, and said he would return to the ring better than ever and win the world title for all his adoring fans. Fritz brought Mike out during WCCW’s October Cotton Bowl show to wave to roughly 25,000 fans. Having lost around 40 pounds and still suffering from the damage to his brain, Mike looked ghostly. Dave Meltzer called it, “The most disgusting promotional stunt of the year — there’s almost nothing about pro wrestling that outrages me, except for the Von Erichs.”

Fritz brought in Pacific Northwest Champion Ricky Vaughn to take Mike’s place while he rehabbed. Billed as Lance Von Erich, the son of Waldo Von Erich and a cousin of the brothers, Vaughn failed to get over with the increasingly skeptical fanbase. The move proved to be Fritz’s Waterloo — once the fans learned Lance’s real name, they felt deceived. Fritz’s business crumbled.

The added pressure to return to the ring sent Mike deeper into depression. One month after the Cotton Bowl show, he totaled his car on Highway 121 in Lewisville, escaping with minor head injuries. Six months later, in May ‘86, he was arrested in Fort Worth and spent the night in jail after being charged with being drunk and disorderly.

Throughout it all, Fritz ignored the signs. Instead, he planned a television special to reintroduce the Von Erichs to the local fanbase. More importantly, the special would showcase Mike’s comeback effort. Unfortunately, after spending an hour trying to get a coherent interview from Mike, the crew gave up on filming him. As the crew packed up, Mike apparently walked over to a friend in the gym where they were filming and began loudly re-living the details of an apparent gang bang they’d participated in the night before. Mike Von Erich was spiraling.

When he returned to the ring in June of ‘86, all the good vibes were gone from the Sportatorium. Gino Hernandez had died from a drug overdose in February. That same month, World Class withdrew from the National Wrestling Alliance after being told the NWA Champion would no longer make regular trips to Dallas. Additionally, Kerry had just had a terrible motorcycle accident that led to the amputation of half his foot. Lastly, “Gentleman” Chris Adams, then a top babyface and contender for the World Class Heavyweight Title, verbally assaulted a flight attendant and headbutted the co-pilot of an American Airlines flight while flying back to Dallas from Puerto Rico. Adams was drunk and became enraged when told no more liquor would be sold on the flight. Kevin Von Erich had to restrain him after the incident. Five days later, Adams defeated Rick Rude for the World Class Heavyweight Title, but on September 17th, one day after being convicted of misdemeanor assault, Adams was forced to relinquish the championship. A little over a month later, he was sentenced to 90 days in jail and fined $500.

Events that routinely drew four thousand fans were now drawing one thousand. The Texas oil business entered into a recession, which played a role in the drop in attendance, but many believe the loss of faith in the Von Erichs kept fans from going to the shows.

Regardless of the reasons, Mike took the drop in attendance personally and processed the pain through more run-ins with the law. “I think he always felt a lot more pressure on him — being in a family of overachievers,” said Kerry. “Here he was, with three older brothers who were never happy unless they did their best. Mike was thrown into that life in an awful hurry.” In February ‘87, he paid a $900 fine to a Fort Worth man after kicking in his car door. Two months later, on April 11, 1987, Mike was pulled over by police after driving erratically on Highway 377. A small quantity of marijuana and two prescription bottles containing 78 pills, including barbiturates, anxiety meds, and painkillers, were found in his car.

Mike attempted to bribe the officer and then agreed to take a blood test. Though his blood-alcohol level of .05 percent was well under the legal limit of .10 percent, the 30 mg/L of ethchlorvynol (Placidyl), 1.1 mg/L of butalbital (a barbiturate), and 0.26 mg/L of diazepam (Valium) found in his system forced police to take Mike to the Denton County jail.

A family attorney posted the $3,500 bond for drunk driving and possession of controlled substances. That is the last time anyone would see Mike alive. Unable to reach him for several days, officials entered his apartment and found two notes. One read, “PLEASE UNDERSTAND I’M A FUCK-UP! I’M SORRY.” The other note said, “I love U Kerry, Kevin & your families”.

Despite the letters, despite Mike’s abandoned car at the entrance of a park near Lewisville Lake, despite a third note inside the car that read, “Mom and Dad, I’m in a better place. I’ll be watching,” Fritz went into damage control, telling fans he suspected “foul play”. Hours after his statement, an officer and his K-9 dog located Mike’s body in a sleeping bag in a heavily wooded area. Justice of the Peace Hubert Cunningham described the scene as “very peaceful”. An autopsy revealed the official cause of death: acute Placidyl intoxication.

Mike Von Erich was just 23 years old.

Pinning everything that transpired on Fritz is unfair, but he deserves a share of the blame. Still, he went to his grave making excuses (at least publicly). When asked in a D Magazine interview whether he believed he’d been too hard on his kids, Fritz responded in typically Fritz fashion. “Absolutely hell no,” he said. “One time Kerry yelled at me that he shouldn’t get a beating, so I tore his butt off even harder.” Kerry Von Erich turned a pistol on himself at the age of 33.

As tough as Fritz was on his kids, those around him say he loved them just as intensely. Still, had Mike Von Erich gone into any other walk of life besides pro wrestling, might Kevin, the lone surviving member of the family, still have at least one brother left with whom to share the memories of so many crazy times?