Today in Wrestling History (May 6)

[Guest TSMAdmin]

Today in Wrestling History (May 6)

by Jared "JHawk" Hawkins

 

It's been very hard to be a child of the 1980s if you're a wrestling fan. So many of those who were our heroes keep passing away at young ages. Curt Hennig. Miss Elizabeth. Hell, I received word shortly after Raw went off the air that The Iron Sheik's daughter was killed by her boyfriend. It's just been that bad an era for old school fans. But every so often, those that live through tragedy are rewarded for their efforts. Such was the case 19 years ago today in Texas Stadium.

 

The story so far: By all accounts, David Von Erich was to be the next NWA World Heavyweight Champion. The oldest son of Texas legend Fritz Von Erich, David's reign was to begin what was thought to be the beginning of a glorious family dynasty. After all, all of Fritz's sons were treated like Gods in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Even the ones who hadn't yet proven themselves. How much of that was their charm, talent, and charisma and how much of that was because Fritz was the promoter of World Class Championship Wrestling is always going to be open for debate.

 

The story was put into motion at the Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas in January of 1984. Another of Fritz's sons, the green Mike Von Erich, was to face then-NWA World Champion Ric Flair. The stipulation: If Mike lasted the entire 10 minute time limit, then David would receive a shot at Flair for the title. Well, Mike not only lasted the time limit, but he came less than half a second away from pinning Flair on several occasions.

 

But things changed for the worst on February 10. David Von Erich was found dead in his Tokyo hotel room during a tour of Japan. The official cause was "acute enteritis", a severe inflammation of the intestines, but some claim to this day that this was a cover-up for a drug overdose.

 

Shortly afterwards, NWA representatives allowed Fritz to place one of his other sons into the title match with Flair. The nod went to Kerry Von Erich, and it was scheduled to take place at Texas Stadium on a show dedicated to the memory of the recently deceased David Von Erich.

 

Without any further ado... May 6, 1984. The First Annual David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions. Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. Please note: I don't believe this is the complete match, as this is off of World Class TV. This tape courtesy of John McAdam.

 

Your lone broadcaster is Marc Lowrance.

 

One fall with no time limit for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (champion) vs. "The Modern Day Warrior" Kerry Von Erich -- if Flair is disqualifed, Kerry wins the title

 

Referee David Manning shows the 41,000 plus the belt, and there's the bell. Wrestling sequence to start, but no advantage for either man. Another wrestling sequence initiated by Flair, but he can't grab hold of Kerry. Lockup, Kerry with a headlock. Off the ropes, shoulderblock. Flair off the ropes, two dropkicks by Kerry, and Flair begs off. Lockup, headlock, Flair tries to get out of it with a top wristlock, but Kerry reverses it and hangs onto an armbar. Turning it into a wristlock. Back to an armbar. Flair backs him into a corner...shoulderblocks by the champion. Chops. Kerry comes back with some punches and hiptosses Flair down. Military press slam, and Flair begs off. Flair rolls to the outside for a Tastykake break. Flair back in, but Kerry continues the assault. Flair regains the advantage and punches away at the challenger. One shot sends Von Erich to the floor, but Kerry quickly to the apron. Shoulderblock, sunset flip for 2, and Flair quickly in control...but Kerry quickly reverses things with a sleeperhold. Flair turns and breaks it with a backdrop suplex. Both men to their feet, and Flair chops away. Snap mare. Kneedrop. A series of punches. Vertical suplex for 2. Kerry comes back with a dropkick, but Flair recovers and hits an elbow. Kerry into an abdominal stretch. Flair breaks it with a hiptoss. Kerry quickly back up and hitting a series of kneedrops. Flair with a knee to the midsection. Flair off the ropes, but he walks right into the Iron Claw. Flair breaks it with a knee to the midsection. Snap mare, and Flair up top, but he's playing the heel and thus gets slammed off the top. Flair begs off, but Kerry doesn't slow down. Corner whip, Flair upside down but staying in the ring. Flair gets a punch in. Snap mare. Flair goes the figure-four, but Kerry avoids it twice. Flair into the ropes. He blocks a hiptoss, Kerry blocks one too, and Kerry turns it into a backslide for the pin and the title in 10:43 aired. The crowd goes WILD, and you simply don't hear emotion like that anymore in professional wrestling. The entire face locker room comes out for the celebration. Flair comes over to the crowd and tells Kerry he'll be back, and Kerry says "You got it baby."

 

A fairly solid match, but what we saw here saw Flair with less than 50% of the offense, and Kerry really should have been in more trouble than this, if only to make the finish seem even more special. Still, Kerry was above average at this point, and it's mid-80s Flair, so *** based on what's here.

 

Aftermath: The celebration, unfortunately for the Von Erich family, was short-lived. Kerry's reign lasted just 18 days, as Flair defeated Kerry in Japan to regain the title. And sadly, that was the top of the mountain for the entire family, as things snowballed from there. Mike Von Erich battled with toxic shock syndrome in 1985, but made a huge comeback...only to die of a drug overdose in 1987. Fritz's youngest son, Chris Von Erich, was the one son who most wanted to fill his father's shoes...but he never gained enough weight to be credible against anybody except managers. He committed suicide in 1991. Kerry, the most famous and successful of Fritz's sons, committed suicide after being arrested for forging drug prescriptions in 1993. And then Fritz died of cancer in 1997, shortly after the divorce with his wife was finalized. Only Kevin Von Erich has been able to survive the family curse.

 

But for one fleeting moment, the message seemed clear...if you keep your faith, you can accomplish anything.

 

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