Fritz Von Erich

Jack Barton Adkisson was a professional wrestler under the name Fritz Von Erich, better known today as a wrestling promoter and the patriarch of the tragically famous Von Erich wrestling family. Jack Adkisson from http://www. ... Jack Adkisson from http://www. ... ...

Career

Jack attended Southern Methodist University where he threw discuss and played football. He played one season of pro football for the Dallas Texans and then tried the Canadian Football League. While in Edmonton, he met Stu Hart and Hart decided to train and book him in his Klondike Wrestling promotion. By the end of the 1950s, "Fritz" would be a top drawing heel throughout the country due to his large size, ability and interview ability. However, in 1959 his oldest son Jack Jr.died in an electrocution accident and he stopped traveling to the east coast allowing former partner Waldo Von Erich to use the name in WWWF. He had five other sons who eventually wrestled as "Von Erichs," Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris. Southern Methodist University, often known by its abbreviation of SMU, is a private university in University Park, Texas, USA, located in the heart of Dallas. ... Dallas Texans has been the name of various American football teams. ... The Canadian Football League (CFL; French: Ligue Canadienne de Football) is a professional league located entirely in Canada that plays Canadian football. ... More than one place has the name Edmonton. ... Stu Hart Stu Hart, CM (born Stewart Edward Hart on May 3, 1915, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) was a Canadian amateur wrestler, professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. ... // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term electrocution can mean either: death by electric shock, usually by accident or deliberate execution by electric shock, in an electric chair See also: Capital punishment (death penalty) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... ... // World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, is a professional wrestling promotion, currently the largest in North America. ... He was on WWE Homecoming last night, on USA Kevin Ross Adkisson was a professional wrestler. ... David Adkisson David Allen Adkisson was a professional wrestler famous under the name of David Von Erich. ... Kerry Von Erich Kerry Gene Adkisson (born February 3, 1960 in Niagara Falls, New York; died February 18, 1993 in Denton, Texas) was an American professional wrestler under the name Kerry Von Erich, and part of the famous Von Erich wrestling family. ... Mike Von Erich Michael Brent Adkisson (born on March 2, 1964 in Dallas, Texas; died April 12, 1987), was a professional wrestler under the name Mike Von Erich. ... Chris von Erich Chris Adkisson (September 30, 1969 - September 12, 1991) was an American professional wrestler, best known by his stage name of Chris von Erich. ...

His major circuit was Sam Muchnick's NWA stronghold at Saint Louis, Missouri. He was even considered a top contender to be voted NWA World Heavyweight Champion but current champion Lou Thesz was very vocal in his dislike of " gimmick" wrestlers and the board of directors did not want the champion to have an obviously fake stage name. Jack offered to wrestle under his real name when he was up again for a possible title reign in the 1970s but again, the board of directors voted it down. In 1975, Adkisson became president of the NWA eventhough he continued to wrestle in his own promotion, which other members of the board of directors found as a conflict of interest. His time as president was seen as the time when the World Heavyweight Championship was devalued and unity within the NWA was damaged. The National Wrestling Alliance is a group of independent professional wrestling promotions, in operation since 1948. ... Saint Louis (pronounced in English, in French), frequently spelled St. ... National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a wrestling title that was spun off from the first World Title; which tracks its lineage to George Hackenschmidts 1905 title and Frank Gotchs 1908 version. ... Lou Thesz was the stage name of Aloysius Martin Thesz, (April 24, 1916 – April 28, 2002) who was a champion wrestler for 58 years. ... In professional wrestling, a gimmick is slang that refers to a wrestlers on-screen personality. ... A stage name, or a screen name for movie stars, is a pseudonym used by performers and actors. ... This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

Adkisson was a large star in Japan as well and was a major part of rebuilding Japanese wrestling after the stabbing death of Rikidozan. He became a star due to his feud with Antonio Inoki and his "Iron Claw" hold, which became one of the most popular wrestling moves in Japan. Puroresu is an abbreviated term of purofesshonaru resuringu (プロフェッショナル・レスリング[Western-style] professional wrestling in Japanese tongue), made popular among English-speaking fans by Hisaharu Tanabe in early 1990s. ... Rikidozan (Kanji: 力道山) was a professional wrestler, known as the Father of Puroresu and one of the most influential men in wrestling history. ... Antonio Inoki Antonio Inoki, real name Kanji Inoki, (born February 20, 1943) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler who now resides in California. ...

In 1982, he held his first retirement match against King Kong Bundy in the newly renamed World Class Championship Wrestling promotion out of Dallas. The promotion was known for its high production values, use of entrance music and the use of syndication. The promotion was one of the most successful territories with major draws like his sons, the Fabulous Freebirds, Christopher Adams, Gino Hernandez and Rick Rude. By the end of the eighties, the promotion's talent pool was thin and it was eventually merged with Jerry Jarrett's Memphis promotion. 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chris Pallies (b. ... World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), also called the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA), was a popular regional professional wrestling promotion run out of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. ... The Fabulous Freebirds The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team that usually consisted of three wrestlers. ... Christopher Adams Christopher Adams (February 10, 1955 - October 7, 2001) was a professional wrestler, wrestling promoter, trainer and judoka; best known for being the trainer of Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1989. ... Gino Hernandez Gino Hernandez was a professional wrestler. ... Richard Erwin Rood, better known by his stage name of Ravishing Rick Rude (December 7, 1958 - April 20, 1999) was a professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, most notably World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation, in the 1980s and 1990s. ... Jerry W. Jarrett (born September 4, 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American promoter and professional wrestler, and the father of wrestler Jeff Jarrett. ... Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, of which it is the county seat. ...

Within a 10-year span, four of the remaining five Adkisson sons died premature deaths. David died in 1984 under circumstances that are still debated today. Officially, his cause of death was listed as acute gastroenteritis, but many believe that he actually died of a drug overdose. (Ric Flair implies this in his book "To Be The Man", stating that Bruiser Brody destroyed evidence to this effect.) Mike died of a self-inflicted drug overdose in 1987. Chris committed suicide in 1991; Kerry, the most successful in the ring, also committed suicide in 1993 after well-documented substance abuse problems. Kevin is the only survivor of the Adkisson sons. 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ric Flair on WWE Raw. ... Frank Goodish (1946-1988) was a professional wrestler better known in the professional wrestling world as Bruiser Brody. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Adkisson's wife Doris divorced him in 1992 and he died five years later in 1997. 1992 was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Profile

• Height: 6 ft 4 in (1,93 m)
• Weight: 260 lb (118 kg)
• Birthday: August 16, 1929
• Hometown: Dallas, Texas
• Date of Death: September 10, 1997 (Cancer)
• Trained by: Stu Hart
• Professional debut: 1958
• Previous identities: Tetsu no Tsume (Iron Claw), Fritz von Erich
• Finishing/signature move(s): Iron Claw

August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Downtown Dallas City nickname: Big D Location Location in the state of Texas Government Counties Dallas County Collin County Denton County Kaufman County Rockwall County Mayor Laura Miller Physical characteristics Area      Land      Water 385. ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... When normal cells are damaged or old they undergo apoptosis; cancer cells, however, avoid apoptosis. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Championships/accomplishments

National Wrestling Alliance

• 4-time NWA North American Heavyweight Champion (Amarillo version)
• 2-Time NWA World Tag Team Champion (Texas version) (with Killer Karl Kox & Duke Keomuka)
• 1-time NWA World Tag Team Champion (Minneapolis version) (with Hans Hermann)
• 1-time NWA International Tag Team Champion (with Karl Krupp)
• 3-time NWA United States Heavyweight Champion (Detroit version)

The National Wrestling Alliance is a group of independent professional wrestling promotions, in operation since 1948. ... The NWA Texas World Tag Team Championship was the Texas version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles. ... The NWA Minneapolis World Tag Team Championship was the Minneapolis, Minnesota version of the NWA World Tag Team Titles. ... The NWA Detroit United States Heavyweight Championship was a version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Title. ...

American Wrestling Association

• 1-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion

redesigned WWE version of the AWA logo American Wrestling Association was a professional wrestling organization, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ... AWA World Title Belt The AWA World Heavyweight Championship was established in May 1960. ...

World Class Championship Wrestling

• 2-time NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
• 3-time NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion
• 16-time NWA American Heavyweight Champion
• 7-time NWA American Tag Team Champion (with Waldo Von Erich, Billy Red Lyons, Grizzly Smith, Dan Miller and Dean Ho)
• 2-time NWA Texas Tag Team Champion
• 1-time WCCW 6-Man Tag Team Champion (with Kevin & Mike Von Erich)

World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), also called the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA), was a popular regional professional wrestling promotion run out of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. ... The WCCW Texas Heavyweight Championship is a title that has existed since the 1930s and has had several different names. ... The WCWA Heavyweight Championship was the major title in World Class Championship Wrestling. ... The WCWA Tag Team Championship was the major tag team title in World Class Championship Wrestling. ... Waldo Von Erich Walter Sieber worked as a professional wrestler under the name Waldo Von Erich, and was billed as the brother of Fritz Von Erich. ... The WCCW Six-Man Tag Team Championship was a title in World Class Championship Wrestling from 1982 until 1988. ... He was on WWE Homecoming last night, on USA Kevin Ross Adkisson was a professional wrestler. ... Mike Von Erich Michael Brent Adkisson (born on March 2, 1964 in Dallas, Texas; died April 12, 1987), was a professional wrestler under the name Mike Von Erich. ...

Other Titles

• 2-time Omaha World Heavyweight Champion
• 1-time Amarillo International Tag Team Champion
• 3-time Toronto Canadian open Tag Team Champion (with Karl Von Schober twice and Gene Kiniski once)

Gene Kiniski was a professional wrestler. ...

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 207 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.

Hulk Hogan on the cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, November 1994. ...

External Links

• Official Family Site: http://www.vonerich.com/