The Von Erichs: A Look Into One of Sports’ Most Tragic Families
By the time of his death in 1997, the family’s patriarch had already lost five of his six children. Three of whom took their own lives.
The Von Erichs were at one time one of professional wrestling’s preeminent families. Unfortunately, for every triumph they achieved in the fictional world they controlled, real tragedy was soon to follow.
Although there has been no one root cause for this family’s numerous tragedies, many have chalked it up to the following factors: sibling rivalry, the general dangers of the business they were in and the pressure imposed by a domineering father.
More sensational viewpoints have also often claimed that the family were victims of some sort of curse with comparisons often being drawn to The Kennedy Family. Perhaps a deeper look into each of the Von Erichs may give us a better understanding as to each of their own individual struggles and allow us to see if they are indeed truly tied by a common factor.
Having recently been made the subject of a film titled The Iron Claw, let us take a look at the triumphs and tribulations of one of sports’ most tragic families.
