CWF #25 Page #2

What is more interesting was World Class and the wrestling magazines being silent on a promo that was sent in from Fritz Von Erich along with his sons Kevin and Kerry regarding the upcoming regional NWA World Tag Team tournament that was taking place in Florida.  Ole and Gene Anderson were stripped of their NWA Tag Team Titles and a national tournament was taking place to crown new champions.  As many of you know, the tournament concept never came to full fruition and Ole Anderson and Stan Hansen were awarded the belts later on.  But, Florida did have a tournament to decide on a team to compete in the finals.  David and Kerry were one of the teams in this Florida tourney and the promo I mentioned earlier has Fritz Von Erich making heelish comments as his sons Kevin and Kerry look on with disdain and contempt for all Florida fans to see.

 

This also indirectly ties in with one of the most shocking events of 1982.  David & Kerry Von Erich attempted to come to the aid of their supposed long time archenemy in the World Class area, Nature Boy, Ric Flair! During a CWF TV program, Ric Flair was in the ring, dressed in one of his expensive suits, with a female companion, running Hacksaw Reed down.  Butch came out to confront the NWA World Champion.  Flair and Reed were in the midst of a hot feud with Flair placing a bounty on Reed to eliminate him as a challenger to his NWA Title.

 

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Reed came from the dressing room and entered the ring.  Flair hid behind his lady friend and tried to take a cheap shot at Hacksaw.  Reed proceeded to pummel the World Champion and strip him to his underwear.  Then, as Reed held Flair high above his head in a gorilla press, David and Kerry Von Erich ran to ringside to plead with Reed for Flair's well being.  Reed tossed Flair over the ropes and outside the ring on top of the Von Erich brothers much to the delight of the TV audience.  This, to the best of my knowledge, was the only time that the Von Erich brothers and Ric Flair were ever partners in crime. 

 

David also provided CWF fans with one of the funniest moments during the course of an interview.  Wes Daniel provides the following:  "I know I've mentioned this before, but I will NEVER, EVER forget one interview they (DVE and Funk) were doing together.  The faces they were feuding with had taken to calling Jr. "Squiggy" (after the character in Laverne & Shirley due to his hair) and DVE said, 'Mr. Funk can't help it that he looks like Squiggy!'  If memory serves me correctly" said Daniel, "Jr. looked at him kinda shocked, shook his head and walked off the set.  Funny, classic stuff!!"

 

David Von Erich's relationship with Dory Funk Jr. eventually came to a crashing halt one Saturday on CWF TV.  Jr. sucker punched Von Erich and they went after each other like a couple of pit bulls with the fans siding with David.  David buried the proverbial hatchet with Mike Graham and teamed with him as well as Dusty Rhodes. 

 

David dropped the Southern Heavyweight Title on July 7th, 1982 in Lakeland to Derek Draper.  Soon after that, David was back in Texas competing in the WCCW area on the brink of a classic feud with the Fabulous Freebirds.

 

What I find intriguing is why was David brought in initially as a heel in Florida ?  Did he really have a falling out with his dad in Texas , as some had heard, which led to his extended stay in CWF?  Doubtful.  Was he being groomed as a potential future NWA World Champion?  Possibly. 

 

I think most agree that David was the most talented of his brothers when it came to Professional Wrestling.  No, he was not the most muscular.  No, he was not a high flyer.  But, he did have charisma, he could wrestle and most of all his mic skills were much stronger than his brothers.  Even as a face in Texas , David's promos could be forceful. 

 

His time in Florida exposed him to a third region in the U.S. besides Texas and St. Louis where he was over as a popular face.  That was vital for a possible reign as NWA Champion, to test the waters outside your home base.  Plus, he had his father, Fritz (Jack Adkisson), who was noted to really have pushed and pressured those he could to see one of his sons wear the World Championship belt.  It all makes for wonderful debate, if David was being groomed for a run with the NWA World Title and if he could have been successful.  Great debate you can find on the Message Boards of this wonderful web site. 

 

The next time David Von Erich's name was mentioned by Gordon Solie was on a February 1984 CWF show, and it totally floored me.  Gordon opened the program by sending his condolences to the Von Erich family on the death of David.   I couldn't believe what I just heard.  The Palm Beach Post ran a short piece on the death of David Von Erich shortly after I first heard the news of his passing, including listing his real last name, Adkisson, as well as listing the cause of death as Acute Enteritis, a severe inflammation of the intestines.  I kept that short article for many years.

 

No matter what the real cause of his death may have been, professional wrestling lost a bright, young star when David passed away on February 10th, 1984 in Japan .  It is hard to believe it has been twenty years since his death.  The following saying has been over used many times, but still rings true for David Von Erich, gone but not forgotten. 

 

NEXT MONTH:

 

We take a look at the great Harley Race and some of his memorable clashes in CWF defending his NWA World Championship.

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