David Von Erich in CWF

Mike Graham and Charlie Cook are already in the ring waiting for their opponents.  CWF is kicking off a brand new year, 1982 and, just like every Saturday since the summer of 1978, I am there in front of my TV to enjoy the program.

And, here come their opponents now, Dory Funk Jr. and David Von Erich.  What?!  Wait a minute now!    What the heck is David Von Erich doing teaming with Dory Funk Jr.?  Dory is the most hated wrestler in the state of Florida and David Von Erich, well, according to my favorite wrestling magazines, The Wrestler and Pro Wrestling Illustrated; he is part of a very popular and successful wrestling family.  A Von Erich would never team with a Funk.  The families have had some battles but tag team partners?  I don't believe it.  There has to be some sort of mistake.  It is no mistake and by the time the match is over David Von Erich will have fans in Florida cursing his name and the folks in the World Class area scratching their heads.

Late in this tag team match a pier six brawl erupts with all four men are in the ring at the same time.  David ties up Mike Graham in the ropes and then he and Funk deliver a devastating double suplex to Charlie Cook.  Dory continues to beat on Cook outside the ring.  Our attention is now turned to David, who starts taunting Mike who is still caught up in the ropes.  Mike is kicking at Von Erich but to no avail.  David slaps Graham across the face a couple times and then spits on him before running off with Dory to the safety of the dressing room. 

Most CWF fans will agree Mike Graham was not an intense individual behind the microphone.  But, for his promo concerning his first match against Von Erich after their clash on TV, Graham was on fire.  He was deliberate and methodical as he talked about how tall David was but after he broke both his legs we are all the same height lying on our backs in the hospital.  Gordon Solie's comments after Graham was finished only made the whole situation seem that much more serious. 

David actually debuted in December of 1981 in CWF and captured the Southern Heavyweight Championship on December 26^th, defeating Jack Brisco in the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg .  During David's heel tenure in CWF he ran primarily with Dory as well as Terry Funk, Jimmy Garvin and J.J. Dillon. 

I was still puzzled as to why David was a bad guy and how actions were being explained back home.  What I found out later on was that the way it was played out in the World Class area by Bill Mercer and others  was that fans in Florida were bitter over Dallas defeating Tampa 38-0 in the NFC Divisional playoffs in 1981 and that is why they disliked David.   I thought that The Wrestler had a better explanation as to David Von Erich's behavior in the May, 1982 issue.  In an article entitled David Von Erich:  Florida 's Ticking Time Bomb, David states, "When I first came to this state, I expected to be cheered just like I'd been in other areas.  First time I stepped into the ring, I thought the announcer had made some sort of mistake, the way the fans booed me.  Then it hit me, a good lot of years ago, my dad Fritz came into this state with a chip on his shoulder by the name of Eddie Graham.  Well, these here Florida folks liked Graham a lot.  What they didn't like was the way they saw my old man work over Graham, so I guess the memories die hard, don't they?  That's all right, though, if they want to boo me, I'll give 'em reason to boo me."

Further along in the article Fritz said his son's behavior bothered him.  "He's become quite unpredictable, and he doesn't respond to any criticism or questions from me and his brothers."  Kevin and Kerry put the blame on the Funk's bad influence on David.  The story in The Wrestler played up the potential confrontation between the Funks and Von Erich's with David caught in the middle.  "To which side would he owe his allegiance", the article continued, "to his new comrades in Florida , the Funks?  To his family from which he seems to grow ever further?  It is not a dilemma to be taken lightly."

Say what you want about pro wrestling magazines, this story was much more plausible in the eyes of your average wrestling fan.  Yes, the article was a work on a work, but having fans hate a wrestler because of a football game was pushing it.  More...