From the Favorites Shelf: "Heroes of World Class"

by Jeff McGinnis, Lead Usher

160 minutes, now available on DVD

"Once...I had five brothers. Now, I'm not even a brother." - Kevin "Von Erich" Adkisson, quoted by David Manning

"Heroes of World Class" is a film that begins in triumph and ends in tragedy. Not an uncommon theme in the cinema, and when you add in the fact that its subject is professional wrestling, it sadly becomes even more common. But the tale it has to tell is one of the most shattering heartbreak imaginable, and includes more astounding twists of fate than even the most sadistic screenwriter could ever possibly invent. And yet, there is also triumph to be found here, in the form of one man: Kevin Adkisson, who wrestled under the name Kevin Von Erich, and who watched as all other members of his family departed, many of them by their own hand.

And yet Kevin still remains, has a loving family of his own, and seems happy and emotionally healthy. When he speaks, it is with a homespun level of insight that we suspect has helped him through some of the most emotionally scarring events it is possible for one man to go through. At one point, Kevin's father, himself suffering from brain cancer, told him, "You'd kill yourself, too, if you had the guts." Kevin responded, "No, Dad, it takes guts to stay here. Killing myself would be the easy way out."

The full title of the movie is, "Heroes of World Class: The Story of the Von Erichs and the Rise and Fall of World Class Championship Wrestling." You have almost certainly never heard of it (the film has never been released theatrically and is only available on DVD), and if you are not a wrestling fan, you almost certainly have no interest in seeing it. But I hope with this article I can convince a few non-wrestling fans to give it a look, as not only is it easily the best wrestling documentary ever made, but it contains a great deal that is genuinely involving and moving for general audiences. Its subject may be wrestling, but its themes and story are universal.

The film begins in the early 1980s, with Jack Adkisson, who wrestled under the name Fritz Von Erich, running a regional wrestling promotion out of his hometown of Dallas, Texas. Expanding their television coverage to include another program, one which would be aired around the world in syndication, this small promotion quickly grew to be the talk of the wrestling world, and revolutionized the business in ways that still are felt today. The film talks to many of the announcers, writers and on-air talent from the era, who paint a portrait of how exciting it was to build such an innovative product from the ground up.

The stars of the show, though, were Jack's sons, who all wrestled under the name "Von Erich": Kevin, David, Kerry, and, later, Mike. They were the complete opposite of what had worked in wrestling before: Instead of older veterans who were slow and hard-hitting, they were young, good looking boys whose charisma and talent drew not only the traditional wrestling audience, but also younger fans. The kind of kids who before would be going to the movies or the clubs on Friday nights were now, instead, watching wrestling. Along with the exploding television ratings, the future looked amazingly bright for the local company which was running out of the grubby Sportatorium in downtown Dallas.

And then it all began to come down, slowly at first, and then in a startling deluge. In 1984, David Von Erich passed away while touring Japan, apparently of an intestinal ailment. Then, Mike Von Erich, suffering from a shoulder injury, contracts a case of Toxic Shock Syndrome, from which he amazingly recovers, but which clearly leaves its mark on his mental faculties. (In an eerie juxtaposition, we see footage from just before his hospitalization, and then at a press conference just after, and he looks like a completely different individual from one moment to the next.) Kerry is involved in a motorcycle accident and has to have a foot amputated. The youngest son, Chris, has his growth stunted by asthma medication at a young age, and is heartbroken over his inability to follow in the family footsteps.

All these events are seemingly aggravated by father Fritz, who apparently insists upon pushing his young sons back into the ring well before it was healthy for them to be doing so. In many ways, Fritz (who passed away in 1997) remains an enigma in the film, as those around the company paint a picture of the man that is both endearing and infuriating. Kevin insists his father loved them all (though it was apparent who were his favorites), but why would a loving father push his own sons so hard at the apparent expense of their own mental health? The movie does not presume to answer these kinds of questions, and the choices Fritz makes remain as mysterious as the man himself.

More tragedy follows, leading to the downfall of World Class as a promotion and the virtual collapse of the Von Erich family as a whole. The sadness connected to World Class is not just limited to the family, though - toward the end of the film, the names of over 20 wrestlers who worked for the company are flashed on the screen, all of whom have passed away, many of them long before their time. Suicides. Murders. Heart failures. Plane crashes. AIDS. Wrestling has had more than its share of death in the past few years, but for so many connected to one small company to have left us, so early in their lives, really underscores the misfortunes of the company in general, and the Von Erichs in particular.

But Kevin remains, the last of his family, and bears the weight of the legacy on his shoulders with a remarkable level of grace and dignity, under circumstances which many (including many in his own family) might find unbearable. He is amazingly open and honest in his interviews for the film, climaxing in an amazing sequence where, as the Sportatorium is being torn down all around them, Kevin and the director tour the old arena one last time.

The film focuses much - maybe too much - on World Class’s in-ring product, particularly in the first hour, but that is understandable, and also gives viewers who weren’t fans of World Class a chance to sample what the product was all about. Brian Harrison, the director, was a fan of the company as a child, and it is apparent that the movie is a labor of love, made practically on a shoestring. The video quality of the archival footage is often poor, but is probably as good as can be found, given its age. The film’s interviews are shot on what appear to be standard television cameras, and overall the film can’t hold a candle to the slick production values that come out of WWE’s DVD factory.

But for all that is lacking on the production side, the movie has a genuinely fascinating and moving story, told with passion and care. It is superficially a snapshot of a bygone era of wrestling history, but deeper it is a tale about loss and rebirth. We all face tragedy and loss in our lives, and it is how we deal with it that helps us define who we are. Toward the film’s end, we see Kevin and his young sons playing on the field at Texas Stadium, where the Von Erichs once performed in triumph in front of thousands of fans. The crowds may have faded, but after facing unimaginable personal hardships and coming out the other side with such a beautiful family by his side, there is still amazing triumph to be found in Kevin’s life. This is a remarkable film.

“Heroes of World Class” is available at Amazon.com for $14.99, and can also be found at Best Buy and other retailers nationwide.