Mike von Erich

[4.0] "I give him a four because of his last name. But he didn't have any of David, Kevin or Kerry's attributable qualities in the ring or on promos. He was a nice guy, but he just didn't have the skills to back him up in the ring."

[2.0] "My 2 is not to be disrespectful. It's "inadequate", as in "I don't want him wrestling". And that's what he wanted too."

[5.0] "Mike Von Erich's legacy is a cautionary tale about the weight of legacy and how wrestling, for all its glory, can chew up people who never asked to be part of it. He was a loyal son, a devoted brother, and someone who tried to live up to a role he didn't choose. Mike Von Erich didn't have the tools or drive to succeed in the ring, but his story deserves empathy, not ridicule. He was a victim of expectation, pushed into a spotlight he never sought, and remembered now as part of one of wrestling's most tragic family sagas."

"I think this is a prime example of someone who is unreviewable. Practically pressured into a position he never wanted to be in, and constantly pushed even with everyone realizing he wasn't as good as his brothers, and even with his injuries eventually leading to literal brain damage. He wasn't good."

[1.0] "In Mike's defense, he did not want to be a wrestler, but chose to step up after David passed away. He was not good in the ring and could barely string two sentences together BEFORE his brain damage. He showed signs of potential, but ultimately didn't live up to it and tragically committed suicide in 1987."

[4.0] "Mike was a member of the Von Erich wrestling family and that's about the only thing he had going for him. Most who knew Mike would say that he didn't have much of an interest in the world of pro wrestling, if he had any at all. Mike was said to be a guy who liked music and liked to play guitar. and if he had any interest in wrestling, it was said he was interested in working behind the scenes. Following the death of his brother, Mike was forced into the business by Fritz. Mike Von Erich's wrestling career was relatively short-lived. He started wrestling in the early 1980s and primarily competed in WCCW. Most of the matches that i've seen involving Mike involved him working with much more seasoned veterans who were able to hide his flaws as a competitor. Despite his limited time in the ring, Mike gained popularity among fans, especially in Texas where the Von Erich family was revered. His youthful energy and connection to the Von Erich legacy endeared him to the audience. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to various factors, including injuries and health issues. In 1985, Mike suffered during a wrestling tour of Israel. He was released from the hospital but later developed Toxic Shock Syndrome which caused significant weight loss and brain damage. As a result of his brain damage, Mike was said to have developed a drastic personality change that involved him attacking parked cars and street lights in fits of anger. This all culminated to where in 1987, at the age of 23, Mike Von Erich took his own life. From the get-go, Mike faced incredible pressure to replace his brother David, despite his lack of ability in the ring, Fritz put incredible pressure on young Mike to live up to what Kevin, Kerry and David were. Unfortunately, Mike became another victim of a business that only knows how to take rather than give."

[4.0] "In some ways Mike von Erich may be one of the most tragic in a family of tragic figures. His potential wasn't bad, and he didn't suffer from the physical limitations that his brother Chris did, but from the beginning of his career he was buried under insurmountable comparisons to his late brother David and expectations - both from his father and from the audience - that he would fulfill David's role in wrestling. And to make matters worse, his heart wasn't in it to begin with; according to many Mike never really wanted to be a wrestler anyway (he reportedly would've rather worked in the TV production side of things, or pursued a completely separate career in music). I wish he would've been able to find his own way in the world."

[4.0] "I learned all that I know about the Von Erichs from a podcast called the Lapsed Fan. They explained Mike's story in grisly detail. If hearing about it wasn't depressing enough, they played a clip of a Mike promo after the toxic shock. The 107-degree fever he endured during his bout with toxic shock, to put it in the most frank terms I'm allowed to, made him mentally disabled from brain damage and it was plain as day. He could barely form a thought. He shouldn't have been wrestling. He should have gone back home and gotten the help he needed. People talk about how Vince McMahon is the biggest scumbag in all of wrestling. He's not a great guy by any means, but at least he didn't push his disabled son until he took his own life. In a way, you could describe his treatment of Chris that way too. And for what? So you can have a pale imitation of his older brother that he looks somewhat like? The only reason Fritz isn't talked about in the same way as Vince is because WWE became the big promotion."

[4.0] "I could write a whole chapter of a book on Mike Von Erich. I always felt so bad for him. the constant comments of "He looks JUST like David! ". & "He wrestles, acts, even looks almost exactly like his late brother David! " fill me with both revilement and a whole tidal wave of sympathy mixed with grief. That is an enormously cruel way to treat another human and it was surely spearheaded by his own father. I wish I had a time machine to travel back and save him - to let him know he doesn't HAVE to be a wrestler, he can do his "music thing" - I would encourage him to move to Los Angeles and sever ties with Fritz, he'd likely still be alive. Not the worst second generation wrestler, his work was passable. He was better than Angelo Mosca Jr by 10 billion miles, he was far and away a more natural than Erik Watts but on the other hand he wasn't that great either. There is no way cagematch could allow me to say all I want to be expressed and it is a difficult situation to rate. If time travel ever becomes a thing, you've already read about one of the lives I would attempt to save. =("

[2.0] "He never wanted to be a wrestler. His Daddy, Fritz wanted to show him off and make him a big shot. Not that big and very lanky. In my opinion he was not that good of a fighter. It is unfortunate that he took his own life because of damage from wrestling. Frtiz pushed that boy way too much."