Fritz von Erich

"One of the worst humans to ever exist and probably the worst father ever. Forcing his children to become wrestlers, overworking them, giving them drugs, even selling photos of his kid's dead body just for more money. 5 of his 6 sons died before him because of what he did to them. Iron Claw makes him look like a saint compared to reality. Also the reason the Iron Claw became the name of that movie was because it was the family's finishing move, started by Fritz when he wrestled as a nazi in the 70s due to the iron claw being similar enough to the nazi salute. It's incredible how we pretend we've distanced ourselves from this insanity"

[3.0] "It's really difficult to review Fritz, since he and his family has ingrained themselves into the legacy of professional wrestling, both for the best and the worst reasons. Can't really say much about him as a wrestler, though I will mention his importance in history, as well as the fact he definitely had an aura. Just look at his matches against Giant Baba, and you can hear the entire crowd roar at him, and his business in AJPW was only a positive for everyone involved, same goes for his work in the American territories. He was already a respected legend in the business by the time he pretty much retired. Most people these days, however, know him for his promotion that he ran, and for his sons that he raised and trained. Never forget that WCCW was a legitimate contender when it came to production at the time, during a period in professional wrestling when television broadcast became especially prominent in the industry. Not to mention, one of the classic feuds back in the day, Freebirds vs. Von Erichs, was held in this promotion. His sons were a major backbone to the entire promotion, considering their talent and dedication, and he knew that fully well. That was kind of the problem, however, as he placed so much pressure onto his kids, and he never really treated them as his kids and instead more of a product, that it ultimately led to tragedy down the line. As previously mentioned, the death of David von Erich was a tragedy that isn't anyone's fault at the end of the day, but the actions of Fritz afterwards is wherein lies the problems at hand. Ignoring or brushing aside troubles with the law and substance abuse problems, using any passing or injury of any of his kids as a way to spark interest or gain money, trying twist real world events into kayfabe in a tasteless manner, so on and so forth. Practically forcing Mike von Erich to continue wrestling even after suffering from toxic shock syndrome that should've been the end of his career, only pushing him to suicide due to that inconceivable amount of pressure placed onto him is beyond fucked up. I'm not saying that Fritz is to blame for any of the deaths of any of his kids, but he certainly didn't help any favors. If this was a place to review parenting, Fritz would be significantly lower than he is here. Asides from his inability to an actually good father, he was also unable to change with the times. You can say that the demise of WCCW was to be expected due to the unstoppable rise of the WWF, he didn't really help himself either, practically letting it happen at the end. Granted, he was no Verne Gagne in that department, but he was another case of professional wrestler turned booker that didn't last long in the seat. To summarize, important figure for a variety of reasons, and you can't deny the positive changes he had in the business, but he has a very nasty stain on his reputation that I personally can't ignore."

"Fritz left an indelible mark on the world of professional wrestling through his work as a wrestler, promoter, and patriarch of the famed Von Erich wrestling family. His career as a wrestler was incredibly successful resulting in 16 NWA American Heavyweight Championships, 6 runs as NWA American Tag Team Champion and 3 runs with the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. "The Iron Claw" portrayed him almost as if he was a guy who never made it when that simply wasn't the case. Besides his successes with WCCW, He also had a significant career in Japan, where he became a prominent figure in the Japanese wrestling scene. Wrestling in Japan allowed Fritz to establish a presence in the area, enhancing his status beyond the American territories. He was instrumental in alot of early successes of All Japan Pro Wrestling, his appearances helped establish AJPW as a major promotion in Japan. Fritz's matches against top Japanese stars drew significant attention and helped solidify AJPW's reputation. His rivalry with Giant Baba, in particular, was a major draw. Fritzs success in Japan had reciprocal benefits for both Japanese and American wrestling. His appearances helped AJPW gain credibility and popularity, while his international experience enriched his career back in the United States. This cross-promotional exchange helped foster a more global approach to professional wrestling during that era. Obviously alot can be said about Fritz in regards to his behavior towards his sons, theres no doubt that the abuse he showed towards his sons resulted in 5 of 6 of them dying before their times were up. David died of "acute enteritis" in 1984 then Mike, Chris, and Kerry all ended up dying by suicide all before the age of 34. Then theres the stories of how he attempted to profit off his son's deaths and how he knew David was sick and needed medical attention but sent him to Japan anyway. It's clear Fritz legacy is complex and hard to rate. As a wrestler, promoter, and family patriarch, he played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of professional wrestling. While his career and life were marked by remarkable achievements and innovations, the tragic fate of his sons and the intense pressures they faced add a somber dimension to his story."

[0.0] "I try not to let the personal life of the worker affect my view of their work. His Nazi gimmick was a work, so there's no need to get worked up about it 26 years after his death. However, what happened in the Von Erich family cannot be overlooked. While the death of David was a tragedy nobody could've reasonably prevented, regardless of what the cause was, Fritz was not blameless in the deaths of his other three wrestler sons. By most accounts, he watched their lives spiral out of control and did nothing to stop it. In fact, each new death was treated like an opportunity to pack the Sportatorium to recapture the draw that was the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions. He told Kevin one time that he wasn't man enough to go the way his brothers did. He was a failure of a father to a horrifying degree and that overrides any success he had as a wrestler or a promoter in my eyes."

[0.0] "Ok so when the core of your rating scale is based on "how watchable are they? " and you have only seen about 5 of their matches and all were at the tail end you usually would give them a very low score. But here is a case where those matches pretty much don't count at all because the guy was also the owner of the company. Thus, you would base it on his company overall...sort of. Fritz is the guy that put World Class out of business more than anyone. For every great thing Ken Mantell did, for every pretty darn good thing Gary Hart did - Fritz was there to destroy it. And it didn't just end with those two. Lousy payoffs, over pushing his sons (on & off camera), making an idiot of himself on national television, the whole Mike Von Erich situation altogether. It was easy to not like the man, and he was trying SO HARD to be liked, pretty much demanding it. I think we have a case of a guy who didn't just portray a heel, but WAS a heel. I gotta be honest with myself - he's not just a zero, he's a negative. A black hole that sucked things (including souls) into oblivion."

[10.0] "He was amazing in the ring. Using the claw hold. Was very exciting to watch and played the heel role very well. He is the father of not just the Von Erichs but WCCW in Texas."

[10.0] "A true wrestling legend. The Iron Claw was the first move Texas wrestling fans learn. Dallas wrestling IS the Von Erich Family and the reason is Fritz."