True Action: The Iron Claw
By the time my professional wrestling fandom began in 1985, the Von Erich Dynasty was already on the decline. Thanks to ESPN and their Legends of World Class series that began airing weekday afternoons in 1988, I was able to catch up on the red hot years of World Class Championship Wrestling. I would flip ESPN on as soon as I got home from school to witness the rockstar like reactions that Kevin, Kerry and David Von Erich received from the raucous crowd at the world famous Sportatorium in Dallas as they battled the likes of The Fabulous Freebirds, Devastation Incorporated, Gino Hernandez and Chris Adams.
As time went on, I became more aware of the inner workings of professional wrestling and began reading about the behind the scenes stories. Some of the most fascinating (and heartbreaking) stories involved the Von Erich family and it is bringing those stories to life where 2023’s The Iron Claw really shines.
The Movie
The Iron Claw focuses on the only surviving Von Erich brother, Kevin (played by Zac Efron). Kevin was the first to follow in his father Fritz Von Erich’s pro wrestling footsteps. To say Fritz was a domineering dad would be an understatement… his dreams of wrestling greatness became his boys’ dreams and Fritz wasn’t going to stop until those dreams came true. I marveled at Holt McCallany’s portrayal of Fritz, it was obvious to me that he did his research on the character as he perfectly captured Fritz’s quirks and mannerisms.
We also get to see Kevin fall in love with the woman he would go on to marry (and remain married to to this very day) an aspect of Kevin’s life that didn’t get talked about in the various documentaries covering the triumphs and tragedies of the Von Erich Clan. Props to Zac Efron for doing most of the heavy lifting in the movie, as we see Kevin have to deal with a father he seemingly can never please, a mother who is in denial, the deaths of his brothers and pushing away the woman who loves him and his own children as he fears the fabled “Von Erich Curse” may really be a thing.
The Action
While The Iron Claw focuses on the Von Erich family drama first and foremost, you can’t tell the tale of the Von Erich boys without some in-ring action! The Iron Claw does a great job in that regard thanks to a cast that was dedicated to doing it right and to the best of their abilities. Based on a recent interview, it would seem that Jeremy Allen White, who played Kerry Von Erich in the movie, grasped the concept of professional wrestling more than some actual current day pro wrestlers and that is thanks to the expertise of Chavo Guerrero Jr. Chavo served as the stunt coordinator for all the in-ring action (and got to work with Zac’s Kevin as The Sheik). The inclusion of “Tom Sawyer” by Rush for the wrestling action/training montage was perfect and I felt an electricity in the air. Seeing it on the big screen made me feel like I was transported to the Sportatorium in the 1980s (fortunately there were no rats running across the floor). And speaking of the Sportatorium, that exterior shot of the building was spot on. Not spot on was the guy who played Ric Flair in the movie… he was awful.
The True Story
The biggest omission in the movie was that of the Fritz and Doris Von Erich’s youngest son, Chris, who also met a tragic demise. In The Iron Claw universe he simply does not exist. Maybe they believed the movie had enough tragedy… There is also a big time jump, with Kerry’s big NWA World Title win in May of 1984 dedicated to his brother David, followed immediately by Kerry’s motorcycle accident from June of 1986 that ultimately led to Kerry’s right foot being amputated. Considering they had just north of two hours to tell a story that was more than a decade long, tinkering with the timeline was kind of expected. Honestly, you would need a Sopranos like series with multiple seasons to properly tell the story of The Von Erich family in full detail… The Lance Von Erich character, played by current AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman (who also received an Executive Producer credit), does appear briefly in the film during one of the wrestling sequences. Although the fact that he is Lance is never even mentioned. For those who aren’t wrestling nerds, “Lance Von Erich” was brought in as a cousin of Kerry and Kevin to help them in their battles with the Fabulous Freebirds since David had passed away and Mike was on the disabled list. Lance and Fritz would ultimately have a falling out, which led to Fritz going on WCCW television and admitting that Lance was not really a Von Erich… something most of the fan base knew already.
The Verdict
A24 did a good job balancing the story that was being told in The Iron Claw to appeal to wrestling fans and non-wrestling fans alike. Wrestling historians will likely have a lot to complain about and as a longtime fan, I can see that… but I can also see the value in having a movie about one of the most famous families in wrestling history in theaters from coast to coast. Especially a movie that treats professional wrestling and the athletes involved with nothing but respect.
