Jim Cornette on How Fritz Von Erich Went From German Sympathizer To All American
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- Опубліковано 10 чер 2018
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I remember when I found out Dusty Rhodes real name was Virgil Runnels, I cried for a week
I always thought that Kerry looked like John Travolta.
A very close friend of mine, the late Lou Sjoberg, was Fritz's tag team partner years back. He wrestled as Karl Von Shober, and was the other half of the vaunted.... and much despised "The Germans" tag duo. Lou was ok with it, he understood the business quite well, and he also knew that in a lot of cases the Heels got the bigger payouts at the end of a show. I believe they worked for Stu Hart up in Canada frequently back in that era, and were billed as the "Canadian Heavyweight Tag Team Champions". The Adkisson family was basically a dysfunctional mess though, with a lot of that emanating from Fritz himself. He drove the boys maniacally hard and it likely wasn't an accident as to how they turned out. In Lou's case, post wrestling, he became a devout Christian and lived a peaceful life in Northern MN. I was with him the night Fritz's ex-wife, and mother of all of the boys called Lou to inform him that Fritz had passed away. Oddly, there was little reaction as I recall the moment now. Lou passed on in Aug/2003 from complications of Diabetes, and in reading quite a bit of wrestling history, and from being a huge fan myself, there isn't much mention of Lou from what I can find. I believe he should have had a bigger prominence then he has received. I miss my big buddy quite a bit...
I remember when Fritz von Erich became president of the NWA in the mid-70's he introduced himself on a promotional video as Jack Adkisson , aka Fritz von Erich.....also around 1974, I think he was already turned babyface and was working a program against Mad Dog Vachon in the Houston/San Antonio territory....
“Fake Nazi brother” - that’s some quality content.
I seem to remember an old Gary Hart interview somewhere in which he told the story of "stooging off" Fritz' real name and background on TV as a part of the babyface turn.
I just found some World Class Championship wrestling I recorded in Feb of 1985 with Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express. He told Bill Mercer "boy you're slow. I'll bet it takes you an hour and a half to watch 60 minutes."
I'm not sure if this is kayfabe or real life - possibly both- but according to WWE's World Class DVD, Jack Adkisson reinvented himself as Fritz as an act of self-hatred after the (real life) death of his son six year old, Jack Adkisson Junior in 1959. It was supposed to be a slow suicide by proxy - he wanted to get murdered by a mark so he put on the most offensive heel gimmick possible, a Nazi.
@Lloyd Bonafide i did say it was a kayfabe - that was apparently how Kevin & Kerry's old dad's Nazi past was explained away in later years during World Class.
When I was a kid my all time favorite wrestler Roger Kirby started tag teaming with another bleached blonde heel, Rock Hunter. I used to buy Wrestling Review magazine and there was a picture from the Denver territory of Rock Hunter but said his name was Karl Von Brock. Shattered my world. Did that mean Baron Von Rasche might not really be from Stuttgart???
Stuttgart, Ark
Fritz and Waldo both went babyface in '67 when they went to war with Playboy Gary Hart. Waldo later went back to his old ways in other territories
Fritz had a match against Joe Blanchard in 1966 where he's still with Waldo and working as a heel. So he was a heel that long at least. It's on youtube somewhere.
Mark Fentz oh he was a heel past that year at least mid to late 70S I remember
I loved fritz s match with mike & kevin vs freebirds . marc lorence said takin him 2 the woodshed !!!!
Are you Related ?
Gary Hart outed him on TV and said he was not even a real German. That started the face turn.
This
InsideDre Podcast I remember this. I think Phil Hickerson was the heel at the time.
RIP KERRY AN THE REST OF THE VON ERICH FAMILY AN RIP TO ALL THE PASSING WCCW TALENTS AS WELL
#Texas Tornado 🌪
God damn he answered this question again
I remember when Fritz became a good guy wrestler. I was there about 9 yo. We would go to the sportatorium every Wed nite and watch Fritz, Danny McShane, Pepper Gomez and all the others. Remembering back then, they set it up by having a man come from the audience after Fritz's match (which he beat up an opponent and won). This big guy came from the audience and challenged Fritz, saying that he could whip him. Well, they told the man challenging Fritz, that he would have to wrestle another
wrestler first before he could wrestle Fritz. I don't remember who he had to wrestle but when he met the other wrestler, they ganged up on this guy and were beatin the hell out of him. The announcer called for somebody to come help this poor man and stop the beating. Well, wouldn't you know, out of the dressing room came Fritz and saved the man by beating the hell out of the two other men. The crowd went crazy and was cheering Fritz for saving this poor man. From then on Fritz was a good guy began his period as a good guy and the crowds at the Sportatorium loved him from then on. This all happened in about 2 weeks time in Big D. I don't remember the names of the other wrestlers were. I was there and loving every minute of it.
What a great memory. Thanks
Word.
Jim has mentioned pre-blading a couple of times now and while I know what it is and most people can pronably guess, it doesnt seem to be explained on youtube or the first couple of pages of a google search. Closest I found was about how mick foley would hurt himself before a match bit it says he got someone else to hit him. So I have to wonder how common its use is and also think someone should explain the technique for the uninformed
As a little kid, I want to think it all started with his match with Kiniski, on TV Kiniski was made out to be the bad guy from Canada.
I've wondered sometimes, did Waldo ever come to Dallas?
Oh yes, many times in the 60's
You think Brian doesn't like Nazis? Damn.
I remember when I lost my belief the wrestling was real. Danny Davis, referee constantly screwing the British Bulldogs, because he was secretly working for Jimmy Hart. I would yell at the TV when he would count slow on Bret, and fast count on Dynamite, I suddenly realized, "Hey, nobody can be that corrupt ---- Oh My God, he's ACTING!"
For me it was ironically enough the guy most protective of his character... the Undertaker. I could believe something like Big Bubba Rogers becoming the Big Boss Man because evil bodyguard to evil prison guard wasn't that crazy. But seeing Mean Mark Callous suddenly be a supernatural cowboy was too much for my suspension of disbelief.
Me - summer slam where warrior won the ic belt. He slams htm then runs off the wrong ropes for the splash, htm pivots 90 degrees to suit.
@@rahowherox1177 How was Warrior suppose to bounce off the right ropes, with the way HTM lined up Warrior would have had to charge out of the turnbuckle
@@Fiendishfoe666 lol. The warrior as "slammer" can place htm or anyone exactly where is necessary for the perfect splash.... but he doesn't. So htm has to. So... he lines htm up for a turnbuckle splash ... then runs off wrong ropes forcing htm to rotate. However you try to explain it warrior is at fault.
What about the Simpson brothers
Cuz David whooped em all hillbilly style and the Spoiler and Bruiser Brody said so..
The real name vs. professional name makes a lot of sense. When you have wrestlers like "Dick the Bruiser" you can assume that is a nickname of some sort, and that's he's not the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bruiser with a middle name of "the".
But Fritz von Erich is a really tricky one because it isn't just that he has a professional name but he went around dressed like a Nazi. So why is Jack Adkisson doing that? Is he putting on this Nazi persona just to get attention and add a show biz element to his otherwise legitimate professional wrestling? That's pretty classless so why should I cheer for him? And then who is Waldo if "von Erich" is an assumed name? Is this his actual brother who also took on this name and apparently phony Nazi persona?
Professional names and colourful costumes and hairstyles all fit with pro wrestling still looking legitimate but guys switching nationalities makes no sense. Archie Gouldie can be nicknamed the "Stomper" but he's either Mongolian or he isn't. And if he isn't but pretends to be why should anyone accept that but still buy that the wrestling is real when every non-fan has mentioned 1000 times that wrestling is fake and a guy faking his nationality would logically point to the whole thing being fake?
Whatever Fritz came up with worked but his best bet would have been claiming to be of German decent and to throw Waldo under the bus as the relative that wanted to "honour" the family's heritage with the Nazi stuff. Or have some sort of evil Nazi mastermind corrupting him in some way.
jim wants to believe his own kayfabe and that most people actually believed what they were seeing rather than just suspending their disbelief. The ones who actually believed in wrestling were sub intellects and shot their TVs during Maverick
Most people then DID believe. Almost no one was magazine reading smarks.
98% of the crowd back then did believe, you're looking at this through modern day rose colored glasses.
No. I lived through it. I am 68. Neither me or my friends believed it was "real". We enjoyed it for what it was..........
So you and your "friends" count for the entire population?
I'm sure you didn't, I'm also sure your experience counted for the majority. /s that's why no one bought into angles.