Review of Heroes of World Class

Introduction

If it is true that professional wrestling is like theatre, with heroes and villains battling for good and evil, it may then be said that the story of the Von Erich wrestling family is akin to a playwright`s tragedy. Except that sadly, this tragedy was all too real.

In 1958, Jack Adkisson was a 6ft 4", 18st American football player, when a knee injury forced him into retirement. He had played both in the NFL and later in the Canadian CFL, during which stint he met legendary wrestler Stu (father of Bret) Hart. Trained by Hart, Adkisson was reborn as a wrestler, under the guise of Nazi-sympathiser Fritz Von Erich.

It was the beginning of a wrestling legacy.

Adkisson took to the role of Von Erich with ease, such was his natural athleticism and charisma. By the turn of the decade he was the most fearsome heel in all of North America, and even had international notoriety from heavily-publicised bouts with Antonio Inoki in Japan.

But by the time Fritz dropped the heel gimmick in 1967 - after having begun to run his own promotion, World Class Championship Wrestling, in Dallas - the first tragedy had struck the family. Jackie, Fritz`s firstborn, was accidentally electrocuted and killed in 1959.

Fritz went on to raise five other sons in Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike, and Chris, each of whom went to various success as wrestlers in World Class. Between 1982 and 1985, the promotion was the hottest in the wrestling world, and was the forerunner to the internationally televised wrestling of today`s World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In its time, World Class drew consistently better ratings than Saturday Night Live, and the Von Erichs were stars as far away as the Middle East.

Ironically, however, it was during this period of tremendous success than the Von Erich dynasty began to implode.

In February 1984, David Von Erich went on tour to Japan, despite noting that he had stomach pains. He persevered, however, in the knowledge that he was earmarked for a shot at Ric Flair`s NWA Title, and in an attempt to ensure that he did not miss his title shot, he failed to see a doctor. On 10th February, Von Erich was found dead in his hotel room, due to a heart attack brought on by acute enteritis. Had the 26-year-old consulted a doctor, mere antibiotics would have saved him.

A little over a year later, Mike Von Erich, perhaps prematurely pushed into the wrestling business following the death of his brother, badly injured his shoulder whilst wrestling on tour in Israel. Returning to the United States, surgery was required to repair the injury, and although Mike was released shortly thereafter with an all-clear, he was rushed back four days later with a reputed fever of 107 degrees. It was soon revealed that Mike was suffering from Toxic Shock Syndrome. He miraculously survived the ordeal, but his brush with death left physical and mental trauma from which he never recovered. In despair, Mike took a sleeping bag to a desolate spot on 12th April 1987, where he took pills and drank alcohol until he passed out and died. Only a few days after his suicide note was found, was his body discovered.

Chris Von Erich was the youngest of the brothers, and despite his efforts, was the least athletic. This can partially be attributed to the crippling asthma that he suffered in his youth; the steroids that he took to relieve the ailment stunted his growth. Chris persevered due to his love of the sport, but ultimately failed to achieve the popularity that his brothers once had. Depressed, he shot himself in the head on 12th September 1991.

Kerry Von Erich was the most celebrated of all of the brothers, was the most successful, and was even - according in Kevin - his father`s favourite, on account of the fact that Kerry was the baby when Jackie was killed in 1959. Kerry was also the most popular with the fans, who looked up to him as the saviour of World Class from all things nefarious, such was his natural charisma and god-like physique. After the death of David, it was Kerry who celebrated NWA Title glory, defeating Ric Flair on 6th May 1984 at the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions.

The fourth son of Fritz, however, was battling problems with drugs at this time. On 4th June 1986, this led to a motorcycle accident in which Kerry was almost killed. Luckily, he escaped with a dislocated hip and an ankle that had virtually been ripped from the rest of his right leg. Initially, doctors were able to avert amputation, but an over-eager Kerry was so keen to return to performing, that he re-injured the ankle, which then had to be removed. He wore a prosthetic limb from that day forward, unbeknown to fans who were just glad to see him back.

In 1990, by which time World Class was, for all intents and purposes, no more, Kerry joined the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) as "The Texas Tornado". Kerry achieved moderate success, but drugs were becoming ever more present in his life. After being placed on probation in February 1992 for forging prescriptions, Kerry was found with cocaine on his person, and was set to be sent to prison. Terrified of jail time, he borrowed his father`s gun on 17th February 1993, and took his own life.

Still horribly troubled by the death of his sons, Fritz Von Erich died of brain cancer on 10th September 1997. On his deathbed, he told his biographer that if there is one thing he wished he could do, it would be to raise his sons again.

The one remaining Von Erich family member - aside from mother Doris, who divorced Fritz in 1992 - is Kevin. He lives with his wife of 25 years, Pam, and has two daughters, two sons, as well as grandchildren.


"Heroes of World Class: The Story of the Von Erichs and The Rise and Fall of World Class Championship Wrestling", is the inaugural work of wrestling fan Brian Harrison. Using new interview footage from those who were personally involved - including Kevin Von Erich himself - "Heroes of World Class" is a 2 ½ hour look into perhaps the greatest period ever in wrestling history, yet also, unquestionably, the saddest.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen NTSC, and is generally good for a DVD of this genre.

Director Harrison describes the film as being shot on "half a shoestring budget", but although the production values are not quite up there with megabucks WWE releases, this is an excellent-looking independent production.

The new footage was mostly recorded using a MiniDV Digital Camcorder, although some was remarkably captured on Hi8 tape. None of the new material suffers from any form of clarity issue, and indeed the use of such inexpensive equipment gives the production a sense of down-to-earth reality which might have been lost with a technically-perfect capture.

A wealth of World Class archive footage is used throughout the documentary, almost all of which comes from Kevin Von Erich`s library, which he has since sold to the WWE. The footage varies in video quality, from excellent to abysmal. However, the footage in very bad condition is minimal, and can be excused by the fact that some historic moments in World Class history have clearly degenerated in Von Erich`s archive.

If I were to nit-pick in the extreme, I`d suggest that there are some areas in which the editing could have flowed a little more smoothly. However, I point this out for technical reasons only - my enjoyment of this film was in no way spoiled.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is good for a DVD of this genre. Narration is provided by the director himself, although his verbal input is minimal in comparison to the interview time given to the likes of Kevin Von Erich, Gary Hart, David Manning, and Bill Mercer. The audio is always clear and there are no audio-sync issues.

Features

There are no extras on this disc. However, with the main feature running over 2 1/2 hours, this can be somewhat overlooked.

Conclusion

"Heroes of World Class" is a film that was 3 ½ years in the making, edited down from around 70 hours of combined new and archive footage into a 2 ½ hour package.

And it is fantastic.

The story of World Class, and moreso the Von Erich family, is one that has been considered for made-for-television movies for many years. On every previous occasion, Kevin Von Erich has rebuked the offer to tell all the old stories one more time, but here he delves deep into his heart to share the soaring highs and the depressive lows. He comes across as a wonderful man, still in a lot of pain.

Of other many other interviewees, television announcer Bill Mercer, manager/booker Gary Hart and referee/booker David Manning provide the most telling stories, many of which are heart-wrenching in the least. Gary Hart`s sorrow at failing to aid his friend (and Englishman) Chris Adams in particular is heartfelt, especially coming from a man who made a living playing the role of the cowardly, conniving, bad-guy.

Overall, the film is as engrossing as it is comprehensive. Events are dealt with chronologically and almost in chapter form, and with so many stories being told, "Heroes of World Class" has the depth of a non-fiction book, but with the images to back it up. Few of these are more poignant than the film`s final scenes, where Kevin Von Erich visits the now-dilapidated Dallas Sportatorium, the scene of so many Von Erich triumphs.

I`ve seen many documentaries in my time, and even a couple of good ones on professional wrestling. But this film captures something that hasn`t been captured before; professional wrestling at its most exciting and intense, from a time when people still believed in their wrestlers as heroes.

Recently, I said that if you purchase one wrestling DVD this year, make it Wrestlemania 22. I`d like to recant. If you are a fan of professional wrestling, and not just the WWE, "Heroes of World Class" is a required viewing.