Kevin Von Erich Talks Losing His Brothers To Suicide, His Sons Entering The Business
The legendary Von Erich Family was recently featured on a Viceland episode of Dark Side of the Ring. The "Last of the Von Erichs" episose referred to Kevin Von Erich who is the last surviving member of the family after his brothers untimely deaths.
Kevin revealed what he thought of the episode when he spoke to Wrestling Inc. on our WINCLY podcast.
"I'm just hoping that it helped somebody; it came out well. It could be easy to think my father was a big, mean, tough guy that forced his kids to wrestle but that wasn't the case. My dad was an honorable, good man," said Von Erich. "There are things that would make people think otherwise but he had brain cancer at the time so I give him a pass. Any my mother, she lost those sons so how can you blame her for her behavior?"
Three of Kevin's brothers ended up committing suicide, which was discussed at length in the show. He said he hoped it opened people's eyes and helped them realize that taking your own life is not the way to go.
"If someone else can benefit from it and realize, don't commit suicide. There is never a reason to commit suicide. There is such a thing as a devil and he wants you dead. Don't listen to that crap and don't entertain those stupid thoughts," stated Von Erich.
"Don't be a loser. Be a winner and fight. If you give the easy way, then you'll get loser's pay. If you fight for it, then you'll get winner's pay. That's the only way I can put it."
The next generation of the Von Erich Family is Kevin's sons Ross and Marshall who recently joined MLW. They have an upcoming debut in Dallas which is the birthplace of the Von Erichs and World Class Championship Wrestling.
Von Erich talked about his sons' impending debuts and if he'll be there.
"I think I'll be in their corner, and someone said something about a manager, but I'm not a manager," stated Von Erich. "But I'll just deal with what comes up. I don't plan on getting involved but every time I watch them, I just love it. They remind me of my brothers and myself and even my dad. The way Marshall goes reminds me of my dad who was one of the best ever. He was the champ and those were the days of wrestling. You should have seen my dad wrestle; he was something and really reminds me of Marshall."
Instead of joining WWE or AEW, Ross and Marshall are starting out in MLW and Kevin discussed his sons going that route and why the perception of indie promotions differs from what he grew up with.
"It's just been great. I do have a really positive outlook on the way indie wrestling is looked at now. There was a time when the [indie] guys couldn't carry the load. Now they can and it's a great atmosphere for a young guy today because it is wide open," said Von Erich who then added that the conditions pro wrestling is under right now will result in a boom as compared to when he started in the late 70s when pro wrestling was in a rut.
"When my brothers and I got in, we were the first young guys to really get in and work on top. We brought a crossover crows with us and they go from selling beer and tacos and there was now a lot of candy and cotton candy because kids and young girls were coming. It was a different crowd and I really think that's coming back."
Just like the Hart Family or the Rhodes Family, the Von Erich Family carries a certain prestige with it and Kevin discussed the advice he gives his sons on the pressure of living up to the name.
"There's really no advice. It's pressure and it's really good for you believe it or not. It might keep you up at night and you might get nervous but it's really good to have that pressure because you produce under pressure. You know diamonds come from under pressure," said Von Erich.
"What I tell them at this stage of their careers is to not pick up bad habits. You learn from everybody in wrestling and for me as a father, I want them to have a diverse repertoire. I want them to be able to wrestle in South Africa or India or the Middle East and know the catch-as-catch-can stuff. All the different types ? I want them to know a little bit of everything. And when they're in the ring with someone, they can surprise them. That's important because when you're in the ring with a pro, you've got to give [the fans] something they're not used to. 'If you wanna kill a king, you've gotta kill a king' and that's what I let my boys know."
Von Erich's full interview with Wrestling Inc was included as part of a recent episode of our WINCLY podcast. The full audio can be heard via the embedded audio player at the bottom of this post. In the full interview Von Erich discusses his sons Ross and Marshall signing with MLW, Ross and Marshall's upcoming Dallas debut for MLW, pro Wrestlers deserving insurance and retirement plans, his thoughts on Cody Rhodes, Gino Hernandez, "The Last Of The Von Erichs" episode of Dark Side of The Ring, the legacy of The Fabulous Moolah, Bruser Brody's murder and more.
You can check out past episodes of the WINCLY here. Subscribe to Wrestling Inc. Audio on iTunes or Google Play. Listen to the show via Spotify here or through TuneIn here.