I thought the Iron Claw was the best wresting move ever invented back in my early youth.

Fritz was the man back then, but once his kids hit adulthood it was a living nightmare

I was a Killer Kowalski Killer Claw fan.

Did you grow up or live in the DFW area in the 70's or 80's?

Fritz was a local legend in the area

Seen FVE lots of times at the SPORTATORIUM in Big D. Mid 50's

Growing up I lived in Highland Village. Seeing his sons at at the lake was a common sight. They were all coked up homos that would go out to Queens Point and have orgies on picnic tables. That's not a joke. One of them OD'd one night in the middle of an orgy and his brother's moved his body to another state park, stuffed him in a sleeping bag, and hid him in some bushes so they could say that they found him there instead of a notorious gay hangout.

blkt2 you have some of the most amazing stories.

Thanks, I just have a good memory. Ironically enough my friend's dad bought the house that picture was taken in and he lived there until he was killed in a motorcycle crash in the early 2000s. On one of the door jambs there were pencil marks and dates marking the height of his kids as they grew. He covered it up with some clear acrylic to preserve it. That entire family was a mess. If memory serves me correctly one of his sons committed suicide in a jeep and they never cleaned out the Jeep and left it parked at their barn.

No Sir I grew up during the early 70's "Where Wrestling Was Real Memphis Tennessee." We had Jackie Fargo,Tojo Yamamoto, The Bounty Hunters to name a few AND "The King" Jerry Lawler

I lived in Memphis in the seventies. Jerry Lawler would give our Cub Scout Troop tickets to come watch the wrestling matches.

The Von Erics used to come to Jacksboro and wrestle with Kabuki and Rick Flair and the rest of those guys. They would set the ring up in the old Natl. Guard Armory.

Yup he invited many to the WHBQ Studios to watch as Lance Russell and Dave Brown commentated, I miss the good ol days. I went to Trezevant High School in Frayser.

Saturday night wrestling, watched it a few times and Fritz with the Iron Claw was the bomb.

Told this story before.
Back in the 60's our Aunt Tommy who was an old weathered woman in her late 60's or 70's with her Cotton top hair and crazy big Blue eyes was baby sitting us one Saturday night.
My brother and I were on the couch with aunt Tommy watching Fritz and ?, Fritz put the Iron Claw on this guy and aunt Tommy is going nuts, she jumps on my older brother Chris and puts the Iron Claw on him.
I am dying laughing, one of those had to be there moments.

I can remember young man Timmy referring to the Iron Claw as being an ineffective hoax. Old man Roy, the welder, brought Timmy to his knees that day. Timmy never again joked about its effectiveness.

I was an Ivan Putski fan. Hard not to like Wahoo.

Takes me back…..how about Thunderbolt Patterson?

I remember Thunderbolt. And the claw. There were others but it’s been a long time.

Anyone remember cowboy bill watts or Danny hodge or the junkyard dog and hacksaw Jim duggan?

Kevin is the only one that hasn't past. All the rest of the von erich's are gone. I didn't know that!

How about the famous referee “Bulldog Danny Fletches”. I think that’s close to his name….

There is a movie coming out about the Von Erich brothers in December called The Iron Claw.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21064584/

Close! Bulldog Danny Pleches…he wrestled before becoming a referee….so was Bronco Lubich!

Man, the Sportatorium days, and Northside Coliseum in Ft. Worth….

You could go down the list….

Red Bastein
Wahoo McDaniel
Johnny Valentine
Dusty Rhodes
The Spoilers (1 and 2)
Waldo Von Erich (supposedly Fritz’ brother)
Duke Keomuka

It wasn’t real, but sure a lot of fun!

I grew up around lots of girls and later women who dated or had friends that dated the Von Erich boys. All of the boys had the same story, they were messed up because they were sexually abused when they were young so before you look at big Fritz with admiration just keep in mind that he was the most likely person to have been the abuser. Not saying that he was but if I had to guess I would say that he was the one.

That would explain the dug use and suicides.

So, is that why he posted that little rumor? Ive been wondering why???

I was born there in the mid forties and lived there until 1966 when transferred to Texas. I remember Alex Perez, the "Bad boy from Amarillo who sometimes paired up with Tojo Tomado, (sp)? and others from the Ellis Auditorium. Great memories.
Oakhaven high School class of 63.

Y'all left out Andre the Giant!

Met Fritz shortly after I retired from the USAF, while working as a Manager Trainee at Radio Shack (found out Retail was not for me).