Maura Tierney’s role as Doris in Sean Durkin’s The Iron Claw paid off a hilarious bit from the Jim Carrey comedy movie she starred in 27 years ago. In 2023, The Iron Claw brought the true story of the Von Erich brothers to life by showcasing the beloved Texas pro wrestlers’ rise to fame in the ’80s as well as the darker side of the supposedly “cursed” family’s history.

Tierney played the famous family’s matriarch, Doris Adkisson, in The Iron Claw. Through Tierney’s harrowing performance, Doris is shown struggling to cope with the insurmountable loss of her sons’ deaths in The Iron Claw. Although neither the subject matter nor Tierney’s performance in The Iron Claw are even remotely humorous, her role as Doris in the Von Erich family biopic is ironic because of a much older role in a very different kind of movie starring Jim Carrey.

Maura Tierney’s Role In Liar Liar Foreshadowed Her Casting In The Iron Claw

Jim Carrey’s Character Does The Famous Iron Claw Move In The 1997 Comedy

In 1997, Maura Tierney played Audrey Reede, the ex-wife of Jim Carrey’s fib-telling character Fletcher Reede, in the comedy movie Liar Liar. In the opening scene, Fletcher arrives late to pick up their son, Max (Justin Cooper), and proceeds to greet him with “the claw” by tensing his fingers and raising his arm for attack. Fletcher is shown doing this same bit with Max multiple times throughout Liar Liar, and Audrey herself even demonstrates the move for her fiancé Jerry (Cary Elwes) in an attempt to explain what “the claw” is.

While this bit is merely a lighthearted way for Fletcher to bond with his son, this clawhold, also known as “The Iron Claw,” was the Von Erich family’s signature finishing move. The move was originally popularized in the ’50s by Fritz Von Erich during his wrestling career before he retired and taught it to his sons. The Von Erichs were so widely associated with The Iron Claw that Durkin ended up naming his biopic about the family after it.

Of course, the actual Iron Claw move is intended to be much more violent than Fletcher’s playful joke in Liar Liar. In the ring, the Von Erichs would dramatically raise their hand in a claw formation before smothering their opponent in the face with it. Still, it’s the same act in Liar Liar, just with a different connotation. By imitating the Von Erichs’ signature move, Liar Liar foreshadowed Tierney’s eventual casting as the “Von Erich” matriarch in The Iron Claw, bringing the original bit in the comedy movie full circle 26 years later.

How Liar Liar Proves The Impact The Von Erich Family Had On Wrestling

The Iron Claw Move Showing Up In Liar Liar Is Indicative Of The Von Erichs’ Wrestling Legacy

​​​​​​As The Iron Claw shows, the Von Erich family was hugely popular in the pro wrestling world for many years, achieving massive success despite all the tragedy they were experiencing at the same time. The Von Erich name became one of the biggest names in wrestling, which is evident in Carrey’s character imitating The Iron Claw move in Liar Liar. The fact that a Jim Carrey comedy would incorporate their signature move into the story years after their glory days just goes to show the lasting impact the Von Erichs’ had on wrestling as a whole.