All 7 Real-Life Wrestlers In The Iron Claw

There are several real-life wrestlers that appear in the critically acclaimed new A24 film The Iron Claw. Directed by Sean Durkin, (The Nest, Dead Ringers) The Iron Claw is the first true biographical drama about the famous Von Erich family of wrestlers, made up of a group of tightly-knit brothers and an overbearing and demanding father who used to be a professional himself. An outstanding Zac Efron leads a star-studded cast as the oldest living Von Erich brother named Kevin alongside Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson), and Mike (Stanley Simons).

While Efron and company portray the real-life Von Erich brothers, they, of course, are actors who trained intensely to convincingly play the parts of the actual pro wrestlers. What may be a lesser-known feature of The Iron Claw are the numerous real-life professional wrestlers who portray other former wrestlers in the movie. The most famous of the wrestlers portrayed in The Iron Claw is undoubtedly Ric Flair, although he was played by actor Aaron Dean Eisenberg and only appeared for a brief but memorable couple of scenes. While Eisenberg has no professional wrestling experience, several other wrestlers who appear in the movie actually do.

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7 Maxwell Jacob Friedman

The 27-year-old Maxwell Tyler Friedman, best known by his stage name Maxwell Jacob Friedman which is commonly abbreviated to MJF, appears in The Iron Claw as a pro wrestler named Lance. Maxwell Jacob Friedman is a professional wrestler and an actor in real life who currently holds the All Elite Wrestling World Champion title and has since 2022. MJF holds the longest reign of the All Elite Wrestling World Champion title in AEW history, making his contributions to The Iron Claw incredibly fitting as one of the best modern wrestlers alive today.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is notorious for being somewhat of an antagonistic figure as a professional wrestler, which is part of his larger persona similar to Connor McGregor’s villainous characterization in the world of the UFC. Maxwell Jacob Friedman also acts as one of the executive producers on The Iron Claw, hinting that he may have had some part in the creative direction of the movie altogether. MJF has appeared in dozens of All Elite Wrestling TV specials and will be featured in the upcoming All Elite Wrestling: Words End special that is set to air on Saturday, December 30, 2023.

6 Ryan Nemeth

The 39-year-old Ryan Nemeth has had a long career as a professional wrestler as well as a professional actor. Nemeth is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling and appears in The Iron Claw as Gino Hernandez, who was a real-life World Class Championship Wrestling member during the 1970s and 1980s. Nemeth has appeared in numerous AEW television specials as well as popular television shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, A.P. Bio, and The Eric Andre Show. The real-life Hernandez was born as Charles Eugene Wolfe Jr. and famously fought against the Von Erich brothers as depicted in The Iron Claw.

5 Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Real-life veteran wrestler Chavo Guerrero Jr. appears in The Iron Claw as The Sheik. Like the Von Erich brothers, Chavo Guerro Jr. was born into a family of prominent wrestlers that included Eddie Guerrero, Hector Guerrero, Mando Guerrero, and Chavo Guerrero Sr. Chavo signed with World Championship Wrestling in 1996 and later went onto sign with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2001, becoming a 4-Time WWE Cruiserweight Champion and winning multiple tag-team honors with his uncle Eddie. Outside of appearing in The Iron Claw, Chavo Guerrero Jr. had acted on television shows such as The Rookie and GLOW.

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4 Silas Mason

Pro wrestler and actor Silas Mason appears in The Iron Claw as one of the Fabulous Freebirds, a real-life wrestling group that faced head-on against the Von Erich brothers. Silas Mason has also been called Thrillbilly Silas as part of the National Wrestling Alliance who is famous for his entrance song “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire” by Queens of the Stone Age. Silas Mason has no other acting experience outside his role in The Iron Claw as one of the Fabulous Freebirds, but after the critical acclaim of the movie, that could certainly change for the better.

3 Brady Pierce

Brady Pierce plays one of the main members of the Fabulous Freebirds, real-life wrestler Michael Hayes. Brady Pierce will portray a wrestler character in Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming epic film Megalopolis and is a highly experienced stunt performer. whose credits include the Starz series Heels, the Hulu series Kindred, and The Walking Dead. As a professional wrestler, Brady Peirce has appeared in numerous televised specials for both the National Wrestling Alliance and All Elite Wrestling including NWA Powerrr and AEW Rampage. Pierce had also portrayed a Confederate soldier in the TV series Will Trent.

2 Mike Dell

Actor and professional wrestler Mike Dell plays an uncredited part in The Iron Claw as a 1950s referee. He likely took part in the opening flashback scene of the film that introduced the Von Erich family patriarch character and his vicious iron claw move in black and white. Mike Dell has appeared in many films and television projects outside of The Iron Claw, including A Town Full of Ghosts, Lazer Team, Inhumanity, Jingle Bell Ranch, Tamalae Season, Sacred Mask, Elite, and The Mirco. Dell also appeared on WWE Raw in 2015 as Dr. Corbett and NWA Parade of Champions in 2013.

1 James Beard

James Beard is another real-life pro wrestler who portrays a referee in The Iron Claw movie, similar to Mike Dell. James Beard made his acting debut in The Iron Claw and has no other previous acting experience. Beard did appear in the 2014 television series IHWE Professional Wrestling, which stands for Iconic Heroes of Wrestling Excellence. James Beard has extensive knowledge and experience in the world of pro wrestling, having worked in the industry for over 20 years, including in World Class, USWA, and GWF. Before appearing in The Iron Claw as a referee, he has been a real-life referee as well as a consultant, booker, and wrestling trainer.