How Kerry Von Erich Lost His Leg In The Iron Claw

The 2023 biopic The Iron Claw offered a startling and heartbreaking insight into one of wrestling’s most iconic families and examines the different hardships and tragedies each faced in life. Starring Zac Efron, the movie tells the story of the Von Erich family and their impact on the wrestling industry. The movie has been described as a remarkable interpretation of how Fritz Von Erich established his wrestling business and how his sons eventually joined him in working in the ring.

The movie shows how Fritz’s sons, Kevin, David, Mike, and Kerry each made an impact in the wrestling ring. Kerry Von Erich, in particular, had strong success as a wrestler, winning 40 championships across his career, including multiple tag team champions with his brothers. However, despite his immense success, Kerry Von Erich faced personal struggles, one of which greatly impacted his life as depicted in the movie.

Kerry Von Erich Lost His Leg After A Motorcycle Accident

One event that impacted the Von Erich family was when Kerry Von Erich was involved in a motorcycle accident in 1986. He suffered a dislocated hip and his right leg was severely injured. Despite the best efforts of doctors, it was determined that his leg was too badly damaged and eventually, it was amputated.

According to his older brother Kevin, Kerry was ashamed of the amputation and felt that he was a failure to the family. After the procedure, Kerry decided to keep his amputation a secret and warned his family not to reveal it to anybody; in interviews after the accident, he’d never refer to the procedure and make claims that his leg was healing well (via Vice). At the time of Kerry’s accident, the family was still recovering from the unexpected death of David and felt the news of Kerry’s amputation might further damage their reputation in the wrestling industry.

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The Iron Claw: How Many Von Erich Brothers There Were In Real Life

The Iron Claw follows the Von Erich wrestling family, but the filmmakers mainly focus on four sons despite there being more than that in real life.

Kerry Von Erich’s Wrestling Career After His Accident Explained

Despite the amputation of his leg, Kerry Von Erich continued to wrestle, training himself to work using a prosthetic leg. He wrestled for a year in the United States Wrestling Association before signing with the World Wrestling Federation in 1990. While with the WWF (now WWE), he wrestled under the name The Texas Tornado, worked in several high-profile matches with the likes of Mr. Perfect and the Ultimate Warrior, and won the Intercontinental Championship in 1991; during his time working with the company, he kept the fact that he wore a prosthetic leg a secret, even going so far as to shower with his boots on, but the impact of the accident severely impacted his skills in the ring.

Von Erich left the WWF in 1992 and began to suffer from a drug addiction. His daughter Hollie stated that he was never the same person after his motorcycle accident, and his mental health struggles led to his marriage ending in 1992 (via Sportskeeda). His drug addiction also led to two arrests, with the second seeing him face prison time; rather than go to jail, Kerry Von Erich died by suicide in 1993, like his younger brothers Mike and Chris. He was only 33 years old at the time of his death and left behind two daughters.

Sources: Sportskeeda, Vice