The Iron Claw Grips The Figure World

The Von Erich family has risen! While they’ve never been a footnote, I’d say that the mainstream popularity of the name is as high in 2024 as it’s been since their fabled glory days. A very good chunk of that is thanks to A24’s movie “The Iron Claw.” I saw it, you have probably seen it and, aside from an absolutely atrocious portrayal of Ric Flair, it was quite the flick. Yes, some things were changed. Mike and Chris sort of became one person. But that’s Hollywood. It told their story and got the point across.

This summer I was fortunate enough to meet Kevin Von Erich again. He is such a humble and positive person that, despite all of the tragedy surrounding his family, he is absolutely uplifting to listen to. He seems impossible to rattle. He has strong beliefs and that is what has undoubtedly gotten him through some very dark times. Now, in a way, Kevin has returned to our figure shelves, as well.

The only true Kevin Von Erich figure, released in the original Mattel WWE Legends line nearly fifteen years ago, is a treasure. It’s a fairly perfect figure and that, unfortunately for those of you who missed out, keeps the popularity high. I had first met KVE just before the release of that figure. Since he was doing regular appearances at the time I thought to buy a second one to keep carded to be autographed. Due to his move and other factors that didn’t end up happening until 2024, but I’m glad that it did. Now we have another figure of KVE, this time in the form of Zac Efron.

Yes, Zac Efron. Of course, Mr. Efron is the actor who plays Kevin in “The Iron Claw.” The figure can be purchased directly from A24 at their website and caused a bit of a stir when it was first announced. First off, it seemed to come out of nowhere. Secondly, the figure looked a heckuva lot like the Mattel Kevin Von Erich in the initial pictures. Believe it or not, it does in-hand, too! But is that where the similarities end?

The figure comes carded with a traditional glued on bubble. It’s a nice design that looks like something you could’ve purchased in the past. Maybe not in the ‘80s when the film is (mostly) set, but it definitely harkens back. The other Von Erich actors are shown and named on the back but I doubt we’ll be seeing figures. I guess there’s a chance, and I would certainly buy them all, but a little research into the A24 movie phenomenon indicates that the company is fairly well known for quirky merchandise tie-ins around the time of a film’s release. I think that this figure and a few other items that were produced are all that we’ll see for “The Iron Claw.”

Zac Kevin comes dressed in an entrance jacket. The two-toned garment is made from a nice fabric and could be placed on Mattel Kevin. It’s a bit tough to get over the “claw” hand. If the hands are removable I won’t know because I wasn’t giving it a shot. So how’s the figure itself? It isn’t brittle, but it isn’t as sturdy as the Mattel release, either. It’s not going to fall apart in your hand but I don’t know that I’d put it up to super rough play. Ultimately many figures today are made more for display than anything. It will look great either there or in some figure photography, as you can see here.

It does resemble the mechanics of a Mattel Elite and certainly mirrors their version of Kevin, but it’s not exactly the same. A Toronto-based company named Happy Worker Toys & Collectibles is credited on the packaging. A quick look at their website indicates that they’ve produced other short-run and specialized action figures. They did a nice job here. Again, if Kerry, David, Fritz and Mike were to come along at some point I’d certainly pick them all up. Are you listening?

I don’t like to speculate on value too much, but if I had to give you a “hot stock pick” this one would certainly be on my list. We have no idea how big the run is and/or how long A24 will be offering it. I’ve actually considered picking up an additional one myself. Whether or not I drag my feet on that is one thing, but you grabbing one is another matter. If you enjoyed the movie or are even just a Von Erich fan I would highly encourage it. It’s not an inexpensive figure by any means, but it’s also fairly unique. Mattel and Jazwares aren’t giving us Von Erich nor Iron Claw figures. Am I being an influencer here? God forbid.

I’m pleased as punch about the Von Erich resurgence. It’s well-deserved and has been a long time coming. Grab this new fig, support any future figs (PowerTown, we need some more brothers to keep the Kerry releases company) and if you have the shot go out and meet Kevin. Helluva guy and a helluva wrestling legend.

Wrestling MarketWatch: Hidden Gems

Just when all seemed pretty okay in "the new world of wrestling," our window into seeing new content from the past just may have closed. At least a bit. It seems that the WWE Network's weekly additions to their Hidden Gems section are coming to an end. Whether this is a permanent end has yet to be determined, but many of us have consistently looked forward to the weekly release of something either rarely viewed or downright never-before-seen. It was just a few weeks ago that one of my top requests suddenly popped up.

How do the Hidden Gems tie into memorabilia? Let's take a look at recent selling prices of items related to some of the stars who've been featured in the Hidden Gems section. As always in MarketWatch, prices listed are for unsigned examples.

*So just what was that top-requested Hidden Gem of mine? I don't know that it was my most-wanted, but it was certainly something that I'd always wanted to see. When WWE Network decided to post Survivor Series Showdown 1992, they didn't just leave us with the original show as broadcast on USA Network. They also included many dark matches that occurred at the same taping. What I was most interested in seeing was a never-aired platform interview conducted by Mean Gene Okerlund. His interview subject? Jimmy Garvin. In an obvious tryout for an announcer or manager role, Garvin plays heel while reviewing the then-upcoming Survivor Series card. A fun fact learned upon viewing is that a sound byte of Garvin from this interview was used for the "Are you ready for the Survivor Series?" line that comes at the beginning of the 1993 WrestleMania song. Garvin had just come off of his WCW run as part of the Fabulous Freebirds. The U.K. exclusive Galoob figure produced from that run has recently sold in loose condition for prices ranging from $20 to $80.

*WCW itself was featured in one of the longest Hidden Gems. World Championship Wrestling produced two "All-Nighter" specials in 1994 and 1995, respectively, featuring matches spanning the run of the company to that point. Only the 1995 version has made WWE Network as of yet, but it would be nice for the first version to show up eventually to "complete the set." After his arrival in '94, Hulk Hogan dominated merchandise for the company. Around this time, a cool toy race car convoy set based on The Hulkster was produced by Matchbox. The set recently sold for around $40.

*A major treat with Hidden Gems is getting to see many of the legends from the territorial area in matches and situations that we haven't seen before. One of those stars is "Dirty" Dick Murdoch. Not only is the Texas outlaw featured in several full show uploads, but also with his most famous tag team partner, Dusty Rhodes. In the most recent Hidden Gem featuring Murdoch, the Waxahachie-born grappler is shown battling Harley Race in a match uploaded to memorialize the recent death of the latter. Murdoch's only figure, a "Big Head" from Japan, recently sold for $12.

*Answering the wishes of many fans, full shows from various companies have been included as Hidden Gems. Many of these shows were even thought not to exist. Among these shows were several complete Great American Bash cards from various years. While a match here and there may have been featured on NWA television or even a home video release, it's likely that the full events had not been seen aside from those who bought a ticket to attend. A show from the 1988 Bash tour was uploaded and the corresponding program recently sold for around $40.

*While a variety of promotions have been featured, World Class Championship Wrestling featuring The Von Erich family may have topped the rest in terms of frequency. David, Kerry, and Kevin Von Erich have all appeared in rarely seen matches against foes both foreign and frequent. While WCCW and the boys produced a variety of merchandise, it's the board game that often gets the most talk. Produced at a time when generally only the WWF was churning out such merchandise, the WCCW board game recently sold for $125.

I can't see Hidden Gems going away for good. I certainly hope not, anyway. If what has been uploaded already is any indication, more exists on tape than we ever thought possible. And if the company has Garvin's infamous "tryout" interview, you know those pay-per-view dark matches exist...

Signature Moves: Kerry Von Erich

Collecting signatures of long-deceased stars can often be a trying endeavor. As I've stated at other times on this blog, forged wrestling signatures are few and far between. There just isn't enough reason for someone to do it. The ones that do exist are fairly blatant and/or are sold by some now notorious names on a popular auction site. Even with the realest of the real, there's no true guarantee that anything was signed authentically without you seeing the autograph signed right in front of you. With long gone names, sometimes a really good chain of acquisition and ownership simply has to do. When collecting most of the Von Erich clan, this is usually the case.

The nice thing about collecting Von Erich signatures is that the boys signed a lot. Just pull up any World Class Championship Wrestling episode on WWE Network and you're bound to see a photo or two being signed. WCCW sold many 8x10s for the stars to autograph, and many of their fans have kept these treasures over the years. The boys, being the Texas heroes that they were, also did any number of personal appearances where autographs were given to send the legions of fans home happy. My favorite member of the family, Kerry, was no stranger to this. Even though we just hit the milestone of twenty-five years since his death, his autographs can still be found.

One of the most popular 8x10s of Kerry sold by WCCW included his dog Bo. Another featured Kerry seemingly caught in the light of a sunburst. In the example that I own, father Fritz even signed in the "sun" itself, as if he were the shining light to guide Kerry to stardom. Both of these photos, as shown, feature full "Kerry Von Erich" signatures, but that was not always the case. Some examples were simply signed "Kerry," likely in a rush situation as shown so often on World Class television episodes as the boys were being rushed to the ring at the Dallas Sportatorium.

Many stories of the Von Erich boys signing exist. When you can acquire a signature with a story or even appearance advertisement it makes the item all the sweeter. Many of the female WCCW fans held onto their collections over the years which has been a prime source for myself acquiring the signatures of Kerry and other family members.

Kerry was signing right up until his death in 1993. In January of that year the former "Texas Tornado" appeared at a convention and show in Philadelphia. A series of photos of the stars who appeared at this event seem to have originated here. They are made to look like promotional photos and have a "Legends of Wrestling" logo on them. There are items out there, including my example of the aforementioned photo, signed by Kerry in some sort of silver pen. While normally this would be a red flag when associated with someone who passed away before silver Sharpies came into existence, there were other writing apparatuses at the time which produced a similar look.

For all of troubles that they eventually found, the Von Erich boys were said to be good to others and specifically to their fans. It doesn't surprise me that evidence of such, in this case pressed to paper, still exists long after they have become memories to those who knew them and legends to those who watched them in the ring.

Fundraising With The Von Erichs

There are some legendary names that pop up on this blog more than others. Bruno Sammartino. Dusty Rhodes. Jerry "The King" Lawler. Rowdy Roddy Piper. Not only are they some of the best of the best, but they also have a ton of great merchandise to write about. A lot of those items are little featured elsewhere. But when you really want to see things that you didn't know existed in the world of wrestling memorabilia, you look to a family name. You point the car towards Texas and you set out to find the once-rabid fans of the Lone Star State's favorite wrestling sons, the Von Erich Family.

Thankfully, many of those fans saved much of the classic Von Erich and WCCW memorabilia of their youth. Those are the same fans, a large percentage of which were female, that you can still see on any episode of World Class Championship Wrestling. Aside from the board game and apparel, much of what was saved could be classified as ephemera. Photos, programs, and even newspaper clippings. If a Von Erich boy was even mentioned, you can bet that the article or blurb was clipped and saved.

Today we're looking at some programs, but not of the traditional style that many are familiar with. These three programs are from cards held at the W.G. Thomas Coliseum and benefited the local high school band. I must admit, I love these things. Not only are they different from most wrestling programs in size and shape, but they capture the fact that, as big as World Class became for a time, the biggest names in the promotion were still working local shows like this.

The three events were held on 3/20/1984, 10/13/1984, and 3/9/1985. Each program lists four matches with ten minute intermissions apparently peppered between each match. The first show featured Ice Man King Parsons vs Super Destroyer, Chris Adams vs Jimmy Garvin, Kerry Von Erich vs Kimala, and Kevin Von Erich vs Michael Hayes. The second included Buck Zumhofe vs Bill Irwin, Ice Man King Parsons vs Norvell Austin, Mike Von Erich vs Gino Hernandez & Andrea The Giant, and Kevin Von Erich vs The Missing Link. The 1985 show had a Captains Match, John Mantel vs One Man Gang, The Fantastics vs The Midnight Express, and Kerry Von Erich vs Gino Hernandez.

What a time capsule these are, maybe even more so than a standard wrestling program. Not only are they full of good quality WCCW promotional photos, there are endless advertisements from the sponsors. An eatery called Clown Hamburger certainly makes their "Double Meat Hamburger Plus French Fries And Medium Drink - Only $2.19" sound delicious. How about BOGO mesquite smoked chopped bar-b-q sandwiches from Buff's Bar-B-Q Barn? And I'd be remiss not to mention that all three programs include a $1.00 off coupon from the local K-Mart Pharmacy on your next prescription.

But what about the wrestling? Can you imagine getting to see the legendary Gino Hernandez live? How about his partner, Andrea The Giant? We all know her better as Baby Doll, of course. You know that The Fantastics and The Midnight Express gave it their all in a tag team classic. And seeing the Von Erich's in battle against classic opponents such as Michael Hayes and Kamala? Did the fans in attendance realize what was taking place before their eyes? If they were as rabid as those that were always shown on television, I imagine that they may have.

And as with so many items from the era, you never know when

you're in for a surprise. You've seen these stars being mobbed for autographs on their way to the ring, from the ring, and IN the ring. Those signed items are still out there, you just have to know where to look. Opening to the first page of that 10/13/84 program yielded one of those surprises. A rushed, yet unquestionably authentic, Mike Von Erich autograph. It's even in red pen.

Vintage items like these are what continue to remind me why I love pro wrestling. A few old, wrinkled pieces of paper stapled into a pamphlet can contain a treasure trove of memories. A split second decision could have found these being hauled off to a landfill years ago. Certainly that was the fate of many of these items, but thankfully examples like these have survived. That K-Mart Pharmacy coupon may no longer be valid, but the rest of the value found in these pages will last for eternity.

Totally '80s! Wrestling Merchandise Magazine Ads

It was the golden age of merchandising in professional wrestling! Gone were the days where you had to attend an actual wrestling event to snap up whatever items you could get your hands on. Photos, programs, and the occasional bumper sticker or pennant were great, but now the world had action figures, watches, videotapes, and even record albums! Best of all, you could order them straight from the pages of your favorite wrestling magazine. A decade earlier, kids were sneaking peeks of stuff that "older brother" or "creepy, lonely neighbor" were ordering from these same publications. By 1989, the younger market was being completely taken care of with (usually) age-appropriate items from various wrestling companies.

The ads that you're about to see all emanate from the pages of the February 1989 issue of Inside Wrestling, featuring a great cover shot of the newly-christened Brainbusters--Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson. I'm not including this as an edition of our "From The Musty Yellowed Pages" series, as we aren't really looking into the magazine but rather just the ads. Most of these ads can be found in multiple magazines of the time, but this seemed like a good issue to look at with a wide variety of merchandise spanning several promotions.

Right inside of the front cover are two fantastic ads. The first is one of two ads in the issue from "The Wrestling Ring" company which was based out of Baltimore, MD. A search on any Internet wrestling forum will likely yield at least a couple of nostalgic stories from fans who ordered from "The Wrestling Ring." No longer in business, the mail-order company seemed to have capitalized on the time of the "Rock N Wrestling" era. This ad focuses on WWF digital watches. You can choose from Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Miss Elizabeth, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Koko B. Ware, and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, who was already gone from the WWF. Also in this ad are two early NWA foam belts which are relatively in demand these days. Note the wrestling ring that the fist is "bursting" through is fashioned using posts and turnbuckles from the LJN WWF ring.

 On the first actual page of the issue is an ad for "A Von Erich Extravaganza!" This ad is direct from the publishing company itself which must have had an overstock of the Von Erich's "Front Row Ringside" VHS video and "A Family Album" book. The album itself has been featured before on this very blog, and the "Front Row Ringside" video can be viewed as of press time on a very popular online video site. The original video as well as the book both prove to still be popular whenever the show up on the market today.

Later in the issue we get an ad from the other side of the World Class Championship Wrestling saga, that being Michael Hayes and the Fabulous Freebirds. Although the glory days of the promotion and its stars had passed by 1989, the merchandise was still there. The full page ad straight from "Badstreet" features a plethora of items celebrating "The Baddest of the Bad and The Meanest of the Mean." The legendary "Off The Streets" album by Hayes himself has been featured here many times and was available in this ad for just $9.95, including the infamous "Michael Hayes Exposed" poster. You could also join the fan club, hang Hayes on your wall, or wear a Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy "Bad To The Bone" t-shirt!

The Weston or Apter Mags were never shy about ads for back issues of their various publications. Here we see that for a time the company was even bundling back issues together focusing on one particular superstar. This time we get "A Special Offer For All 'Hulkamaniacs'" featuring ten different cover stories of Hulk Hogan. Pictured is a somewhat husky young Hulkamaniac, decked out in a 1985ish "Hulkster" headband, Pro Wrestling Illustrated t-shirt, and one of the aforementioned foam NWA Championship belts. He's representing '80s rasslin' to the max. Just $19.95 got you all ten issues. In 2016, the smart wrestling collector could obtain those same ten issues for just about the same price with enough searching.

The full-color back page features one of the best remembered ads of the era, again from "The Wrestling Ring" company. This ad features many of the LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars figures that had been released up to that point. Also shown are the large figure of Rowdy Roddy Piper and the wrestling ring and cage also all from LJN. We even get yet another cameo by one of those foam NWA Championship belts. It's great to see the LJNs in all of their glory. The colors of the figures look particularly rich in the main photo, too. As 1989 progressed an even more famous ad was run in these magazines by "The Wrestling Ring." That ad featured mentions (but NOT pictures) of some of the unreleased figures such as The Barbarian, Demolition Smash, and Bad News Brown.

What a collection of '80s gems! It all goes back to the old saying "If I only knew then what I know now..." That, of course, gives way to another phrase, "Hindsight is 20/20." Nevertheless, even if we don't own all of these great items, we still have these great advertisements to look back on. Perhaps one day we'll take a look at some wrestling magazine ads from even earlier decades. Then again, maybe not. After all, I prefer to keep this blog "family friendly."

The Von Erich Family...Conquers Space?

It may be hard for a wrestling fan to fathom, but sometimes it wasn't just the WWF unleashing odd and wacky merchandise onto the fans.  Promoters like Fritz Von Erich knew, just as Vince McMahon did, that there was a public clamoring to buy up merchandise of their favorite pro wrestling stars.  The big difference was that while McMahon featured a bevy of heroes and villains on his merchandising, Von Erich largely limited his to the top babyfaces of his promotion--his very popular and marketable sons.

It's obvious today when unearthing Von Erich memorabilia from its previous owners that these fans truly cared. Their screams of terror when the boys found trouble in the ring were equally as loud as when Kerry, Kevin, and the others triumphed in victory.  Worries about the next group of Von Erich opposition, be it the Fabulous Freebirds, Devestation Inc., or any number of others, followed these fans throughout their days until the next glimpse of WCCW action.  They believed.

The world knows how the Von Erich story progressed.  Thanks to coverage in mainstream news outlets, even many non-wrestling fans can equate the family name to tragedy.  Despite some who think that reliving the past can dredge up those bad memories, viewing and collecting the memorabilia of this family can actually be quite the opposite.  It"s obvious that the Von Erich family brought a lot of joy to a heckuva lot of people.  Seeing these items are a reminder of the good times.

While Kerry may have been dubbed "The Modern Day Warrior" and several WCCW events entitled "Star Wars," these were not the Von Erich family's only ventures into fantasy.  In 1988, Sage Productions out of Tyler, Texas produced a comic book entitled "Saga Of The Von Erich Warriors."  While the family's battles with Michael Hayes, Chris Adams, and Gary Hart easily could have filled a comic book, somewhere along the line it was decided that Fritz, Kevin, and Kerry would instead...go into outer space.

It seems that the defenseless Namorians (of Namoria, naturally) have finally found their galactic lives threatened by another race known as the (nefarious?) Nefarians.  With the upcoming wedding of Namorian Emporer Zrail to his childhood sweetheart Princess Davette, the entire race that should be celebrating is instead deeply concerned that they will become slaves of the hostile Nefarians.  The answer?  Beam the Von Erich family to Namoria, of course!

But the excitement just begins there.  Kerry battling an otherworldly tiger.  An attacking alien motorcyclist.  Fritz using shocking language such as "Hog Wash" and "Hell."   This is truly an out-of-this-world adventure.  I'd love to know exactly how this idea came about, but that's probably a secret that only those who were in on the brainstorming sessions between World Class Championship Wrestling and Sage Productions will ever know.

The all black and white art is pretty good, although you can tell that various stock photos were given to the artists for reference and copied.  Some of the Fritz shots look to date back to his "evil Nazi" days.  I'd venture to guess that the non-Von Erich characters in the comic were based off of people at the production company.  Then again, this particular Namorian named Raztar who explains the situation to the Von Erich's looks a heckuva lot like Robert Wagner.  Maybe a back issue of TV Guide was hanging around the studio.

Perhaps the only WCCW reference comes in a full-page ad on page 16.  Shirts!  Hats!  Jackets!  Photos!  And of course, a bumper sticker.  Apparently the promotion had a large backlog of photos available, as the Dingo Warrior was still available despite being long gone from WCCW.  What so many of us wouldn't give to order twelve of everything off of this page.  It's not like the Simpson Brothers have that many gimmicks available!

Of course, I don't have to tell you that Fritz, Kerry, and Kevin save the day.  It's assumed that Zrail and Davette tie the knot in intergalactic matrimony, but that's unfortunately never confirmed.  Accompanied by an almost Beatles-esque piece of artwork, we are told that although peace had been restored to the planet, the Von Erich's have decided to stick around for awhile.  Does this mean that further intergalactic Von Erich adventures were planned to be immortalized in comic form?  As far as I know, we never found out.

It's not the Von Erich Family album or any of the other treasured WCCW items, but it's fun.  It's relatively easy to find (I'm sure loads were printed...) and no WCCW/Von Erich collection is complete without it.  Who knows, maybe Luke Skywalker will mention a trip to Namoria in the next Star Wars movie.  I'd be all for a Kevin Von Erich cameo...May The Force Be With Him!

Wrestling MarketWatch: The Written Word

As far as the mainstream goes, Mick Foley is most likely the best known wrestling author.  The fame is for good reason, as Foley did in fact kickoff the modern era of the wrestling book with great success, but the genre hardly ends there.  From biographies and autobiographies to coffee table books, there's a great variety out there for the voracious reader that doubles as a wrestling fan. 

As with many books throughout the world crossing all categories, the prices often rise when printing ceases and interest grows.  Many smaller publishing houses have released books penned by wrestlers and often only churn out a single printing of each title.  Others are relics from the days before the "Foley book boom" that have stood the test of time.  In this latest edition of Wrestling MarketWatch, we'll take a look at some of these titles and just how much they've recently sold for at auction.  I may not be Rebecca Romney from Pawn Stars, but I doubt she's appraised many wrestling books lately.  Someone has to do it, so it may as well be me...albeit a bit less easy on the eyes than Rebecca!

*Scott Teal and his Crowbar Press have churned out a large number of wrestling books over the years, most notably autobiographies of many territory-era stars.  One of the most talked about was "Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling" by the one and only Ole Anderson.  The founding Four Horseman member has always been known for his steadfast beliefs, and the book obviously reflects that.  Because of his honesty, the book becomes one of the best in the opinions of many.  Although a second printing is now available, the first printing is still sought after and can be easily spotted with its solid blue colored cover.  An autographed copy of the first printing recently sold for $40.

*In the 1980's and early 1990's, many wrestling books were more photo albums than stories.  After all, what other sport produces more exciting photos suited to be in a book than wrestling?  One of the hottest promotions of the era was World Class Championship Wrestling, and of course that meant the Von Erich family.  "The Von Erichs--A Family Album" is a look at the family both in and out of the ring just after the death of Mike.  A beautiful hardcover book, the album appeals to both wrestling fans and those who lived the WCCW phenomenon first hand.  Always in demand, the book recently sold for $71.

*"Tito Santana's Tales From The Ring" is a notably entry into the wrestling library for a few reasons.  For starters, Sports Publishing Inc. went out of business shortly after the book was published.  This caused an initial demand that has since waned.  The book is also notoriously short.  Despite a long career that took Santana everywhere, there just aren't enough "tales" in the book to constitute a classic.  The book has recently sold for an average of $14, a fall from the price shortly after its release.

*Another book that has seen such demand that a reprint was warranted is "Bruno Sammartino: An Autobiography Of Wrestling's Living Legend."  The book was originally published by Imagine Inc. in 1990.  You may remember Imagine Inc. for their Wrestling Legends trading cards that also involved Sammartino.  18 years later, CreateSpace re-released the book with a slightly different cover.  While no copies of the original have sold recently, the re-release has been selling for an average of $20.

*For a book by a wrestler that's partially wrestling and partially the world around us, look no further than "Killer Pics: A Collection Of Images From A Pro Wrestling Legend."  Killer Kowalski was a man of the world and of many interests, one of which was photography.  The book is a collection of images of both his fellow wrestlers and many sights that Kowalski saw throughout the world.  The coffee table sized paperback is not an easy one to find and recently sold at auction for $52.

These are just a few examples of volumes on the wrestling book shelf.  There are many other collectible ("Whatever Happened To Gorgeous George?") and not-so-collectible ("The Rock Says...") books out there with the topic of our favorite form of entertainment, with many more joining the bunch each year.  More will attain monetary value as the years go on, but the true treasures we gain from each book are the stories told on every page.

Some Truly "World Class" Wrestling Memorabilia

In the past couple of years, it's almost become tradition that at some point in the last quarter the Von Erich family makes the blog.  Is it any wonder?  Despite being what was essentially one of the last great wrestling territories, World Class Championship Wrestling had an immense selection of merchandise.  It wasn't just what was sold at the arenas, either.  WCCW fans were true packrats, obtaining any photo or bit of information that they could on their favorite heroes and villains.  From the Von Erich brothers, The Fabulous Freebirds, and everybody in between, WCCW's stars were among the most visible in the early '80s wrestling world.

I'd go as far as to say that on the topic of WCCW memorabilia, the fans themselves were as big a part of it as the wrestlers.  Endless passages have been written chronicling the Von Erich "fever" that is said to have spread as far as Israel.  Many of these fans were girls, usually in the 12-24 age range, who would've followed the boys to the ends of the earth.  These fans most likely had shrines to their favorites plastered all over their bedroom walls, as is evident by the abundance of newspaper and magazine clippings that survive today.  Those lucky enough to have access to WCCW events (or knew someone who did), may have even had official promotional photos or publications from the promotion.  Some of those may have even included autographs.

Most wrestling fans know the reason why autographs of the Von Erich family and many WCCW stars may be a bit harder to obtain than other wrestling stars of the era.  It's a sad and somewhat depressing fact when collecting autographs, that death will almost always factor into desirability.  With the tragedies surrounding the Von Erich's and other WCCW stars so early in their lives, the window of opportunity was never even open for many collectors. 

I, myself, have become the lucky owner of many Von Erich family and WCCW treasures, despite not being anywhere near the age or geographic location to have originally obtained them.  The items span the full range of the Von Erich legacy, from the highest of highs to the too-frequent tragic ends.  They reflect a point where, due to the quality of the items, it seems as if WCCW almost touched the unmatched WWF merchandising machine.  They can also be a sobering reminder of how the insane rock star-esque fandom came crashing down and went ultimately six feet under.

The Official Von Erich Family World Class Championship Wrestling board game is definitely one of the highs.  The well produced, if maybe a bit complicated, game is as nice as any other wrestling company's equivalent.  With a full color box featuring the famous WCCW logo and photos of the Von Erich brothers disposing of several foes, the game itself allows you to become Kerry, Kevin, Mike, One Man Gang, Iceman King Parsons, Chris Adams, Gino Hernandez, or Kelly Kiniski. 

For an exact look at 1984, one of the most tumultuous years in Von Erich history, look no further than the Von Erich Fan Club newsletter titled "CLAWPower."  It seems that four total were issued, one for each quarter of 1984.  Even then, it is telling as to how the death of David is almost swept under the rug.  The glories of Kerry and Kevin, in "honor" of their late brother, are instead touted to further strengthen the family legacy in the eyes of the public.

And then there are the items that are extremely historical, yet almost too difficult to own.  The aforementioned Von Erich fans were obviously a dedicated bunch.  Some went as far as to clip the obituaries and news coverage of the brothers deaths.  Some fans even obtained and saved actual funeral cards.  Some collectors might find items such as these just too disturbing to own, but placing them in perspective tells the full story, beginning to end, of the family and promotion.

In looking at these items, I rarely feel sadness.  Certainly Beatles collectors don't feel sadness every time that they view a John Lennon item.  Instead, collecting and preserving these pieces should keep alive what was an exciting and interesting era in professional wrestling.  It didn't last as long as it may have had certain events not occurred, but we can always hold onto what was.  After all, keeping memories alive is what collecting is all about.