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.

Household Wrestling Items That You Never Realized You Needed...

If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you already know that we celebrate all forms of wrestling memorabilia. The weird. The wacky. The wonderful. It's all covered. But how about...household items? Sure they've popped up here and there over the near decade since the blogs inception, but they've never really had the spotlight. Need to host a wrestling themed luncheon? These items may just please the most difficult of guests...

*Breakfast in bed? Frozen dinner in front of the television? The entire Brady Bunch is sick again? Never fear, the WWF Superstars lunch tray is here. Big Boss Man. The Ultimate Warrior. Hulk Hogan. The Texas Tornado. All four are ready, willing, and able to provide that extra needed flavor, and maybe even some vitamins, to your meal. Can you imagine bringing Virgil some Olive Garden takeout (extra meat sauce) on this tray while he regales you with highly-fictionalized stories of the four featured superstars? I can't.

*Maybe you don't want to eat your lunch at home, but you still need some early '90s WWF Superstar power with your cuisine. That''s why we have WWF Superstars lunch bags! The Boss Man, The Warrior, and The Hulkster are all back from their lunch tray antics to bring you action on the go. Joining them are none other than Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Damien! These aren't the boring, plain, brown bags that used to float around WWF locker rooms near Allentown! These bags are full of ingestable items sure to make you bigger and stronger! Oh, wait...

*Certainly you need something to wash all of these power packed meals down with. And that something, whether it be milk, juice, or whatever you want has to be contained. There have been plenty of wrestling related cups, mugs, and suck cups (thanks, Dusty!) over the years, but for this outing we went with a glass featuring Ax and Smash. Yes, Demolition themselves. There were a few different series of glasses featuring WWF superstars produced over the years, but who are more exciting to drink from than my personal favorite tag team? Before you take a sip, a word of warning: you better say your act of contrition.

*Watch it! Don't you dare put that glass down on the end table without a coaster. But not just any coaster, mind you! This is a Mid-South Wrestling coaster! Used as a promotional item sometimes even given away by owner and WWE Hall of Famer himself, Cowboy Bill Watts, these coasters actually say "Mid-South Sports." Also illustrated are the address and phone number of the promotion. Who's using this to pick up the ice sweat from their drinking glass? Not me! Especially when it's autographed by Watts himself!

*So the host has kicked you out of the house, without your drink, for refusing to use a coaster. How else are you going to beat the heat? With an FMW hand fan, silly! Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling may have been founded by the legendary and infamous Atsushi Onita, but the high-flying Hayabusa is arguably its best remembered star. As with many Japanese promotions, some interesting and unique memorabilia came out of FMW, including this fan. Just sit back, wave the fan, and think about such relaxing concepts as exploding ring barbed wire steel cage matches!

And there you have a sampling of wrestling memorabilia that you can still put to good use around the house. Why sit around just staring at these great items when they can aid in special occasions, holidays, and pleasant family time? Utilize these tips wisely. After all, you're getting them for free. Martha Stewart would've charged you $25 for this information in book form...

The 25th Anniversary of Hasbro WWF--Part 3

 As we roll on in the month-long 25th anniversary celebration of Hasbro WWF, it's interesting to note two other silver milestones in wrestling for 2015.  WrestleMania VI, my personal favorite edition of the event, will be celebrating the big 2-5 and in November, the character of The Undertaker will have been tombstoning his way through WWF/WWE rings for twenty-five years.  Who could have imagined that the latter, what easily could've been a throwaway character, would be iconic a quarter of a century later?  I have a feeling that "The Phenom" will show up in our Hasbro remembrances eventually, but for now here are the five for this week...

*For as big as they were, the Von Erich family did not see an action figure until "The Texas Tornado" hit shelves in 1992.  A great likeness coupled with a "Real Wrestling Action" that fit his actual finishing move, the Tornado was a great addition to the Hasbro lineup. The sad reality was that the figure was released less than a year before the untimely death of Kerry Von Erich.  That being said, Von Erich did several known autograph appearances in that time period and was known to be a gracious signer regardless.  Does a signed Texas Tornado Hasbro figure exist?  Time will tell should one ever surface, but until then we have a great figure of one of wrestling's most storied and charismatic legends.

*Kamala may be beloved now, but in his ring days "The Ugandan Giant" was terrifying.  The mask, paint, spear, and wailing battle cry were enough to scare any young fan and make the big man fascinating at the same time.  From Andre the Giant to Hulk Hogan to The Undertaker, Kamala was a formidable foe for all. Hasbro brought collectors the second action figure of the headhunter, and I can still remember the day that I found it.  A small mob of kids were crowded around the Toys "R" Us Hasbro WWF section, so I knew something good had to be there.  It didn't take me long to notice the yellow borders of the newest figure set. It took even less time for me to decide that Kamala was joining my collection that day.

*Hasbro was no stranger to Sgt. Slaughter.  His deal with Hasbro's bread and butter, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, is legendary and made him a household name and pop culture celebrity.  However, this figure was his first to officially be produced under the WWF banner.  It has an interesting design, as his attire is patterned after gear wore in a photo shoot and not actually in the ring, but it fits the Hasbro style perfectly. I doubt a more perfect facial likeness of Slaughter will ever be captured.  Sgt. Slaughter was the first wrestler that I ever met, was in the first tag team match that I ever saw live, and the first (and only) male wrestler to sit on my lap.  At ease!

*There's no doubt that the One Man Gang would have made a cool looking Hasbro figure, but Akeem was absolutely made to be in the line.  As "The Gang" himself tells it, Vince McMahon wanted a more colorful character than the "OMG," thus Akeem was born.  "The African Dream" hasn't been seen in WWF rings since shortly after the figure was released in 1990 and it's a shame. The One Man Gang has made a few token appearances, but with all of the goofy WWE humor, we need at least one more appearance from the former Twin Tower.  Rumor has always been that Akeem was to have been in the WrestleMania X-7 Gimmick Battle Royal, but that Gang had lost too much weight to fit the costume.  These days, the big man is once again large and in charge.  It's time for Akeem to jive down the aisle, one more time.

*Talk about having the "look" of a wrestler, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart fits that bill.  The Hasbro figure captured that.  Though many of us would have preferred "The Anvil" in original Hart Foundation attire, instead we got him in the baggy pants of The New Foundation.  His partner in the latter team, Owen Hart, did not come along until a year later.  If ever you could hear an action figure verbalizing his catch phrase, it's this one.  The Hasbro "Anvil" is screaming "Yeah Baby!" and cackling just as he performs one of his flattening clotheslines.  Hasbro also captured the oft-jiggling paunch of Neidhart as well as they did his facial features. 

A tornado, an anvil, a Ugandan headhunter, an African dream, and a real American hero.  A battle royal if there ever was one is forming among these Hasbro elite, and next week we add another five to the fray!

The Von Erich Legacy Is Remembered...And Continued

They say that if you weren't there, you have no idea just how crazy it was. A buzz created by a group of talented young men. Insane fans. Screaming girls. No, not BeatleMania. Von Erich Mania.

Throughout the better part of the 1980's, pro wrestling in Texas was defined by the Von Erich family. Patriarch Fritz was originally a hated "German" wrestler known for the dreaded "Iron Claw" finisher. By this time, Fritz was the owner of World Class Championship Wrestling. WCCW had a television show that had a reach as far as Israel, excellent production values, a hot in-ring product, and Fritz's sons as the starring babyfaces.

David, Kevin, and Kerry Von Erich were no doubt the cornerstone of WCCW. Their seemingly endless feud with The Fabulous Freebirds is lovingly remembered to this day. Sadly, the tragedies of the Von Erich family are more often discussed. The deaths of Fritz's sons Jack, David, Mike, Chris, and Kerry have been chronicled everywhere from tabloid television shows to WWE DVD releases.

As usual in this blog we celebrate the good in pro wrestling and thus choose to remember the great memories that the family has brought us in the ring and will continue to do in the very near future. Just this past week it was announced that Kevin Von Erich's sons Ross and Marshall will debut for Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan in January 2012. Trained under the experienced eye of Harley Race, there's great hope that the new generation of the Von Erich clan will pick up where their father and uncles left off.

Keeping the tradition of the previous generation of Von Erich's alive are three new figures in Mattel's WWE Legends line. To say that these figures have had a rocky road to release is an understatement.

Originally announced well over a year ago, WCCW-styled figures of Kevin and Kerry were slated to be released in a two-pack while the WWF Texas Tornado version of Kerry was to be released as a single in a WWE Legends series. Due to over production and a high price point to the first series of Legends two-packs released exclusively through Toys "R" Us, the second series, planned to include the Von Erich's and The Rockers, was canceled. While The Rockers ended up being sold through Mattel's online collectors store, Kevin and Kerry were split up and included in the Legends Series 6 along with the Tornado figure and new versions of The Ultimate Warrior and Eddy Guerrero.

While this seemed like a collector-pleasing solution, all was still not well with the WWE Legends line. Mattel announced that the 6th series would be the last sold at retail and that future releases would only be sold through their collectors site. The series was ultimately released, although at first only to online sites that sell the figures at a higher price than brick and mortar stores. After much fear in the collecting community that the series would never hit stores, in the past month the figures have found their way into Toys "R" Us, Wal Mart, and K-Mart.

I'm pleased to announce that the wait was worth the while. Despite their huge popularity in the 1980's, the Von Erich family had only ever seen a single action figure release. This was the Texas Tornado figure in the Hasbro WWF line released less than a year before Kerry's death. Finally we not only have another Tornado but a Kerry from the WCCW days and Kevin as well.

I've seen many non-collector fans of the Von Erich's speculate and even grumble as to why David and the other Von Erich brothers were not produced as well. I'll repeat my rebuttal here: we're lucky to have the ones that did end up produced. The figure companies are only going to produce characters that they feel are going to sell. While old school fans can say "Well, I'd buy it if they made it..." until they're blue in the face, when push comes to shove 95% wouldn't end up buying it. That's where economics come into the picture. Early reports are that The Rockers two pack released through the Mattel site has suffered from disappointing sales as well. This only ensures that less and less Legends figures are made until the concept is done completely. Does it please me? No. Does it please my wallet? Yes.

The fact is that we have several great figures including one legendary wrestler who has never before been immortalized in plastic. The figures come packaged on the standard Legends card backing with attractive artwork of the stars. Mattel made an interesting mistake early on here with a picture of Texas Tornado-era Kerry on the WCCW-era Kerry figure package and vice versa. Many fans would not notice this, but it is worth pointing out. On the other hand, the Kerry figures are a bit more attractive on the card than the Kevin figure. The Kerry figures are a bit bulkier and take up more of the plastic bubble.

All three figures sport a right hand positioned in the "Iron Claw" hold which is a very nice touch. All three also include individual entrance gear that is extremely accurate. Kevin's jacket is made of a cheaper quality material than Kerry's gear, but in the package it's really impossible to notice.

Kevin is one that I'd have thought to be a hard likeness to capture. I'm not sure why I'd think that, but Mattel definitely proved me wrong. Kevin's face sculpt is easily one of the best in the entire history of the Mattel WWE collection. Kerry's is the same on the both figures. His is very, very, very good, but I prefer the Hasbro Kerry likeness just a bit more. Nothing at all to complain about in this department.

All three figures have reused bodies, but I doubt anyone will be complaining here either. Kerry uses a very chiseled and defined torso while Kevin is slighter. Very true to life for both men. It should also be noted that Kevin is indeed barefoot as he was throughout his career. This does not hurt the figures ability to stand at all.

The figures compare well to others in the line and will look great displayed with their friends and foes from WCCW and beyond. Slap an IC title on Tornado and an NWA title on the Kerry and memories in plastic have rarely looked so good.

Much like the glory of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty, the greatness of these figures is a tad bittersweet. Seeing the detail and work that went into these figures makes one wonder just what kind of magic Mattel could make with other territorial stars who have never received a figure. As was mentioned above, it's getting less and less likely that we'll ever see such treasures produced.

My verdict? You don't have to ask. These are amazing figures that should be in the collection of any Von Erich fan or collector. There is an initial price gauging right now due to the online retailers having these first and the news that this is the last series of Legends to be sold at retail. This should end and prices will drop. Ultimately, I'd advise to wait and pick these up at retail. The Guerrero and Warrior figures also in the series will be more recognizable to children thus leaving Kerry and Kevin for the adult collector.

****"From The Musty, Yellowed Pages..."****

The Wrestler, September 1970, Page 49

In keeping with this blog's policy of bringing you the latest finds in vintage magazines, I present another future star as a youngster.

A few months back this mini-column re-introduced a magazine find that I had actually spread on the Internet nearly a decade earlier. Indeed, the Human Suplex Machine was an Inside Wrestling Pen Pal as a child. Today we present one who might just be a bit more "Fabulous."

The last name may be one letter off, but there is no doubt that the future "Fabulous One" Steve Keirn is the youngster here. Yes, Skinner himself. The photo used HAS to be from a few years earlier, as Keirn hardly looks the age given of 19.

19 years old in 1970? Check. Keirn was born in 1951. Miami, Florida? Check. Keirn lives there to this day and runs WWE's developmental affiliate FCW. Same smile and ears? Check. Favorite wrestler Jack Bruno? Uhhh...who? I'm fairly sure they meant to print Jack Brisco.

Unless Keirn was looking into the future and thinking of The Rock's character in Race To Witch Mountain?

Regardless, our lil Skinner certainly was a sharp dressed man.