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Von Erichs In WWF

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Hi Scott,

I'll skip the ten sentence butt-kissing and just say you rock like The State. Anyway, I found this video from 5/12/84 Wrestling Challenge and it's Vince Mcmahon discussing the Von Erich brothers Kerry, Kevin, and Mike. He mentions fans keeping an eye on them in the months ahead in the WWF. Any clue what this is about? 1984 was around the time I before I started learning about the different promotions, but I'm pretty sure World Class was operating at the time if Mike is mentioned as just debuting. So, why are they being advertised? This is now bugging me like a Lost season finale.

I know they did some one-off shots working MSG in the very early 80s (I think it was just one, come to think of it) back before World Class became a force, but I forget if Vince was trying to get them during the Hulkamania era.  I imagine the drug problems would have busted the deal during the due diligence stage, but other than that I'm drawing a blank.  

Comments

  1. Peter Trier AagaardAugust 12, 2012 at 10:01 AM

    Nevermind the von erichs, how come the guy with the papership-building gimmick never got over?

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  2. Lerxst_PrattAugust 12, 2012 at 10:45 AM

    The State

    A staple of my high school years.  "I wanna dip my balls in it!" $240 worth of pudding.  Amish vs. the nuns. No one waiting 30 min to swim after eating.  So awesome.

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  3. The FujAugust 12, 2012 at 11:00 AM

    i still stand by the lance von erich character.

    ok he wasnt a von erich, so instead of blackballing him out the territory use it as a way to make a heel.

    he lied about being waldos son, comes in an tries to get over. he gets outed and becomes the lyjng sack of shit heel they needed after the freebirds fued is over.

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  4. brocoreAugust 12, 2012 at 11:13 AM

    Would the drugs really have been that big a concern?  Just about everyone was doing coke.  It was the fucking '80s.  They even hired Junkyard Dog despite his personal problems.  I think if Vince could've had his hands on the VEs circa 1984, he would've taken them no matter what.  There was too much money to be made on that family.  After 2 to 3 years then yeah he probably would've turfed what was left of them.

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  5. Kevin McCarthyAugust 12, 2012 at 11:16 AM

    I would love to catch the reruns of that show.  I have they took all the music out of what DVDs were released do I passed getting them.  When I need my dose of the I was a few episodes of Reno 911 and I am good.

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  6. jdg9August 12, 2012 at 12:00 PM

    World Class was definitely still operating in 1984, and was still in a strong period.  Given that Fritz was still running WCCW, I can't imagine there was ever any real chance of bringing the brothers in on a permanent or long-term basis, so I'd guess it probably was for some one-offs or a short term tour.  

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  7. MadDogJoeDeCursoAugust 12, 2012 at 12:30 PM

     Jake, I love the tacos..
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6Pv_n044vM

    Chicken Sandwich, Caaaaarl....
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLwb9NePt94

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  8. Jesse BakerAugust 12, 2012 at 12:51 PM

    Dude, they HAD to remove the music from the DVD to get them released (same with Daria).

    Just be fucking thankful MTV fucking DID put them out on DVD, as Tom Lennon and company had to fight tooth and fucking nail to get MTV to release the show on DVD. MTV wanted to bury it in the ground, even though there was a huge fan demand AND they had Reno 911/Stella floating around to give them an excuse to release it to cash in on said show's success!  

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  9. Chad A. BryantAugust 12, 2012 at 2:58 PM

    Vince was very fond of the Von Erichs, and there was talk during that time that he wanted to work out a deal with Fritz. No doubt as soon as he heard the rumblings about the excessive drug use, he went cold on the idea.

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  10. NintendoLogicAugust 12, 2012 at 3:15 PM

    Meltzer has said that if Vince couldn't get Hulk Hogan, he would have built his national expansion around Kerry Von Erich, who would have self-destructed on the road.

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  11. JohnPetukaAugust 12, 2012 at 3:47 PM

    Yeah, those DVDs took years to be released even after they were finished editing and completed special features.  

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  12. Ary RosenbaumAugust 12, 2012 at 5:11 PM

    I do recall the very first issue of WWF Magazine (after replacing Victory Magazine) where there was a profile of the Von Erichs, published just a couple of weeks after David Von Erich died. I also remember them doing a 10 bell salute for David on Championship Wrestling in February 1984.

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  13. NintendoLogicAugust 12, 2012 at 5:11 PM

    Also, to say that World Class was still operating in 1984 is quite the understatement. They were probably the hottest promotion in the country that year.

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  14. bigVisAugust 12, 2012 at 6:05 PM

    The Von Erichs never appeared in the WWF during this particular time. The Freebirds had a very brief run, not sure if they were supposed to be brought in together. This always seemed wierd to me because it was around this time that Vince started ignoring the existence of other promotions on TV.

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  15. hansmolemanAugust 12, 2012 at 7:01 PM

    seriously, did Vince really have a 'due diligence stage' in the 80s?

    odd though, considering the rampant drug and steroid abuse in the 80s, seems like fewer wrestlers dropped dead then than did later.

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  16. jdg9August 13, 2012 at 5:51 PM

    Sounds fishy, unless he and Fritz were enstranged. Kerry was making a ton of money in his home state and working for his family. How exactly would Vince have pried him loose?

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  17. michaelton12August 16, 2012 at 1:17 AM

    I wonder if maybe Vince just mixed up his wording. Maybe he meant that everyone in the WWF was looking forward to following the Von Erichs. Given that David had died not long before that, this may have been a way to pay tribute to them.

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