In Memory...

So, the ever-useful Dave Meltzer at Wrestling Observer points out that today is a very sad day in wrestling history as we mark the anniversaries of the deaths of two very special wrestlers.

It's the 15th anniversary of the death of Kerry Von Erich by suicide. Hard to believe it's really been that long. Kerry was the most famed son of the Von Erich family, a family that is now in tatters as nearly every son of the legendary Fritz Von Erich has ended up dead in one fashion or another. The only one left is Kevin Von Erich out of five brothers. Amazing.

As a kid, Kerry Von Erich was the always the "next Hulk Hogan" to me. In the old Apter magazines like The Wrestler and Pro Wrestling Illustrated, they constantly published photos of this guy that made him look like a bodybuilder. It was through those magazines, long before the Internet was an instant news source, that I learned of Kerry's tragic motorcycle accident and recovery. When he finally made it to the WWF, albeit having to be billed as the "Texas Tornado," you couldn't help but be happy for him. Unfortunately, he was "battling his demons" as they constantly say in the business while knocked down tons of pills. Ric Flair has often been praised by saying he could have a good match with a broomstick and one night against Kerry, he almost proved it as Kerry was so doped out of his mind, he couldn't even lace his boots. Another sad Kerry story that comes to mind is him forgetting that he had his blade taped in his fingertape for his match with Jerry Lawler and promptly slashing his head open _before_ the match.

Kerry's the ultimate story of potential gone way, way wrong in the wrestling business. Amazingly, he wrestled for years on one foot as one of his feet had to be amputated after the motorcycle accident. No one ever knew.

His greatest moment on the "big stage" came when he beat Ric Flair for the NWA World Title in Texas Stadium as part of the David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions show in Texas Stadium... yes, a memorial show for one of his brothers. Unfortunately, there's no video of this to be found online anymore since it's on one of the WWE commericial releases. So, here's something you might enjoy in it's place...



RIP Kerry Von Erich

The other person to remember today is Eddie Gilbert who died 13 years ago of a drug overdose. Eddie never achieved the worldwide fame that Kerry did but he was one of the best.

As a kid, my first exposure to pro wrestling was of course, the WWF. But there were so many territories running back then, you had tons of options to see. One of the first I stumbled upon was Bill Watts' UWF and one of the people who ruled the roost there was "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert. Gilbert was the ultimate chickenshit heel who was so tiny, you couldn't imagine he'd stand a chance in there with guys like Duggan and Steve "Dr. Death" Williams but he somehow always found a way to hang in there by cheating his ass off.

Eddie's greatest moment on the "big stage" is sadly not even really his moment. He had started a feud with World Champion Ric Flair and US Champion Barry Windham, the remnants of the Horsemen in either early '89. It looked like he might finally hit the big time by feuding with the champ... but it was just a setup. A mystery partner tag match was booked between Flair/Windham vs Gilbert/?. The "?" was Ricky Steamboat and the rest is history. But Gilbert's greatest moment is one that I've never even seen. Like I said, in the 80's, you got your wrestling news from the Apter mags... and one month, they broke the story that Eddie Gilbert had attacked his long-time rival Jerry Lawler in Memphis... WITH A CAR! He tried to run down Lawler and in the mark-filled Memphis territory, actually had the police called on him. Now _that_ is a heel.

Gilbert's greatest legacy is that he was the booker for ECW before Paul Heyman came to town. Gilbert's credited with being a creative genius by many in the business and many have wondered just how big of an impact he would have had in the industry on that side of the game.

And will you look at this? The car angle. Thank god for Youtube.



Did you see that bump by Lawler?! Good lord! No wonder they called the cops.

RIP Eddie Gilbert

Anyways... sadly, death of the stars of the 80's is a frequent happening and one that a fan of the business has to deal with. I just wanted to take a few minutes to give a tip of the cap to two of my favorite grapplers from my youth on the anniversaries of their deaths.