The Iron Claw: The True Story Behind Zac Efron's New Film Might Break Your Heart

Fans of Zac Efron and "The Bear" star Jeremy Allen White have been eagerly awaiting the release of "The Iron Claw" ever since the first images were released, featuring the actors sporting unflattering haircuts and rippling muscles. "The Iron Claw" is set for a 2023 Christmas release and audiences have recently been treated to the first trailer showcasing Efron and White bouncing off turnbuckles and grappling in tights for the wrestling biopic. Subsequently, the trailer equally illuminates how faithful the upcoming film seemingly portrays one of sports entertainment's most tragic families: The Von Erichs.

Dominating the ring through multiple decades, Von Erich was the stage name for the Adkisson family who — over three generations — produced at least nine professional wrestlers. Although they were once some of the biggest names in the sport, the story of the Von Erich family is a Shakespearean-level tragedy. Over a single decade, four Von Erich brothers lost their lives, most of them passing away before reaching the age of 30. Not only does their heartbreaking tale involve the dismantling of a world-class family of entertainers, but it also highlights the pain and suffering that competitive professional wrestlers endure.

So, before Efron brings his bowl-cut and glistening muscles to the big screen, read all about the devastating true story of the Von Erichs.

Regardless of a busy career traveling and wrestling, Jack Adkisson managed to raise a large family. Marrying his high school sweetheart, Doris J. Smith in 1950, the pair had every intention of building a quaint life in Corpus Christi, Texas — that is until wrestling became Jack's passion. Still, the couple had six sons over the span of 17 years.

Tragedy struck the family early, as then-eldest son, Jack Adkisson Jr. — lovingly known as Jackie — passed away at the age of six. Reportedly, the young child was walking home while brushing his hand alongside a trailer when a shorted wire electrocuted him, resulting in him falling unconscious. Tragically, the 6-year-old fell face-first into a puddle and drowned a short time later.

Understandably, the loss was devastating for the family. "I just started blaming the entire wrestling business for the death of my oldest boy," said the family patriarch in his biography titled "Fritz Von Erich: Master of the Iron Claw" (via Texas Monthly). "I started to look forward to climbing back into that squared circle and going after one of the guys who I held personally responsible for all my bad luck." Meanwhile, Doris had further concerns, saying, "After you lose the first one, there is that nagging fear you'll lose another. You not only believe it can happen to you; you know it's going to, almost. It's a horrible thing to live with and I became very protective of the boys."

In the film "The Iron Claw," David Von Erich, the third child of Doris and Jack Adkisson, is portrayed by Harris Dickinson, best known for his roles in "Triangle of Sadness" and "Where the Crawdads Sing." Sadly, Dickinson's screen time may be short, as David passed away at the age of 25. The first of the Von Erich wrestling brothers to die, David's untimely death set off a chain of events that saw three more of his siblings lose their lives over the next nine years.

David faced his own misfortune in 1978 when he lost his first and only child Natosha Adkisson as an infant. Thankfully, David's wrestling career soon took off, and under the nickname "The Yellow Rose of Texas," had a successful run alongside his family in the WCCW culminating in him earning a shot at Ric Flair for the National Wrestling Association Heavyweight Championship in 1984. Unfortunately, David would never get the chance to appear in the title match.

While on tour in Japan in February 1984, David was found dead shortly before he was due to have a match. The official cause of death is noted as acute enteritis, a disease that causes inflammation of the intestine. However, there have been several other theories about his passing, including Ric Flair's memoirs noting, "Everybody in wrestling believes that he overdosed." Bill Irwin, who was the last to see David alive, claims he choked while struggling with bulimia.

Currently, there is no current cast listing in "The Iron Claw" for the youngest of the Von Erich wrestling family, Chris Adkisson. It would be surprising for the feature film to omit the bright-eyed baby of the family, as his unfortunate tale is an important part of the story. Born in 1969, Chris was significantly younger than most of his brothers. Still, Chris was determined to follow his brothers into the ring, participating in his first amateur wrestling match at 6 years old. "I want to be world champion," Chris said in a 1985 interview with Pro Wrestling Illustrated. "I'm just gonna keep training and training until I get big enough, and then I'm gonna be world champion if I can."

Chris struggled the most to make a wrestling career. With a small 5-foot-5-inch frame, he suffered from asthma and continued use of the medication prednisone made his bones exceptionally brittle. During his first day of training with older brother Kevin Adkisson, he dislocated his back. Later, during one of his few matches, the young Chris Von Erich broke several more bones attempting to perform a drop kick. "He had so much pressure, but not from us," Kevin told the Dallas Observer. "He had pressure from himself and maybe from the fans, too. Sometimes fans can be cruel." Heartbreakingly, Chris took his own life at the age of 21 outside of his family's ranch.

It has been said that no parent should ever have to bury their child, yet Fritz Von Erich lost five children in his lifetime. Worse, the patriarch shouldered some of the blame for leading his children into the ring and the subsequent tragedy. Speaking in 1993, Jack said, "Some people say I pushed those boys into wrestling, and wrestling killed them — Like I killed them. Killed them? I loved those boys ... When they wanted to be wrestlers, I helped them. But wrestling didn't kill them. Different things killed them" (via Dallas Observer). 

The fall of the Von Erich family had taken its toll on Jack. In 1992, after 40 years of marriage, and far too many hardships, Jack and Doris Adkisson divorced. The aging icon's health quickly began to decline, before he passed away from natural causes in 1997 at age 68. Still, the once-dominant figure in the ring will forever be remembered for his impact on wrestling entertainment. "What he did back in the '80s really started wrestling on television," said longtime friend Tom Pulley. "It took wrestling from being a small regional sport to being international in scope, and I give him the credit for that."

As heartbreaking as it may be, the Von Erich family tragedy has helped shine a spotlight on the realities that wrestling entertainers faced during a complicated era of the sport. There is a shockingly high number of deaths at an early age for wrestling performers, especially when compared to other sporting professions. While risks of head trauma and bodily injuries are still of high concern, there was a much larger problem in the sport in the era when the Von Erichs were performing. "Wrestlers who competed in the 1970s and '80s were also living and partying like rock stars," said wrestling journalist Eric Cohen to BBC.

Kevin Von Erich does not ignore the fact that drugs played a significant role in the death of his wrestling brothers. "They look harmless but they have little barbs, and it's easy to get hooked," Kevin said about painkillers to Texas Monthly. Meanwhile, it has been noted that Kerry Adkisson attempted rehabilitation multiple times but remained addicted to narcotics until his untimely passing. Thankfully, the harmful addictions are something that the WWE hopes is behind them. "Unfortunately, some past performers were part of a generation of wrestlers who made unhealthy and poor personal lifestyle choices," reads a statement from the WWE. "Today's athletes take great pride and personal responsibility for their overall health and well-being."

Aside from being memorialized in the halls of the WWE record books, the Von Erichs story remains one of the most heartbreaking tales in all of sports. The family legacy has been at the center of multiple documentaries, including "Heroes of World Class: The Story of the Von Erichs and the Rise and Fall of World Class Championship Wrestling," "Faded Glory, The Von Erich Story," and an episode of Vice Video's "Dark Side of the Ring."

Certainly, the Von Erichs will be once again thrown into the spotlight when the A24 biopic "The Iron Claw" hits theaters this year. "I'm very excited about this one," director Sean Durkin told Deadline. "It's another family portrait, about a wrestling family who revolutionized the sport and then suffered tragedy." Even Kevin Von Erich's children are excited about the film, sharing a side-by-side comparison of Zac Efron's sculpted body alongside their father's in an Instagram post in 2022. "Excited about this new project on our family and it really looks like [Efron] is taking this role seriously," they said. "Very pumped to watch." Meanwhile, the last surviving Von Erich brother had his own words about the film, telling TMZ, "It's gonna be a hard job, I think, it's a lot of information and a lot of time and so they've got some tough work ahead of them." As for the actor portraying him in the film, Kevin said, "I don't think I ever looked that good."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues or is having suicidal thoughts, contact the relevant resources below:

• Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

• Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.