Kerry Von Erich: Q & A
From The Wrestler, October 1987.

Q: Kerry, it’s been about a year since your motorcycle accident. How are you feeling?

A: I’m doing just great, Dave. The doctors say that just one more operation is all it will take. In about two or three weeks, they’re gonna go in, check out my ankle and make sure it’s all right. What they’re gonna do is fuse two bones together, which will stiffen it some. But I’m not too concerned about that, because when I was playing college football, I taped my ankles so tight that I couldn’t move them that much anyway. Also, I’ve been told that there are three running backs in the NFL that have had at least one ankle fused, so that’s encouraging. In about two or three months, I’m gonna be back in the ring kicking butt. I can’t wait. I’ve been going crazy.

Q: Back in February, you came back for one match against Brian Adias. Do you think coming back too quickly hindered your progress?

A: Yeah, it did, but it was a situation where I had to do it. Really though, the ankle surgery would have had to be done anyway, so it was just as well that I did it. During that match though, I rebroke a bone in the heel. That’s why it took so long to do ankle surgery. They had to let the bone heal.

Q: Which hospital did you stay in?

A: Baylor Medical Center.

Q: The Von Erichs are becoming regular guests there, aren’t they? They should probably build a Von Erich wing or have a Von Erich suite.

A: Seriously, whenever one of us is in Baylor, they put us in a room on the top floor with our own kitchen, phone lines, everything. It’s not like a hospital, it’s like a hotel. We stay where, say, the President would stay if he got hurt. Everybody knows us there.

Q: And how long will you be in Baylor?

A: Four days.

Q: Have you been riding your motorcycle?

A: No way, man. I really want to ride my bike, but I think the fans would kill me. Besides, motorcycles are dangerous. They’ll kill you.

Q: Do you have any trouble walking?

A: Well I am walking and everything but I limp because I have a brace on my ankle.

Q: So what exactly are you doing right now?

A: I’m very busy. We just came out with a Von Erich videotape, and I just finished working on a book about the family with Kirk Dooley. He’s written a couple of books on Texas and he also did a trivia book that was very popular. The book is about the whole family history and it includes a lot of my photos. I’m a real photo buff and through the years, wherever I’ve gone, I’ve taken pictures of my brothers and my parents. I have pictures of them all.

Q: What’s the video called?

A: Front Row Ringside. It’s mostly matches, such as David vs. Jimmy Garvin, Kevin vs. Chris Adams, parts of Mike’s matches, and my world title match against Ric Flair at Texas Stadium. It’s already on sale, and it’s been doing really good.

Q: Did Bum Bright’s people produce it?

A: That’s right, Lee Martin Productions.

Q: Since taking over the production of the World Class TV shows, Bum Bright’s people have done quite a few new things. You have a segment called “Kerry’s Korner.” Care to tell us about that?

A: Sure. It’s just about different things. If there’s a problem with a referee’s decision, I’ll try to explain it. We’ll show footage of matches, answer letters, questions, give tips on training and working out, just about everything you can think of. Last week, we had a contest with the girls down here to pick the best legs in Texas, the six finalists were really great.

Q: You must have enjoyed that!

A: You better believe it!

Q: So it sounds like you still have a busy schedule.

A: They’re keeping me busy. In fact, I think I’m busier now than ever before. I’m still working out, I’m bench pressing about 520 pounds, and I weigh about 265 pounds. I think I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in. When I return to the ring, I’d like to try and add a little more bulk, especially in my triceps and biceps.

Q: Let’s change the subject for a moment and talk about your brother Mike.

A: I really miss that guy. But we’re not supposed to understand why the Lord took Mike. After the toxic shock syndrome, he was never the same. His attitude was never the same. But remember, they thought Mike would die along time ago, so he had to rethink everything. After the operation, he didn’t have much recollection of anything. He had a lot of guts, but his attitude was never the same. Because of that, he could never be the athlete he wanted to be.

Q: There must have been a lot of pressure on him also. He wasn’t as big as you, but when he first broke in, some people said that he’d be the best Von Erich ever and he’d be a great champion. But he never had much of a chance, did he?

A: Well, there was a lot of pressure on him to be great, but he didn’t have much of a chance after the toxic shock syndrome.

Q: Why do you think he did it?

A: I don’t know.

Q: Did you see him at all before he died?

A: Yes. In fact, before it happened, Mike and I were out on my boat, not even three days before it happened, and the and the propeller fell off of the boat, so we floated in the lake for about six hours at night waiting for another boat to come by, but one never did. We just talked and got to know each other all over again. We just sat and talked. He seemed happy. Looking back, I’m really glad that the propeller fell off the boat.

Q: Let’s switch directions again and talk about the World Class promotion. How are things going with World Class Wrestling?

A: I think the promotion has the potential to be better than it’s ever been. It has the promoters and it has all the money it’ll ever need. The people who own the Cowboys (Bum Bright) really love wrestling.

Q: You say it has the potential. What will it take to reach it’s potential?

A: Well, more or less, they’re waiting for me to come back. Also, when I say potential, the show is better than it’s ever been before. Our crew needs more experience working with wrestling, but they have a million creative ideas. Their production methods are very advanced. I think fans will really enjoy it once we get everything together. Remember, we’ve only done four shows, but every one of the TV shows will be the state of the art. I’m telling you, when we do the TV at night at the Sportatorium, they come in with three big trucks full of equipment. We’re going toward more special effects, more slo-mo, more things to help the fans understand what we’re doing.

Q: One final question, Kerry. Over the past three years, many different things have happened to the Von Erich family. Do you think the Von Erich family image has tarnished at all?

A: You know, me and Kevin were just wondering about that, but just yesterday, Kevin and I did a promotion at Texas Stadium for a stereo store, and we did about 20,000 people. So as far as our image is concerned, it must be good.