Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers about events related to the movie The Iron Claw.
Given the tragic toll professional wrestling took on his family, it would have been understandable for Kevin Von Erich to turn his back on the sport completely. Instead, the 66-year-old subject of the movie The Iron Claw is again embracing the legacy of his late father and brothers—and even stepping back into the ring.
Now streaming on Max, The Iron Claw tells the story of Kevin and the Von Erich family’s rise to in-ring fame in the 1980s. But while they became a dynasty of their craft, the Von Erichs couldn’t escape a string of tragedies resulting in the unexpected deaths of five of Kevin’s siblings.
Kevin is played by Zac Efron in the movie and is now the last Von Erich brother alive. Today, he carries on the family tradition as a public speaker and supporter of his sons’ wrestling careers.
Kevin moved with his family to Hawaii after retiring from wrestling
Following the deadly tragedies that befell his family, Kevin retired as a full-time professional wrestler in 1993 and has only made guest appearances at shows since.
According to the Dallas Morning News, he and his wife, Pam (played in the movie by Lily James), moved to Hawaii in 2006 and raised their children. Their sons, Ross and Marshall, became pro wrestlers like their father, and they also have two daughters, Kristen and Jillian. The family maintained a seven-acre ranch complete with farm animals such as chickens and goats.
In May 2023, Marshall shared that he, Ross, and their dad would all be relocating to Boerne, Texas, to set up the new “Von Erich headquarters.”
He was recently back in the ring with his sons
Although his days as a regular performer are long behind him, Kevin is very active in his sons’ careers and isn’t afraid to break out the iron claw, the family dynasty’s signature move, on special occasion.
In December 2023, Marshall and Ross made their in-ring debuts for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister promotion, Ring of Honor. On the December 15 episode of the weekly AEW television program Rampage, held at the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex where the Von Erich family built their fame decades earlier, the brothers teamed with Orange Cassidy in a six-man tag team match. When their opponents took apparent issue with their victory, attacking the trio after the match, Kevin made his way to the squared circle and delivered his family’s iconic grapple to AEW superstar Jake Hager.
Kevin and his sons then stood together, arms raised in celebration, for the cheering crowd. “It was so great to come to Texas, where we do everything hard,” Kevin said in a video Marshall shared on X (formerly Twitter). “We hit hard, we fight hard, we claw hard. That’s a great night.”
Kevin has recently revisited his career and family history as a public speaker
In addition to catching the dramatized portrayal of the Von Erich dynasty in The Iron Claw, you can hear the family’s true story from Kevin himself. In 2023, Kevin partnered with Texas sportscaster Dale Hansen for a speaking tour called Stories from the Top Rope, in which the wrestler discussed the legacy of his father and brothers and shared behind-the-scenes stories from their careers. According to Wrestling News, the speaking events were Von Erich’s first public appearances in more than two decades.
He saw The Iron Claw and gave his approval
The majority of critics applauded The Iron Claw, with the movie holding a 89 percent Rotten Tomatoes score since its early release. But one important review mattered more to Efron than all the rest: that of Kevin Von Erich.
The wrestling great has already seen the movie and is a fan, telling 36-year-old Efron as much in a personal conversation prior to The Iron Claw’s world premiere in November 2023. “I was very curious about what he thought of the movie. We went out to the patio, sat forehead to forehead, and talked about life for an hour and a half. And he told me that he did enjoy the movie,” Efron told Variety. “I can’t really put into words how that feels. It’s far and away the most important review to me on so many levels.”
Tyler Piccotti first joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor in February 2023, and before that worked almost eight years as a newspaper reporter and copy editor. He is a graduate of Syracuse University. When he's not writing and researching his next story, you can find him at the nearest amusement park, catching the latest movie, or cheering on his favorite sports teams.
