Coming from a wrestling dynasty does not guarantee success. It’s not easy. Wrestlers following in the footsteps of a legacy struggle with shadows. Shadows that contain all kinds of obstacles: comparison, self-doubt, expectations- both good and bad; a history that everyone is keenly using as a measuring stick to evaluate you. Some shadows are bigger and darker than others.
The shadow cast by the Von Erich’s tragic history is the size of Texas.
For Marshall and Ross, they have had their father’s constant support and guidance to steer them. Kevin Von Erich, the sole survivor of his generation, calls himself the luckiest man in the world despite his immense personal suffering.
His grounded attitude and faith have helped his sons navigate the difficulties of pro wrestling and avoid the mistakes of other generational wrestlers.
Generational Issues
The path the brothers have taken has been steady and careful. In many ways, it goes against traditional and the expected road to pro wrestling success. Their pursuits in wrestling have been personal, focused on their own growth rather than external success.
The brothers have pursued pro wrestling for a deep love of the sport and a spiritual connection with their heritage. This has been more important to them than making it.
Competing Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary XII in Dallas, their family’s spiritual home, was their only big national exposure. They were two years into their career.
Rewatching their match with the Bromans, the potential for both men was there. Yet both were still green. Both needed to learn how to position themselves for the camera. Some of the pieces of the in-ring puzzle still required to be included. They knew they weren’t ready, but they weren’t rushing.
To their benefit, they avoided the trappings that have harmed other generational talents who have been exposed to them. Mainstream pressure, premature comparison to previous generations, and stigmatization too early into their development. Something that hamstrung many second and third-generation talents of the 2010s.
Learning with History
Their training was humbling but interconnected to their familial root. Training first with Harley Race’s World League Wrestling, a legend who wrestled their father and uncle Kerry.
Then, training at the NOAH Dojo, they were immersed in the history made by their grandfather Fitz and Uncle David in Japan. It wasn’t all easy. They paid dues like any young boy scrubbing toilets and starting at the bottom.
They learned early on to manage the shadows cast by legacy. Counteract tragedy with enjoyment through their love of competing in the ring. Hearing the brothers talk fondly of veterans, including their dad, talk about how their uncles live on through them shows the brother’s humility and priorities. Family comes first. Like their dad, they are grateful for what they have.
Their experiences in the tropics have aided this.
A Different Vibe
Unlike other wrestlers who relentlessly grind their way across the indies to pay dues to make it, the brothers’ have been content. Until a few months ago, The Von Erichs lived in Hawaii.
It was a different way of life. Isolated 2,4000 miles away from the US mainland (making it difficult to take bookings). Yet a paradise that has given them time to think and reflect. Enjoy the moments in between wrestling. To savor what they have done.
When they talk about wrestling, their emphasis is on how, through wrestling, they pursue happiness. They speak in a way that shows their mental health is important to them, something that is refreshing in a sport built up lying and hyper-masculinity.
Yet while this has helped them remain content, it’s also meant that many wrestling fans have not been exposed to what Marshall, 31-year-old, and Ross, 35, can do. Glimpsing their two paged cagematch profiles, it seems quite short for a tag team who debuted in 2012. Short for eleven-year veterans. But fans of Major League Wrestling will know how good they are.
Major League Ready
Signing for MLW in 2019, the brothers joined “Filthy” Tom Lawlor in his war against Contra Unit. Lending their names to their team at War Chamber in Texas, the boys returned to the spotlight as their own men. Five years removed from their stint with Impact.
A hybrid brothers tag team, they blend old-school moves and psychology with incredible modern athleticism. Each Von Erich has a distinct personal style. Blonde, cowboy hat-wearing, and fighting barefoot, Marshall can throw a dropkick with his dad’s height and ease. Marshall can brawl and be the powerhouse when needed.
Dark-haired, robed, and trunks-wearing, clean-cut Ross can fly three-quarters of the way across the ring with ease. Ross can fly. Together, they can sell pain like old-school babyfaces. They channel intergenerational sympathy and dish out fire when fighting from underneath.
The brothers bookended the match. Marshall starting and Ross entering last, they scored the win after an electric chair iron claw combination. The Von Erichs stood tall again in Texas.
Major League Leaders
At MLW’s first PPV event, Saturday Night SuperFight, the Von Erichs won the MLW World Tag Team Championship. They beat The Dynasty, future AEW World Champion, MJF, and the “Most Marketable Man” in wrestling, Richard Holliday (whom I profiled and interviewed here). The Texas Tornado tag match allowed all four men to display their in-ring acumen.
Early on, MJF uses the ring bell to take out Marshall. Ross is worked over two to one, fighting for survival. Holding out for his brother. Both individually and as a team, the flurries between Ross and Marshall made them undisputable babyfaces. Their win felt earned.
After holding the tag team gold for over 400 days, the team waged war with the man who brought them into the promotion, Tom Lawlor. During a period without crowds, the brothers competed in engaging singles and tag matches, some of which had unique stipulations. For example, their chain ropes match against Violence is Forever. This allowed them to gain valuable experience and confidence working around the restrictions and constraints beyond their control.
Return to Texas Full-time
In June, the Von Erichs finished working for MLW. Besides their match against The Briscoes at JCP’s Ric Flair’s Last Match, they did not wrestle in December. Their focus was on one thing: returning to Texas and getting their house in order.
The family left Hawaii for two reasons. First, the brothers felt they had yet to earn the lifestyle gifted to them living in a tropical paradise. Second, with their own children growing up, both brothers want to make sure they give wrestling their all. They want to take their chance to wrestle on a bigger stage. Win championship goal on national TV.
Timing is Everything
The move to Texas aligned with another opportunity. The release of The Iron Claw this month, a film that fictionalizes their family’s legacy, gives them a short window of public awareness to grasp. Given an opportunity by AEW, first competing on Rampage with one of their hottest babyfaces, Orange Cassidy, and now having wrestled several times for Ring of Honour, they have the chance of a lifetime.
In the best shape of their life, it’s up to the brothers to take advantage of the spotlight. Their time in wrestling before this, however, has been well spent preparing themselves mentally and physically for national attention. It has given them maturity, the mindset, and the capacity to take this opportunity in their grip. To dig their fingers deep and squeeze tight.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world.
