The Secret of the Iron Claw [Paperback]

Ron Mullinax (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2002

The true story of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ron Mullinax, a native Texan, graduated from High School at the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, California, while spending four years in the United States Marine Corps with a tour in Vietnam. After the service, he attended DeVry Institute of Technology, studying Electronics and Computer Technology.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

    In late June of 1997, Jack Adkisson, better known to all his wrestling fans around the world as Fritz Von Erich, The Master of the Iron Claw, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. To help Jack through his painful last months, I moved into his home on Lake Dallas in Denton County, Texas, and did my best to take care of him until he passed away in September of that year.

    I did not accept any compensation from the Adkisson family for the help I gave Jack through his illness. In fact, I considered it a privilege to spend those last few months with a man I have always considered my hero. Being by his side when he passed away from this world was an experience that touched my life forever.

    I had first seen Fritz Von Erich on television in Wichita Falls, Texas, wrestling another legend of the ring, Gene Kiniski. It was 1962, and I was 10 years old at the time. That wrestling match sticks in my mind as if it were yesterday. I will never forget seeing Fritz for the first time. He with his already-patented Iron Claw, and Kiniski who used another version of the claw, referred to as the Abdominal Claw.

    What a wrestling match that was, with the two men battling to win two out of three falls. Fritz won the first fall after jumping off the second rope and catching Gene Kiniski on the side of the head with a knee, knocking him out. The second fall was full of excitement, with both Gene and Fritz throwing each other out of the ring and beating each other over the heads with the ringside metal chairs. After a long struggle, Gene won the second fall after getting Fritz in the center of the ring and applying the sleeper hold.

    As the third and final fall began, I found myself on the edge of my chair, screaming for Fritz to win. To this day, I am still not quite sure why I started cheering for Fritz. Maybe it was the way he seemed to take total control of the match, because about five minutes into the final round he knocked Gene down, and then clamped a very large right hand around his head.

    I'll never forget the look of agony on Gene's face as Fritz begin to apply pressure and blood started running down the sides of his head. Gene tried to get the Abdominal Claw on Fritz's stomach but did not have enough strength, probably because he lost so much blood.

    From that point on, I was a true Fritz Von Erich fan. I made a point of watching Fritz whenever one of his matches was on television, and I devoured every wrestling magazine I could find, clipping and saving articles about his career.

    Little did I know that one day, I would not only meet my hero in person but also would sit by his side and hold his hand as he passed away.

    A few years after that first wrestling match, I learned that a dispute had arisen among the National Wrestling Association (NWA) promoters in the New York and Canada area where Fritz had been working. He quit working for those promoters and came to Texas, where in 1966 he set up his headquarters in Dallas and established World Class Championship Wrestling, or the W.C.C.W.

    Whenever Fritz was on the bill at the Southside Sportatorium in Dallas, I made sure to attend.

    Later, after Jack was diagnosed with cancer, Gene Kiniski got word of his illness and made a trip from Canada to spend a week with his longtime friend and adversary.

    I will remember that week for the rest of my life. Gene and Jack reminisced about the good old days of professional wrestling while I took in every word they said, scarcely believing I was in the same room with two of the greatest pro wrestlers in the history of the sport.

    When I met Fritz, I had been working in the personal computer field for many years. Fritz, who was investing heavily in the stock market, asked if I would be interested in showing him how to use a computer to track his stocks in real-time. I had recently undergone back surgery and was not working at the time, so I jumped at the opportunity.

    After each day's lessons were over and the markets had closed, Fritz would break out a bottle of Scotch and, over drinks, would tell me about the old days of professional wrestling, about raising his six sons, and about all the places around the world he had traveled during his 35-plus-year wrestling career. In return, I told him about my experiences in Marine Corps, and my tour in Vietnam.

    As we became close friends, he told me about the tragedies he and his families had undergone throughout the years and how he could not understand why he had lost five of his sons and suffered through a divorce after over 30 years of marriage from his one true love, Doris Smith (Adkisson).

    Jack Adkisson was more than a great athlete -- he was a very wonderful and kind man. After he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he gave me some one-of-a-kind photos and videos and shared with me the secret of his patented Iron Claw, which has remained a Von Erich family secret for decades.

    When I would not accept any compensation for the help I gave him during his illness, he said, "Why donÕt you write a book about me, from me to all my fans around the world like you, Ron?" and let everyone hear the Von Erich story from me.

    It sounded like a good idea, so I started the long process of taking notes the best I could and trying to put together something that Fritz Von Erich himself would find worthy of his approval.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Trafford (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1553692160
• ISBN-13: 978-1553692164
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,633,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fitting Tribute, May 30, 2002

By 

Mr. JKW "jkw" (Honolulu, Hawai'i) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret of the Iron Claw (Paperback)

The Secret of the Iron Claw by Ron Mullinax is the story of the famous, yet tragic, Von Erich wrestling family who rose to fame and helped usher in the modern-era of wrestling in the 1980s.

Mullinax was a family friend of Jack and Kevin Adkisson (Fritz and Kevin Von Erich) who cared for Fritz during the final months of his life before passing away in September, 1997. This biography of Fritzs and his familys story is the by-product of what Fritz related to Ron during his final months.

The account is no-holds barred and you get a good look into the lifes story of a man who, along with his sons, became a bona fide wrestling legend as well as tragic heroes. The book integrates narratives from the author, Fritz, Kevin as well as numerous news story transcripts which document the various stories of the familys tragic lives. You will feel the ups and downs of their lives included their moments of greatness as well as their moments of despair.

THE CONTENTS:

Among the thing youll read about:

1. Jack Adkissons childhood growing up in Texas learning to hunt and fish.

2. His athletic background including his time playing college football at SMU and in the early pros.

3. His meeting his wife Doris and their clandestine wedding.

4. His breaking into the wrestling business after ending his pro-ball career and working odd jobs.

5. His traveling like a gypsy on the independent circuit up North including Canada, New York and Minnesota.

6. His rise and development of the World Class territory in Texas.

7. The TRUE circumstances that led to the deaths of his 5 sons, Jack Jr., David, Mike, Chris and Kerry and his divorce from his wife of 40 years.

8. TONS of heart-warming family stories about the kids as they grew up.

9. The development of Ron Mullinaxs relationship with Fritz and Kevin.

10. Fritz, Doris and Kevins reflections on their lives.

11. Their views on the wrestling world as it is today and their impact in the grand scheme of things.

THE VERDICT:

In all, the book, while marred by a good number of spelling and grammatical errors and a little awkwardly began, is a very powerful story. Fritz, Doris and Kevins thoughts on life and wrestling are truly amazing. The book is very emotional in content. A large portion of the book is basically a tribute to lives and careers of the 5 deceased Von Erich boys. The story, while sad, is compelling.

In sum, Mr. Mullinax, while self-admittedly not an author, did achieve his objective. His book is a powerful tribute to a group of great men and beloved men, whom through fate faced some overwhelming challenges in their lives. The book was not quite as in-depth as I would have preferred it to be as far as family stories went, BUT it is a fine tribute which any wrestling fan, especially any Von Erich fan, should enjoy.

Pages: 207
Total Read Time: 7 hours over 3 days

Must-Read (for Von Erich fans)
Highly Recommended (for everyone else)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not The truth. History according to Fritz., October 6, 2002

By 

Charles S. Marwick (warren, mi USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret of the Iron Claw (Paperback)

Want to read an incredibly biased account of the rise and fall of the Von Erich family? This is your book.
Fritz Von Erich's account of his famous children's lives is through rose colored glasses. You'll walk away from this book with the feeling that he's telling you what he wants you to believe, not the real truth.
His account of son David's death is the one that was given to the press, not the real story of David's very un-glamourous overdose in Japan. (And yes, that has been pretty much proven at this point)
His stories of former wrestling friends and foes are told in character (He still pretends that he hates the Von Erich In-Ring enemies)and are ultimatly, a dissapointment.
If you still believe that Wrestling is real and people like Fritz Von Erich and his sons are Baby-faced heroes who's goal in life is to rid the world of Evil wrestling heels like Michael Hayes and The Fabulous Freebirds, then by all means, order this book without hesitation.
But If You're looking for a factual, behind the scenes account of Pro Wrestling and all that it entails, leave this mess behind and buy Bobby Heanans book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars oh wow, April 12, 2002

By 

naomi (minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Secret of the Iron Claw (Paperback)

i was never much into pro wrestling or things like that but i loved and love this book. you get so wrapped up and caught up in the incredibly great writing and story that you cant put it down. i would reccommend it to everyone, everyone can learn from this and enjoy it like i did. you have to read this book wrestling fan or not cause its about so much more than that:)