Customer Reviews

The Secret of the Iron Claw

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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)

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.

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:)

That book is quite interesting for many reasons. He was written by a friend of Fritz, not an author, and it shows in the writing. It also shows he believes everything Fritz says to him and print it. But it's also, to me, the facinating story of a con man who would work his last friend on his dying bed. For that alone, I'd say it's a must read for every Von Erich mark like me. If you were not around when World Class was on fire in the '80's, you will have at least an idea how much the Von Erich family impacted that decade. It is not a factual book, as some of the matches Fritz talks about never even took place. The pictures are awful. But more than any other wrestling books, this one will make you reflect about life, drugs, religion, cancer, family and so much more. I'd say 85% of the stars of World Class at the time, young men in their 20's, are now 6 feet under. It's a sad story, and I understand not everyone will like this book, but there are so many lessons to be learned from it, I highly recommand it once you know what to expect.

This book is awesome i would totally recomend it to others becasue it was a page turner and i could not put it down the book was well written and im forsure gonna look for more books by him

I was greatly impressed by this book. It is a great read. I often find that books depicting ones life is often boring and monotonous. However, with this book I was pulled in by the authors ability to tell the readers of the trials and tribulations of one of the greatest pro wrestlers there ever was. I would recommend this book to everyone! Wrestling fan or not, this is a great story I am sure that all will enjoy.

I found the book to be a very nice read. The author makes you feel like he is sitting next to you telling you all these stories about a man whom he had a lot of respect for and his family, and all the triumphs and the tragedies that the Von Erichs had in their lives. Of course there will be some who will claim that it is all biased but then the author had the advantage of actually talking to Fritz and his family unlike the others who only had rumor and other totally unrelieable sources to base their "truths" about the Von Erichs on. For all Von Erichs fans, who want to get their side of their lives it is an enjoyable book to read

This is an excellent book. I really recommend reading it.
It is a nice book to read sitting by a nice warm cozy fire. I could read this book over and over again!

This is such a great book. I never knew what all happened to the boys, The book seamed so truthful and careing. Mr Mullinax did a wonderful job on the book and was truely a great friend to Jack. I would recomend this book to everyone it so tuching to read. I coudnt hardly put it down. Chapters five and six even brought a tear to my eye. I think everyone will enjoy this book.

I think the author of this book did an awesome job. I really enjoyed reading it, it was very interesting, and I would reccomend everyone out there in this big world to read it. If you are a book lover, then this is the book to read.