Jack Adkisson, "Fritz Von Erich" - Dallas Tx - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Jack Adkisson is better known as Fritz Von Erich was the patriarch of one of the most famous families in professional wrestling. Fritz Von Erich began his wrestling career in Canada performing for Stu Hart. In the early 1960, Fritz moved south and began wresting for the AWA and eventually was hired by National Wrestling Alliance and the legendary Sam Muchnick. Fritz excelled with Muchnick both in the ring and learned the art of becoming a first - class booker. With Muchnick’s backing, Fritz became the NWA Promoter in the Dallas area and was the owner of World Class Championship Wrestling, which hosted weekly matches at the Sportatorium in Dallas. All of Fritz’s sons followed him into the ring and became stars in the World Class Promotion. Sadly, four of his five sons died at a young age at the height of their career. David Von Erich died suddenly in a Tokyo Hotel of a gastrointestinal disorder in 1984. Mike, Chris and Kerry Von Erich all committed suicide at the height of their career. Kevin Von Erich is the lone survivor of the First Family of Texas Wrestling. After the territory promotions were swallowed up by a large corporation headed by the McMahon Family, Fritz Von Erich retired and lived quietly in the Dallas area until he died of cancer on September 10, 1997. He is resting with the rest of his family in the family plot at Grove Hill Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

Source/Credit: (visit link)

Description: Jack Barton Adkisson was born on August 16, 1929 and became the patriarch of the Von Erich Wrestling Family. He began his wrestling career in Canada when the legendary Stu Hart agreed to train him. While with Hart, he was billed as Fritz Von Erich, a name that stuck with him for the rest of his life. After a successful tenure with Hart’s promotion, Fritz Von Erich moved south and began wrestling for AWA Championship Wrestling, winning their championship in 1963. A big break in his career came when he moved to the National Wrestling Aliance (NWA) and Sam Muchnick’s promotion in St. Louis, Missouri. Fritz excelled with Muchnick both in and out of the ring. The NWA had a number of territories under its banner and with Muchnick’s backing Fritz became the NWA Promoter for the Dallas Territory and was the owner of World Class Championship Wrestling. The World Class Brand became one of the most successful promotions of profession wrestling, hosting weekly wrestling events at “The World Famous Sportatorium,” in Dallas. Thanks in large part to Fritz Von Erich and the fact that the promotion’s biggest star were his son’s all of whom wrestled under the Von Erich name. Kerry, Chris, Michael, David and Kevin all followed their father into the ring and became the primary stars of World Class Wrestling. Sadly, the Von Erich family is regarded as one of the most cursed family’s in sports. By the time Fritz Von Erich died in 1997, four of his five son’s had preceded him in death. David Von Erich died suddenly in a Tokyo Hotel of a gastrointestinal disorder in 1984. Mike, Chris and Kerry Von Erich all committed suicide at the height of their career. Kevin Von Erich is the lone survivor of the First Family of Texas Wrestling. Despite the lose of his children Fritz continued to promote professional wrestling until the territories were swallowed up by a large corporation headed by the McMahon Family. Fritz Von Erich died on September 10, 1997 from the complications of cancer. He is resting in the Von Erich family plot as Grove Hill Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas, next to his son Kerry and near his other sons Mike, Chris and David Date of birth: 08/16/1929 Date of death: 09/10/1997 Area of notoriety: Sports Marker Type: Horizontal Marker Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily - Daylight Hours Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for waymarks in this category, you must have personally visited the waymark location. When logging your visit, please provide a note describing your visit experience, along with any additional information about the waymark or the surrounding area that you think others may find interesting.

We especially encourage you to include any pictures that you took during your visit to the waymark. However, only respectful photographs are allowed. Logs which include photographs representing any form of disrespectful behavior (including those showing personal items placed on or near the grave location) will be subject to deletion.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   08/09/2014 WalksfarTX visited it