Chris Von Erich
| Chris Von Erich | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Birth name | Chris Barton Adkisson |
| Born |
September 30, 1969 Dallas, Texas |
| Died | September 12, 1991 (aged 21) |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Family | Von Erich |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Chris Von Erich |
| Billed height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Billed weight | 160 lb (73 kg) |
| Billed from | Denton, Texas |
| Trained by | Fritz Von Erich |
| Debut | June 22, 1990[1] |
Chris Barton Adkisson (September 30, 1969 – September 12, 1991)[2] was an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Chris Von Erich of the Von Erich family.
Career
The smallest and youngest of the Von Erich family, all Chris wanted to be was a wrestler. He was the youngest son of wrestler Fritz Von Erich. His brothers, Mike, David, Kerry and Kevin all had success as wrestlers. He grew up working cameras and doing other odd jobs backstage for WCCW.
He became a wrestler in 1990, but faced numerous issues. Aside from drug problems similar to his much older brothers, his asthma held him back and his bones were so brittle that he would often break them while performing simple wrestling maneuvers. He stayed with it as much as he could, and even had a small feud with Percy Pringle in the USWA. Chris tagged with both his brother Kevin and longtime ally Chris Adams in several tag team matches against Pringle and "Stunning" Steve Austin (later "Stone Cold" Steve Austin); however, he would face only Pringle whenever he was in the ring, and allow his more-experienced partner (Kevin or Adams) to battle Austin. Despite his lack of athleticism, Chris was very supported by fans, who would often yell "GO, CHRIS, GO!" during his matches.
Chris though was involved in two angles years before: one involving Chris smashing Buddy Roberts across the back with a chair, and another well-known incident involved Chris tackling Gino Hernandez at the Cotton Bowl in 1985; while escaping from having his hair shaved off following a tag-team loss at the hands of the Von Erichs.
Death
Frustrated and depressed over the deaths of his brothers (especially the 1987 suicide of brother Mike), and the inability to make headway as a wrestler due to his physical build, Chris shot himself in the head on September 12, 1991, eighteen days before his 22nd birthday.[3] His interment was located at Grove Hill Memorial Park in Dallas.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
Championships and accomplishments
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)
See also
References
- ↑ "World Class Memories: Results 1990 and Beyond". John Dananay/Michael Moody/ISE Web Productions. July 28, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
- ↑ "Chris Von Erich". Find a Grave. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
- ↑ Cohen, Eric. "Who's who in the Von Erich Family?". Retrieved 19 April 2009.