- Kerry Von Erich was a wrestling superstar during the 1980s.
- After being in a motorcycle accident in 1986, his right foot had to be amputated.
- He continued wrestling, joining the WWE in 1990 but never telling anyone he had a missing foot.
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Wrestling is a profession built on secrets, but the one Kerry Von Erich kept from the public is shocking.
In "The Iron Claw," which chronicles cursed wrestling family the Von Erichs, one of the most surprising moments is when it's revealed that Kerry Von Erich, played by "The Bear" star Jeremy Allen White, has had his right foot amputated following a motorcycle accident.
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From the late 1970s through the 1980s, Von Erich was a superstar in Texas, where he wrestled for his father's wrestling promotion World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) alongside his brothers Kevin (played in the movie by Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson), and Mike (Stanley Simons).
But three months after David's shocking death from enteritis in 1984, Kerry fought Rick Flair for the heavyweight championship, taking David's place.
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In front of 45,000 screaming fans in Kerry's backyard of Texas Stadium, he defeated Flair to win the belt. It seemed Kerry was on his way to superstardom. But all that changed two years later.
In June 1986, Kerry got in a motorcycle accident that badly injured his right leg. Eventually, his foot had to be amputated.
Yet somehow, after recovering from the accident, Kerry continued to wrestle with a prosthetic, never revealing that he was performing with only one foot. Legend has it Kerry even showered with his boots on after matches to avoid revealing his missing foot.
In 1990, he signed with WWE, then known as WWF, the biggest wrestling promotion in the country. For a short time that year, Kerry — renamed the Texas Tornado — was the Intercontinental Champion. But he never returned to the glory he had with his brothers back at WCCW.
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Following his foot amputation, Kerry became addicted to drugs. Six years after his brother Mike died by suicide, Kerry also died by suicide in 1993.
In 2009, the entire Von Erich family was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
"The Iron Claw" is now playing in theaters.
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