Greatest Practitioner: Fritz Von Erich Also Used By: Baron Von Raschke, The Von Erich Family, Killer Kowalski The Iron Claw is a perfect example of the power of ring psychology. Put simply, like The Stone Cold Stunner, The Peoples Elbow and, erm, The Worm, The Iron Claw is purely for show...And yet people believed in it absolutely. In this hold, the practitioner grips the opponents face and squeezes as hard as he can. The thumb and forefinger bite into the temples and threaten to cause brain damage. Of course, this makes for a great photo op and a dramatic ending to any match (if it is sold correctly by the victim). In his autobiography, More Than Just Hardcore, Terry Funk recounts how over this hold actually was at one point (and could easily be again, with the right promotion) Baron Von Raschke used to get his clawhold over with people in a spot where he didnt even put it on his opponent. He used to do a spot where hed lunge with the claw, but his opponent would move, and Von Raschke would have to pry his clawhold off the turnbuckle! That was one of my favourite holds in the business. His clawhold grip was so strong that he couldnt make his own fingers let go of the turnbuckle! And people believed in that! They believed he was truly unable to release the turnbuckle. What was it he had, that he could get away with doing something so absurd? The Iron Claw was once one of the most feared holds in pro wrestling, carrying more weight to it than 99% of todays holds (even the legitimate MMA stuff that has migrated back into todays wrestling). In the minds of the fans, this was an awesomely lethal finisher. It would be nice to see it make a comeback...
I am a professional author and lifelong comic books/pro wrestling fan. I also work as a journalist as well as writing comic books (I also draw), screenplays, stage plays, songs and prose fiction.
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