41 Most Disgusting Promotional Tactics In Wrestling History RANKED

5. 1985 - Using Mike Von Erich’s Near-Death To Sell Tickets

There is no scale to the Von Erich family tragedy - a tale so unremittingly awful that it broke an unwritten role of cinema. More often than not, when dealing with a story based on true events, Hollywood will embellish it for dramatic effect. The climactic events of ‘Argo’ went far smoother in real life. In both ‘Titanic’ and ‘The Imitation Game’, historical figures were falsely depicted as villains.

Conversely, the Von Erich tale was so overwhelmingly and frequently devastating that ‘The Iron Claw’ writer and director Sean Durkin felt he had to omit the story of Chris Von Erich. The film was dialled-back.

There’s a different tenor to Mike’s story, not to undermine the others, in that Mike wasn’t really built for nor devoutly interested in the wrestling game. He felt the pressure of the business and the family’s legacy bearing down on him after his brother David had passed away, aged 25, on February 10, 1984. In August ‘85, Mike suffered toxic shock syndrome and, subsequently, brain damage. He was never the same; in a taped press conference broadcast from the Baylor University Medical Center early into his recovery, his speech was slurred and he had difficulty gathering his thoughts and focusing his eyes. In a gross bid to capitalise on his condition, Mike was promoted for an upcoming major show at the Cotton Bowl stadium to, in the words of his brother Kerry, “thank the people in person”. This was ultra-grim pretext to sell a few extra tickets, preying on morbid fascination as much as his concern for his wellbeing.

Mike’s recovery was framed by WCCW as a “living miracle” to its deeply religious heartland audience; in reality, the recovery was minimal.