5 Most Infamous Illegitimate Son Wrestling Storylines
3. Waldo Von Erich & Lance Von Erich
The Von Erich family will go down in history as one of the most beloved families in wrestling history; made all the more treasured by the wrestling community due to the tragedy that befell them.
From Fritz, Kevin and David to Kerry, Mike and Chris, the family will forever be etched in Texas folklore as the lifeblood of wrestling in the Dallas area. However, two such names that may not make that list are Waldo Von Erich and Lance Von Erich.
Waldo Von Erich was billed throughout the 60s and 70s as the brother of Fritz Von Erich. Despite no legitimate connection, the kayfabe “brothers” held the NWA American Tag Team Championships together, while Waldo also went on to challenge Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Championship on a number of occasions before retiring in 1979.
Following the death of David Von Erich in 1984, Fritz felt he needed another member of the Von Erich clan to help prop up business in World Class Championship Wrestling. However, it would take almost another year for these plans to come to fruition. When Mike Von Erich contracted toxic shock syndrome following a shoulder injury suffered on a trip to Isreal, Fritz decided the time was right to unveil the newest Von Erich to the world.
As such, Fritz opted for local wrestler, Ricky Vaughan, and quickly repackaged him as Lance Von Erich. To counteract his estrangement from Fritz and co in World Class, Lance was billed as the son of Waldo and, just like that, Fritz had himself another member of the Von Erich family on the books.
Lance debuted in October of ‘85 and was initially quite successful; however, many fans came to know or suspect that he wasn’t a real member of the Von Erich family, partly due to the fact he had wrestled previously in the Dallas area as Ricky Vaughan. WCCW attempted to cover for this fact by stating that he had wrestled under an alias in order to attain success on his own, independent from the Von Erich name.
Lance would actually go on to attain a great deal of success in World Class, holding a variety of championships and even challenging Ric Flair for the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship. After various stints tagging with the Von Erich boys, Lance would also find success tagging with Dingo Warrior, who would eventually become the Ultimate Warrior in WWF.
Ultimately, Lance Von Erich would leave World Class after a dispute over booking and pay; allegedly refusing to put over Nord the Barbarian (aka The Berzerker in WWF). Fritz would respond by breaking kayfabe and publicly denouncing Lance as a Von Erich on television; revealing his Lance’s true identity and prohibiting him from ever using the Von Erich name again.
As a result, Lance was blackballed from WCCW, thus putting an end to the angle and simultaneously delivering a fatal blow to Lance’s from which it never truly recovered.