How The Von Erich Wrestling Family Amassed A Huge Female Fan Base

Highlights

• The Von Erich Brothers gained international stardom thanks to their strong female fan base, which was a defining factor in their success.
• WCCW capitalized on their female audience by selling personalized merchandise and even creating a phone hotline for fans to connect with Kerry Von Erich.
• The Von Erichs were idolized by their female fans in a similar way to how K-pop fans choose biases, but unfortunately, women's contributions to wrestling history are often erased.

Thanks to A24’s film, The Iron Claw, the Von Erich family has been a topic of conversation among wrestling fans and mainstream audiences alike. The film was of particular interest to younger women who are big fans of the cast, particularly Zac Efron, Harris Dickinson, and Jeremy Allen White. To some wrestling fans today, young girls rushing to theatres to see the Von Erichs might sound bizarre. In actuality, though, this is a funny echo of the Von Erichs’ fanbase in the 80s.

If you watch a Von Erich match in the Dallas Sportatorium, it immediately becomes apparent that women carried the Von Erichs to the international stardom they achieved. You can see the local crowds were comprised mostly of women, of all ages. And if you can’t see them, you’ll certainly hear them. So, how did the Von Erichs amass such a strong female following in a traditionally male-dominated space? The answer is a mix of naturally-born luck and opportunistic marketing.

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The Von Erich Brothers Had Babyface Good Looks

Female Wrestling Fans Loved The Von Erichs

Commentary and magazines regularly referred to the Von Erich brothers as heartthrobs. And how could they not? Each brother had his own unique charm to him, whether it was David’s rough-and-tough country attitude, Kevin’s caring demeanor, Kerry’s Herculean good looks, or Mike’s soft-spoken courage.

The Von Erichs didn’t play music, but they were performers nonetheless. Fans bought tickets to see them, not on a stage but in the ring, and cheered when the Von Erichs so much as showed their faces. To the women in the crowd, it must’ve felt reminiscent of the Beatlemania that swept the nation just over a decade prior.

The Von Erichs Targeted Merchandise For Women

Kerry Von Erich Had A Phone Hotline Fans Could Call

Not only were the Von Erichs aware of their female fan base, but they worked hard to foster it. They sold t-shirts with each Von Erich’s face on them, in addition to shirts that read “Property Of [Kevin/Kerry/Mike].” The most eyebrow-raising shirts were the ones that read “Taken By Force From [Kevin/Kerry/Mike].” Clearly, WCCW knew who their audience was and what they were coming to the Sportatorium to see.

WCCW’s merchandise went beyond apparel; they sold pin-up posters of the Von Erich boys, both individually and as a group, in both their wrestling trunks and formal tuxedos. Someone even had the bright idea to create the “Kerry Von Erich Hotline,” a 900-number fans could call to ask Kerry anything they want. Kerry was sure to specify that fans could ask him anything. Reading between the lines makes it easy to understand what Kerry was fishing for.

The Von Erichs Were Idolized By Their Female Fans

The Von Erichs Were Treated Like Boy Bands

I bet you weren’t expecting to read a comparison between pro wrestling and K-pop fandoms today, were you? The two spaces have much more in common than fans might realize (or want to admit). In K-pop, fans often choose a “bias,” or a favorite member of their selected group. They’ll often buy merch for that particular performer, whether it’s apparel, figurines, or trading cards. Does this sound familiar?

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The terminology is different, but the core idea is the same: female fans like to scan a group of handsome men, see one that resonates with them the most, and devote themselves to him. The Von Erichs (or at least WCCW’s marketing team) knew about this amusing facet of human nature and used it to their advantage, decades before the rise of K-pop.

The Popularity Of The Von Erichs Is Due To Women Fans

The Erasure Of Women From WCCW’s History

There’s an odd thing that happens in pop culture time and time again; women will make a television series or band popular, and men will mock their enthusiasm. But then, time passes, and men act like they were the predominant fans of this thing all along. Instead of belittling women for being fans, they claim that women actually don’t know what they’re talking about, and could never understand it.

This happened with The Beatles, and even with the Star Trek television show. The Beatles are now upheld by pretentious music enjoyers who love to gatekeep what was once the most popular boy band in the world. Star Trek, too, is guarded by a brigade of misogynistic geeks.

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A similar thing has happened to the Von Erichs; a few decades ago, it was women at the forefront of the Von Erich fandom. Now, the tragedies surrounding the family and the male-ification of the wrestling fan base have formed a shroud of mystery around them. While the Von Erichs were once beloved heartthrobs, they’re now these mystical figures that “real” wrestling fans hold over newcomers’ heads to boast their own encyclopedic knowledge.

The Von Erichs are more than their tragedies. They were a good-hearted, if not rowdy group of young men who helped revolutionize the wrestling business. By their side was a devoted group of fans who have largely been brushed aside, as the history of wrestling continues to be rewritten through a male lens.