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“You got yourself a deal, kid.”
Fritz Von Erich looked me square in the eye. His handshake was firm, old timey. Like a man who just made a deal for his life. I knew he felt his options were limited, and I was hopefully a part of the answer. Since his oldest son, David, hadn’t talked to him in six months, I was not only important for business, but also for mending his relationship. For me, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. New booker of World Class Championship Wrestling… Ken Mantell was out, and I was in. Me, a small time wrestler with little experience and just a stroke of luck given my relationship with David.
I’ve known Big Dave since high school, when he was at Lake Dallas I was playing across town, but our relationship goes all the way back to middle school. As David began wrestling and the industry really told a hold of him, we stayed in contact, worked out together once in a while, and eventually he broke me into the business. I graduated from training with Dory Funk Jr. after he closed the old Amarillo-office in 1981. Same year I started taking bookings, go figure… I secured a couple dark matches with World Class in 1982, but nothing came of it despite my relationship with David. After Amarillo shut down, I had a hard time getting bookings, and had to continue to fall back on my day job. Finances held me back from pursuing more, unlike David, who had the industry in the palm of his hands, right up until last year…
“The Yellow Rose of Texas” was on a collision course with NWA World Heavyweight champion, Ric Flair, in the winter of 1984. By the time the legendary feud with the Von Erichs against the Freebirds came to an end, David was on cruising on his way to a showdown with the world champ. He was also cruising to his first ever NWA world title victory, which certainly would have changed his career, but destiny just didn’t have things planned that way… After David returned home from a tour in Japan in February 1984, World Class was booking the great world title match… The Yellow Rose of Texas, the homegrown hero and eldest son of the Von Erich dynasty, hitting it off with Ric Flair, the epitome of everything David and his lifestyle were against. David wasn’t about flashy cars, big watches, or making sure three women were around his arms at one time. David was about real toughness, real grit, and real emotion. David represented everything Ric Flair hated, and boy did the people hate Ric Flair.
Flair’s animosity shared throughout Texas blew through the roof in April of 1984, when he pinned David in a thirty-minute classic to retain the world’s title. For those in the business, a complete shocker. Everybody and their mother would have told you David was the next world champ, but behind the scenes, the world champ and Jim Crockett Jr. pulled the plug on that idea in the final hour and screwed Fritz out of his big pay day. I only talked to David weeks after it happened, but from what I heard he was completely gutted when he went backstage. He almost got into with Flair, who apparently ran his mouth back, and Fritz tried to calm him down, but nothing was doing.
48 hours later, David was back on to Japan and left Texas for the rest of the year. Dirt sheets ran rumors Fritz was reportedly beside himself about this, perhaps reminiscent of losing his first son Jack so tragically early on. Now, the apple of his eye, David, was out of the picture too, and refused to speak with his father. World Class continued on, writing off David just as any weasley promoter will, hardly mentioning him in fact, unless it was a brief reminder of David’s extended tour in Japan and around the wrestling world. The truth? David went on a two month bender, nearly died twice, and only got a grip back on reality after New Japan’s Tiger Hittori found David passed out in his hotel room and begged him to get himself together. By the end of the summer, it was reported David was working dates again for New Japan, and somehow found himself back into a rhythm in his wrestling career.
“Listen, you’re the only hope I might have to get him back.”
Fritz told me earlier, speaking of David. He was really showing me all his cards, not that I was really in a position of leverage in negotiations, but I knew Fritz wanted me, bad. Not sure how he was going to explain it to the rest of his company, but putting me in charge meant David was coming back. And perhaps more importantly than helping repair his broken relationship with his son, but it meant bringing back serious heat the company found itself slowly losing since David’s departure. His younger brothers, Kerry and Kevin, did what they could to keep the momentum going, including Kerry losing his title match against Flair for the gold, but none of them were quite like David.
“I give you the book, and you run everything by me, you hear?”
Of course I would “clue the boss in” on what I was planning, but this was my one shot. Unlike David, not all of us get a second (or third) chance at life. Some of us only get one opportunity to break through our glass ceiling and become something greater. For me, I knew this would be it, or I would be back in trade school and settling down with a fine gal to start a home. And I was okay with that, as long as I knew my failure was met with the hardest I had ever worked in my life, even if every bridge I had ever built was burned in the end…
"This is what you want to do?"
I felt confident about my presentation. World Class could be something more than what it was now. It could be something big, something special. I mean, it was already those things, but they swelled only to the size of Texas. I was thinking on a more...national scale.
"You know, nobody's talked to me about this before." Fritz remarked.
I couldn't believe it. Nobody, and I mean nobody, has talked to him about the prospect of going national? Not even one of the kids? Not Ken Mantell? I was shocked.
"It's crossed my mind. Of course I want to be bigger, I want to be the best. I'm just not sure if it's going to happen." He was being honest with me.
"Listen Fritz, you have to be real here. There is a ticking timebomb on your company. You might think the gates and the attendance is strong now. But what about in five-years? What about ten?" I expressed.
"Well, god damnit, we were here five years ago. Ten years ago, what do you mean? My boys are young, they're just getting started! We're not going nowhere!" He was getting red.
"Fritz, no, Fritz, listen please. Hear me out here... You've seen what's been going on in New York… Vince is out, his son is in. And you've seen what he did to Verne in Minnesota. He's destroyed him. I don't care what Verne says, or any of his boys up there in Minny. They're done, just look at the names. Hogan. Heenan. Ventura. Patera. Okerlund. All took the money and ran. Verne wasn't willing to pay out and couldn't seize his chance. Instead, he's too interested in himself and what was. It's not about how things were anymore, it's about where things are going."
I had Fritz' ears.
"Now see what he's doing. He's starting to book shows in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia... "
"Texas..." Fritz tacked on.
"Texas! That's right! And he's only going to move faster. Cable TV, it's a big deal Fritz, I'm telling you, it's going to be your lifeline if you play this right. I think you can do it Fritz, I think you can get yourself a TV deal you need to stay toe-to-toe with Vince, but the opportunities aren't going to come often Fritz. I think we need to be smart here, and ride the waves of what Vince has been doing. I think we can get some interest here soon, but we need to think bigger. Not only do we need to perform for the people of Texas, but we need to start performing for the rest of the country Fritz. And we need to start thinking ahead. Who's next on Vince's list? Gino? Jake? Chris?"
"Ah, Gino would never leave me!"
"No? He wouldn't? Let me ask you… is Gino driving a nicer car than five years ago? Wearing a nicer suit? Hanging out with nicer ladies? That all comes at a price Fritz, and you better believe Vince has the checkbook to pay something you just won't have when that day comes."
...
Fritz sat in a bit of silence, processing what I was telling him. I don't think he was lying when he said no one has had this sort of conversation before. I could see the wheels spinning inside. He was probably feeling a wide mix of emotions, and I didn't blame it. The threat was real, and I think everyone except the big dogs in the business could feel it. I knew Fritz was comfortable, just like the rest of the old boys club. They had been working the same towns, in the same arenas, under the same banner for years, wherever you went. But the writing on the wall was becoming clear… Vince was working his way up to the first-ever "WrestleMania", and who knows what the hell that means. It was going to be a pay-per-view event "for the ages", and celebrities were getting involved. Cyndi Lauper. Mr. T. More people besides what wrestling knew and was, and it was going to pay dividends for McMahon if all went well…
But for Fritz? His shares were falling, and fast. He didn't know it, nobody else seemed to pay any mind to it as long as they were getting paid. But me? I was thinking longer, bigger, than what anyone else was. Besides, what did I have to lose?
"I don't know about these guys. I just, I just... I never heard of 'em!"
I could tell Fritz was frustrated. I had lost his control on things, and was giving someone else a shot at making the call on talent. Unfortunately for me, I was the guy taking over.
"That's the point Fritz!" I was getting more bold. Things were seemingly going well for me. I had met a lot of the guys on the roster already, getting introduced backstage at a late December house show. This time, it was Noon on a Tuesday, and I was in the office of Fritz Von Erich, just me and the old man. I realized how incredibly lucky I was able to get some one-on-one time in with Fritz, nobody else in his ear. Just me, convincing him of the world I saw before me, and what he had at his disposal in the business he had been running. At this point I considered myself a consultant. But to others...
"There you are you sumbitch!" The office door swung open! It hit the wall behind it and rattled the shelves, but nothing was going to shake as much as Dallas, Texas when it first laid its eyes on the man in the doorway.
"David! I thought you were in tomorrow!" Fritz exclaimed. His eyes were wide open. It was the first time he had laid eyes on his eldest in half a year, probably longer apart than they had ever been. I, personally, hadn't seen David in person in a couple of years, and at the start of 1985, he was standing before me looking more battleworn, more grizzled, but still in command of any room he entered. It wasn't his father he was concerned about, however. Instead, David walked right up to me and wrapped his bigs arms all the way around.
"Haven't seen you in years pal! How 'ya been? Hear your the big guy in charge around here now! Is that true?" David said.
I was turning red, realizing where I stood in this moment.
"Yeah Dave, maybe not as big as you, but, maybe a bit bigger than when you last saw me." I humorously patted my belly.
"Nah man, you look great! Are you kidding? I know you've been hitting the gym, or what, have you gone soft on me?" I could feel the tension in Fritz on the other side of the room. He tried to chime in, "Dav-".
"And hell, now that you're carrying the book, ain't no weight or muscle heavier than that, 'ya hear? You know what they do in Japan to get the book? Things you wouldn't believe! Consider yourself lucky, got that?" David continued, not paying any mind to his father. But Fritz wasn't having it.
"David, I'd like to speak to you alone, son." I could hear it in his voice. Fritz was controlling. He was dominating. But I knew he was missing David, and had something to say about their falling out last summer. I respectfully dismissed myself from the room, leaving the father and son alone. Gathering my notes, I proceeded to make my way out of the room, when David smacked his hand on my shoulder and stopped me in my path.
"We're gonna do big things now, you better believe it." He said.
"I know, Dave. I know." I smiled back. Excitement jolted through my body as the door closed behind me. Again, it hit me, I couldn't believe I was in the position I was in, and I owed much of it to David. Hell, I owed all of it to David... But it was either sink or swim from the get-go, and I knew it was only up to me to stay afloat.
Exiting to my car, I opened up my notes and took another glimpse at the list of guys I had convinced Fritz to give the OK2SIGN on. Guys I have had my eye on in the wrestling circuit for sometime now. Guys I thought could give the World Class roster more depth and fresh flavor too. I didn't want just the same old, same old flooding the ring. I wanted fresh faces, fresh ideas, guys that would thrive in the World Class setting. And tomorrow, Fritz and I would start making the calls... At the top I wrote down, "Call tomorrow:".
If I couldn’t shave top talent at the demand of Fritz Von Erich (not that I was interested to in the first place), I had to look elsewhere for cost cutting. It wasn’t long before I realized how much Fritz was spending on his live event staff.
“Two haulers?” I asked.
“What the hell is two haulers?”
“Ah! Johnny and Murph! Yeah, love those kids. Good kids, you know? Used to have those two over at the farm when they were younger, hauled a lot of hay for me. Paid ‘em a nickel a ‘noon, I’d say. That was five cents a day. Hard workers I’ll tell ‘ya…” Fritz reminisced...
“And what do they do?” I inquired.
“What do they do? Well… they, uh. Why do they carry the equipment and help set up the ring! Every other show I think… or was it every other Saturday?” He pondered.
“They’ve gotta go.” I put it bluntly.
“What?” He replied.
“They’ve got to go
“Cut it down? We put on the best damn live event in Texas! We can’t cut down our staff!”
“Fritz, you cut it down or you go insolvent. Which would you prefer.”
“Ah, damnit well… run me through the numbers again!”
And so I did, shaving $5,000 off a show with the cuts I made. Just hoped to god it would work out come showtime, but for the time being, I felt we could shave $16,000 off of our monthly costs just with that move. I looked elsewhere as well. My eyes widened once I saw how much Fritz was allotting himself from the company funding… $22,000 a month… Safe to say life on the Von Erich farm was good… very good. He scrambled and tore the paper away from me once he noticed I was reading some sensitive financial information.
He looked at the sheet and then looked back up at me.
“Kid, you think David will come around?” I couldn’t believe he was about to confide in me.
“Uh… well Fritz, I-”
“Ha! Kid’s as stubborn as his old man… He seems different though. Something has changed.” Fritz said looking into the distance.
“People can change when they are in a different country, hell, a different world for half a year.” I followed with, trying to give Fritz some sense of rationale for the feelings he might be having. Wasn’t sure I was getting through…
“People change, that’s for damn sure. People love to change their minds about any damn thing! What’s for breakfast! What’s on the tube! Who’s winning the belt!...” He let his words echo in the tight office. I could hear the fan swirling ahead as cars went by outside the window.
“Does this all have to do with the Flair match?” I asked, holding my balls in one hand. Fritz looked at me with a stern brow, perhaps I was trying to dig too deep.
“Don’t you have some money to save me?” He said. I understood what he was trying to say. I quickly changed the topic back to details of the company and less about his family relationships…
“Maybe I could convince you to run a few less shows?” I asked. Fritz was quick to stomp that idea out. World Class was running a couple shows a week, with the big weekly shows taking place every Friday either at the Dallas Sportatorium or Reunion Arena. This has been going on for years…
“Well, maybe more shows outside of just Dallas-Ft. Worth?”
“Funny.” Fritz responded.
“Why not?” I challenged… “You’ve got a lot to learn, huh?” He said back. “What, that you’ve got a bunch of other guys in your position holding down their territories across the country? You think McMahon gives a damn about your territory?” I had Fritz thinking again.
“I know you’ve been thinking about it Fritz. Since you changed the name to World Class, you’ve been hinting to something.” He scratched his head as he read a piece of paper in front of him, almost like he was trying to ignore me.
“Come on Fritz, I know you better than that.”
“You don’t know me at all.” Fritz said, as he whipped his paper on his desk and got up from his chair. He turned around the stretched, and walked towards the office door.
“I’m gonna wrap things up here, kid. You better take off.”
And with that, I hit the road home. We still hadn't firmly narrowed down our long-term booking strategy, but we knew David Von Erich was returning and it was going to be a big event for World Class Championship Wrestling.
My phone rang.
“Hey man, called the office earlier and was told you headed home, so I figured I'd give you a ring.” The voice on the other side said. It was David Von Erich.
“Hey David! Yeah, just got home a bit ago, how's things? Settling in alright?” I asked.
“Things are well, yep, things are well. Mama back in the kitchen for me again, spent some time with the boys. You know, haven't been in the ring in a month, so it's been great to heal up. Those guys in Japan, man, you wouldn't believe how hard they hit. I had a bruised sternum for the first two months over there, one of the toughest I've worked through.” He said. I had heard of how Japanese workers performed, but hadn't seen much if anything of real Japanese wrestling, only what could be imported in the ring locally over here.
“Wow, that does sound tough. Well David, I know we haven't spoke much, but it's great to have you back. Sure you haven't heard enough of that.” I said jokingly. He chuckled.
“Got that right. Man, I'm just lucky to be back. Was a long six months, my friend. But, as they say, home, sweet home!” He was in good spirits.
"Oh absolutely. Did you talk to Fritz when you called?"
I was curious..."Uh, no, Fritz wasn't there." He responded. That immediately smelled funky to me... there was nobody else there but Fritz and I.
"But you said the office said I was home already?" I asked.
"Huh? Nah I didn't say that. I said I called the office and figured you were home or somethin' since no one answered. But hey! You know I'm getting the old Texas ring boots back on, and, well, ready to get in the ring and mess around with the boys a bit. Got some great ideas we need to run by... I got a question for you... What's the plan with the belt?" He was dodging the question.
"The belt?" There were many belts, but I wasn't sure if he meant the big daddy of them all, currently held by Ric Flair, or the NWA American Heavyweight title, held by his brother, Kerry.
"Yeah, the Texas title." He was referring to the Texas Heavyweight championship, currently around the waist of massive heel Gino Hernandez.
"Honestly, Dave, haven't narrowed down a lot yet. I've got some ideas in the works, but haven't thought too long term on the booking for any of the titles." I answered.
"Well luckily we don't have to think too long term about the Texas belt. 'Cause you know, I'm an eight-time champion. Ain't never been American champion, ain't really been the belt for me, you know? The Texas belt, though... You know, there ain't never been a better champion than me for Texas. You ain't never seen a bigger draw, too, I reckon. And I know Gino is champ now, but... I think Gino could take a step back. Give us all some breathing room. Besides, what better way to return to beautiful Texas than David making his homecoming and taking back the belt that means so much to the people?"
Finally, the first wind of politicking. Took long enough.
"You know David, I like what you're saying. It's definitely been on my mind, no doubt." He cut me off swiftly.
"I know you like that idea, because it's my idea. And I'm sure you'll find all my ideas are great ideas, agreed? I've been on top of this shibang for quiet some time, and I reckon nothing will change about that once I get back in front of my fans. So let that one stir and get back to me about what you're thinking. I've got a fine glass of whiskey on the rocks I need to stir myself and attend to, so let's pick this back up soon, alright?"
David was coming across as dominant. It was clear he was sending me a message. David was my ticket in, and if he wanted to, he could cash my ticket out. Luckily for me, the man signing my checks needed me for one thing: getting David back and saving his business from imminent doom. Certainly nothing that hadn't crossed my mind before, but I knew I was walking in a mindfield.
"Sounds great to me Dave. You take care now." I said.
"Adios! Or as they like to say in Japan, Sayōnara!"
A big laugh faded out as the phone hung up. As I got up, the thoughts raced through my head. Was David always this ruthless? Was he even being ruthless? What he was saying... made sense, but, the way he was asking... He wasn't even really asking, just, telling it like how it was going to be... And I'm sure with enough thought, any of the other boys could quickly pick-up what was going to happen if I let David's booking control my own... At this point I had to tread carefully. Sink or swim, what a surprise...
But although the days continued to pass, business didn't stop. We had to get ready for the big Friday night show and also prep for TV production. I moved on to reviewing the cards...