Kerry Gene Adkisson better known by his ring name Kerry Von Erich was an American professional wrestler. He was part of the Von Erich family of professional wrestlers.
He is best known for his time with his father’s promotion World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), where he spent eleven years of his career, and his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), under the ring name The Texas Tornado.
Adkisson held forty championships in various promotions during his career. Among other accolades, he was a one-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and four-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion, making him an overall five-time world champion and one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion.
Kerry’s final match took place on February 12, 1993. It was a tag team match in the GWF at the Sportatorium on which Kerry and Chris Adams lost via disqualification to Johnny Mantell and Black Bart.
Kerry Von Erich Parents: Meet Fritz Von Erich and Doris Adkisson
Kerry Von Erich was the fourth son of Fritz Von Erich. He was born Kerry Gene Adkisson on February 3, 1960, in Niagara Falls, New York. Known as “The Modern Day Warrior” and “The Texas Tornado”, Kerry was by far the best-known of the Von Erich Family.
Fritz married Doris on June 23, 1950. Together, they had six sons before divorcing on July 21, 1992. On September 10, 1997, Fritz died of lung cancer that had spread to his brain.
Fritz Von Erich was born Jack Barton Adkisson on August 16, 1929 in Jewett, Texas. Originally trained by Stu Hart, Fritz became a top star in many National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) promotions, most notably in St. Louis and in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW).
He held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship at one time in the 1960s. Despite never winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, he maintained his presence within the NWA, holding many other major belts.
Fritz also served shortly as NWA President in the 1970s, as well as President of WCCW when it moved to Dallas, Texas. Fritz was also a major part of Japanese wrestling, where he was known as “Tetsu no Tsume” (in English, “The Iron Claw”), and helped rebuild the business after the death of Rikidōzan.