Christopher Barton Adkisson (September 30, 1969 – September 12, 1991) was an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

, best known under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Chris Von Erich of the

Von Erich family The Von Erich family is an American professional wrestling family. Originally from Texas, their actual surname is Adkisson, but every member working in wrestling has used the ring name "Von Erich" after family patriarch Fritz Von Erich (real nam ...

Early life

The smallest and youngest of the

at 5'5" and 175 pounds, Chris aspired to be a wrestler. He was the youngest son of wrestler and wrestling promoter

Fritz Von Erich Jack Barton Adkisson Sr. (August 16, 1929 – September 10, 1997), better known by his ring name Fritz Von Erich, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, wrestling promoter, and the patriarch of the Von Erich family. He was ...

. His brothers, Mike,

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, Kerry and

Kevin Kevin is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; ; ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicised from , an Irish diminutive form.''A Dictiona ...

all had success as wrestlers. Chris was raised with his brothers on 500 acres in Texas. He grew up working cameras and doing other odd jobs backstage for

World Class Championship Wrestling World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA), was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter Ed McLemore, by ...

(WCCW). He won his first amateur wrestling match at the age of six.

Professional wrestling career

Chris had minor involvement in angles in the 1980s. He performed run-ins to aid his brothers against

The Fabulous Freebirds The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team who attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed ...

. Then Chris appeared at ringside when Kerry Von Erich won the NWA World Championship in May 1984. Chris also smashed Buddy Roberts across the back with a chair, and tackled Gino Hernandez at the Cotton Bowl in 1985 while he was trying to escape from having his hair shaved off following a tag-team loss at the hands of the Von Erichs. Chris became a full-fledged wrestler in 1990. He had a small feud with Percy Pringle in the

United States Wrestling Association The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. The company was founded when the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association merged with the Dallas-based World Class Champions ...

(USWA) that was seen nationally on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. Chris tagged with both his brother Kevin and longtime ally Chris Adams in several tag team matches against Pringle and

Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson and later Steven James Williams; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, producer and retired Professional wrestling, profes ...

; however, he would face only Pringle whenever he was in the ring, and allow his more-experienced partner (Kevin or Adams) to battle Austin. Despite his lack of athleticism, Chris was supported by fans, who would often yell "GO, CHRIS, GO!" during his matches. In one of his early matches,

Matt Borne Matthew Wade Osborne (July 27, 1957 – June 28, 2013), known professionally as Matt Borne, was an American professional wrestler. Osborne was a second generation wrestler, the son of Tony Borne, and is best known as being the first wrestler to ...

and Pringle faced off against Kerry and Kevin Von Erich. Chris, who was at ringside, was attacked by Borne and Pringle, ramming his head into the ring apron, causing him to have a headache that lasted for five days. His last known match was a victory over Todd Overbow March 31, 1991 for World Class Wrestling Association in Davis, Oklahoma.

Personal life

Chris had several health problems that limited his success as a wrestler. In addition to

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

, his bones were so brittle from taking

prednisone Prednisone is a glucocorticoid medication mostly used to immunosuppressive drug, suppress the immune system and decrease inflammation in conditions such as asthma, COPD, and rheumatologic diseases. It is also used to treat high blood calcium ...

that they would often break while performing simple wrestling maneuvers. After the 1987 suicide of brother Mike, Chris began to experience depression and drug issues. He was also frustrated by his inability to make headway as a wrestler due to his physical build.

Death and legacy

On September 12, 1991, at about 9 P.M., Chris was found by his brother Kevin and mother outside of their family farm in Edom, suffering from a self-inflicted 9mm gunshot wound to the head. According to Kevin, Chris came to him in the middle of the night, wanting back a videocassette recorder (VCR) Kevin borrowed from him. After noticing Chris sitting alone on top of a hill, Kevin went out and talked with him, where he revealed his suicidal tendencies concerning his condition (he had broken his arm earlier that month). After Kevin pleaded with him not to harm himself, Chris reassured him he wouldn't, but after Kevin left, he shot himself in the head. He was hospitalized at the East Texas Medical Center, shortly after 10 P.M., where he died 20 minutes after arriving, at age 21. Toxicology reports also revealed cocaine and Valium were in his system at the time of his death. Kevin had talked to Chris earlier that day about 100–150 yards north of their home where an apparent suicide note had been left. His interment was located at Grove Hill Memorial Park in Dallas. Chris's life story was combined with his brother Mike for the movie '' The Iron Claw''.

Awards and accomplishments

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...

( Class of 2009) as a member of the

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Von Erich, Chris 1969 births 1991 suicides 1991 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century male professional wrestlers 20th-century American professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers People from Denton, Texas Professional wrestlers from Dallas Suicides by firearm in Texas Von Erich family WWE Hall of Fame inductees