The Iron Claw: Why A Tragic Von Erich Brother Was Cut From The Movie

Contains spoilers for "The Iron Claw"

"The Iron Claw" is all about family togetherness — the sort that both gladdens and binds and chokes those who become enmeshed in it. The true-life tragedy just might break your heart in half. But one Von Erich doesn't end up enmeshed in the movie's Greek tragedy; Chris Von Erich, the youngest son of Fritz and Doris, has been erased from the film completely.

It's a fairly shocking choice, since Chris, even if not as technically gifted as his brothers, is an important part of the Von Erich legacy. But that doesn't mean he's being ignored. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, director and writer Sean Durkin explained that he condensed the personalities and life stories of Mike and Chris Von Erich into a single character due to time constraints.

Durkin explained that he wanted to include Chris in the film and that he appears in early drafts of the movie. "That was one of the toughest decisions I had to make," the director said. "You could make nine hours of 'The Godfather' on this family. I didn't have that opportunity, so I had to make choices of what could fit in a movie." Durkin went on to say that he hoped that combining Mike and Chris into a single figure would preserve the personalities of both men.

Director/writer Sean Durkin isn't the only member of the crew of "The Iron Claw" who has expressed sympathy for Chris and Mike Von Erich, both of whom had to endure a lot as sons mired in the Von Erich legacy. Stanley Simons, who plays Mike, told Entertainment Weekly that he felt bad for both Mike and Chris Von Erich. "He and his younger brother Chris were both the younger brothers of these three huge, larger-than-life characters," Simons explained, adding that both men were pushed into the ring in the wake of David Von Erich's death by their father, Fritz.

While Mike wanted to make movies and Chris passionately supported the family business, both found themselves wrestling in order to keep World Class Wrestling alive in its waning days. Mike dealt with toxic shock syndrome due to botched shoulder surgery and could not keep up with the demands Fritz Von Erich allegedly kept piling on his shoulders; a subsequent car accident made performing even more difficult. Chris was asthmatic and the least athletic member of the family, his in-ring career hampered by his smaller size, and the fact that the drugs he took to control his asthma left his bones brittle. He never got to do more than wrestle manager Percy Pringle — WWF/WWE's future Paul Bearer.

Mike died by suicide on April 12, 1987, and Chris on September 12, 1991. While only one of these emotional bodyslams ultimately made it into "The Iron Claw," you can expect to be deeply moved when the film hits theaters on December 22.

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