Ric Flair has complained about inaccuracies in The Iron Claw.
The movie told the story of the Von Erich family. The legendary wrestling family faced much tragedy in their lives, with only one of the five brothers surviving past middle age. Ric Flair was a key part of their careers, dropping the NWA World Heavyweight title to Kerry Von Erich in 1984.
Ric Flair recently appeared on Bert Kreischer’s Something’s Burning on YouTube. The comedian asked Flair about his match against Kerry Von Erich at Texas Stadium.
The Nature Boy then called the A24 movie The Iron Claw “the most inaccurate portrayal I’ve ever seen in my life”. Flair claimed this because the movie didn’t show Kerry Von Erich defeating him for the NWA World Heavyweight title in 1984.
“They left that out of that movie, The Iron Claw.” Ric Flair claimed. “That was the most inaccurate portrayal I’ve ever seen in my life. I was there! And they didn’t even talk about the little brother Chris who died. No, they don’t mention Kerry winning the title. They left out all the good stuff.”
Flair would be mistaken, however, as Kerry beating him for the title was a key plot point in the movie. The title change itself wasn’t shown, but the film showed Kerry with the championship, and Aaron Dean Eisenberg portrayed Flair in a promo sequence.
He also noted that Chris Von Erich wasn’t in the movie, which is true.
Chris Von Erich Was Removed From The Iron Claw For A Reason
Meanwhile, there was a good reason why Chris Von Erich was taken out of the film.
Director Sean Durkin spoke to the LA Times, explaining why he took him out of the film. He noted that the film was already said enough, and adding another death would just push it over the edge.
While Chris was featured in the earlier drafts of The Iron Claw, Durkin noted that Chris’ passing (death by suicide in 1991), added another heartbreaking layer to an already tragic tale. “There was a repetition to it, and it was one more tragedy that the film couldn’t really withstand,” Durkin said. “I honestly don’t know if it would have gotten made.”
Durkin later revealed that he fought to keep Chris Von Erich in The Iron Claw script for five years. Eventually, though, he felt it was best to cut Chris’ presence from the film. It is worth noting, however, that aspects of Chris’ story were translated into the narrative surrounding the second youngest brother, Mike Von Erich.
