Next Generation of Von Erichs Wrestling in Japan

It's been nearly 20 years since Dallas crowds cheered on a brawny boy from Texas' first family of wrestling: the Von Erichs, whose story at times resembled a Greek tragedy.

Until recently, Kevin Von Erich's 1993 retirement seemed to have ended the dynasty built by his father, Jack Adkisson, known in the wrestling world by his stage name, Fritz Von Erich, a tough, make-believe Nazi sympathizer.

But now a third generation of Von Erichs is staging a comeback: Kevin's two sons, Ross, 24, and Marshall, 19, made their debut in April in Sedan, Kan., and are on a three-month tour in Japan.

They are well aware of their family's heartbreaking past. By the time their grandfather Jack died in 1997, he had outlived four of his five wrestling sons, their dad the only survivor. They've heard how three of their uncles committed suicide, how another died of an intestinal disease at age 24.

What they haven't heard is discouragement from jumping into the ring. Especially not from their 55-year-old father, Kevin Adkisson, who has receded from the spotlight to a quiet life on his farm in Hawaii....More?

source: chron.com