The Von Erich family is one of the most iconic lineages in professional wrestling, with its origins dating back to 1953.

The Von Erichs have seen both highs and lows throughout their lives, so it’s only fitting that a biopic about the legendary family is set to be made.

‘The Iron Claw,’ named after Fritz Von Erich’s iconic finishing move, will see Zac Efron (Firestarter, The Greatest Showman) involved, but he’ll be working without the family.

No Involvement

SEScoops has learned that the surviving members of the legendary Von Erich family are not involved with the production of The Iron Claw.

Kevin Von Erich is the last surviving son of Fritz Von Erich. His sons, Marshall and Ross Von Erich, currently wrestle as a tag team for Major League Wrestling (MLW).

Even without the Von Erich’s involvement, the film will go ahead, produced and financed by A24 (Euphoria, Ramy.)

Sean Durkin (The Nest) is on board to direct.

A synopsis for the film is as follows:

“Based on the true story of the Von Erichs, the film follows the rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day.”

Synopsis for The Iron Claw

The Von Erich Family tragedy

The Von Erich name began in wrestling when Fritz Von Erich entered the industry in the early 50s.

Fritz would have six children, almost all of whom would meet tragic ends.

Jack Adkinson Jr. died aged 6 after being shocked unconscious and drowning in a puddle, and David Von Erich died in 1984, which many believe was due to an overdose.

Kerry Von Erich, who would have a reign as WWF Intercontinental Champion, died via suicide in 1993, and his brother Mike would also end his own life four years later.

After the death of Mike, Chris Von Erich took his own life in 1991, leaving Kevin Von Erich as the only surviving son of Fritz.

The third generation of Von Erichs includes Lacey Von Erich, who wrestled for TNA Wrestling and retired in 2010, and Ross and Marshall Von Erich, who compete to this day for MLW.

Former TNA star Lacey Von Erich and her mother Cathie were on Blue Steel Cage Radio with Carmine Sabia to talk about her legendary father Kerry Von Erich and her earliest memories of Warrior, one of Kerry’s best friends. Lacey also talks the pressures of being in a  wrestling locker room, being a third-generation star, and trying to balance acting and other endeavors.

Blue Steel Cage Radio airs Friday nights, 9 PM ET on the VOC Nation Radio Network and is now available for download on vocnation.com. Call in (855) VOC-RADIO.

Becoming a Wrestler: “If you never want to have a family or a wife or time to yourself, and you like being verbally and mentally abused, then you should [get into wrestling]. I say go for it. [That abuse comes more from] the locker room. Definitely the locker room. TNA is very different than WWE. WWE was very political. I wasn’t in there yet. They were like, “You’re a Von Erich. You better be amazing at wrestling,” and things like that. And I wasn’t. I’m more of an actress than I am a wrestler. I’d rather play a character than get hurt on the mat. That’s what I’m better at. I’m better at acting. That’s what I wanted to do. Vince called me. He’s the one that got me into this. He’s the one asked me, “Do you want to be a wrestler? Try to be a diva?” He brought me out and and I signed the contract that night and went into training. I wasn’t expecting it to come as much. It really blew up and they expected so much of me. But then TNA called and they really embraced me as like a family member.”

Wrestlers Battling Demons: “It’s so hard to leave [wrestling]. It’s really hard, once you leave, because no one ever understands what you went through ever. No one will know … People screaming your name or having fans and having those experiences together. Going from hotel to hotel, being on the road together. No one knows those experiences but [other wrestlers]. It really shapes the kind of person you can be. As you can see, in the past, [with] wrestlers, it can either shape you to be a great person and you can learn from it and become a great wife and mother, which I hope I have. Or you can end up self-medicating because of all that. You either get stronger or you get weaker. And luckily I came out of it, unlike the rest of my family, a stronger, better person.”

Her Earliest Memories of The Warrior: “My mom was just telling me that my dad actually trained [Warrior] … I was really young when my dad passed away. I was only 6 years old, but a lot of those memories have been grained in my mind because of the traumatic experience I went through. A lot of things when it comes to wrestling I don’t remember, because when we went to wrestling matches it would be 10, 11 o’clock at night and we would just be asleep in the stands … I remember more of Uncle Jimbo [Warrior] off of wrestling, not actually on the mat with everyone. I remember him at his house, and babysitting us, and things like that. It was like being babysat by my dad. Basically the same. A lot of roughhousing. A lot of fun.”

– TNA Wrestling star Kurt Angle will serve as a member of the broadcast team for the debut event of mixed martial arts organization World Series of Fighting airing Nov. 3 on NBC Sports Network, MMAJunkie.com reported Friday.

The legendary grappler will serve as an analyst alongside veteran combat-sports broadcaster Michael Schiavello and mixed martial arts legend Bas Rutten. The event, which takes place at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, will feature former WWE and TNA Wrestling star Bobby Lashley in action.

Angle wanted to announced for NBC for the wrestling competition in the 2012 Olympics but wasn’t chosen.

– Former TNA Knockout Lacey Von Erich gave birth to a boy last week following twenty hours of labor. She tweeted, “My beautiful baby boy was born 8/30/12 at 5:32pm! 20 hours of labor! Ouch! Home, happy, and healthy now! ;) pic.twitter.com/30YOrPBG.”

– This week’s featured match on TNA Xplosion on Challenge pits Christopher Daniels against Garett Bischoff.

– In a “Bound For Glory Series” match on this week’s episode of TNA Xplosion on Challenge, Bully Ray defeated AJ Styles to earn seven points. Updated standings, according to ImpactWrestling.com, are as follows:

1. James Storm (66)
2. Samoa Joe (61)
3. Rob Van Dam (55)
4. Bully Ray (55)
5. AJ Styles (50)
6. Kurt Angle (48)
7. Mr. Anderson (47)
8. Jeff Hardy (42)
9. Christopher Daniels (33)
10. Magnus (28)
11. Robbie E (12)
12. “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero (7) (eliminated from 2012 BFG Series due to injury)

– Former TNA Knockout Lacey Von Erich announced on Twitter Wednesday that she is in labor. She wrote, “Dilated 4cm! Walking around to get the baby out! Looks like John Grant Blindbury the third “Trip” will be born today! ;).”

– Bill Behrens is currently accepting independent bookings on behalf of former TNA Wrestling star Shannon Moore through SBIBookings.com.

– Magnus will co-host the U.K.’s Strongest Man, TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter announced Thursday on Twitter. The program airs on Challenge, which airs TNA Wrestling programming, including Impact Wrestling and TNA Xplosion. Carter wrote, “Was excited to secure Magnus as co-host of the UK’s Strongest Man for @ChallengeTV! Looking forward to more exciting things in his future!”

– Posting her first message on Twitter since October, former TNA Knockout Lacey Von Erich announced that she is pregnant and expecting any day now.

“I’m tired of all the Lacey posers! Not sure why anyone try’s to be me. Just an update, I’m having another little boy! Due anyday!” the 26-year-old wrote.

Von Erich, whose real name is Lacey Adkisson, left TNA Wrestling in October 2010 to pursue endeavors outside of wrestling.

– Devon successfully defended the TNA Television Championship against Kazarian on this week’s episode of TNA Xplosion.

— Regarding Lacey Von Erich’s departure from TNA Wrestling last week, she was not fired. The third generation wrestler asked for her release from the organization and was granted it.

— TNA Wrestling officials are interested in bringing Hernandez back to activity, but he has indicated that he’s not quite ready to return yet as he’s enjoying his main event status with Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA).

Hernandez was sent to the Mexican wrestling promotion in the spring with the idea that it would get him over as an authentic Mexican babyface which they could use as their own.

— Last Thursday’s episode of TNA ReACTION drew a 0.7 cable rating, with 754,000 viewers.

— TNA Wrestling commentators have yet to acknowledge Winter (formerly known as Katie Lea Burchill in WWE). The basis of the supernatural character is that nobody can see her but Angelina Love.

— TNA Wrestling will tape the Nov. 18 edition of iMPACT! tonight in Orlando, Florida. The Thanksgiving Day episode will be taped tomorrow.

sources: PWInsider.com, Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Lacey Von Erich announced on her Twitter page this evening that she has decided to leave TNA Wrestling.

“I decided to respectfully leave TNA today .. I want to try new things, like be a sports host or something :) Love ya’ll!”

She also noted the following on her Facebook page:

“Let’s face it I was no Von Erich in the ring :) But it was so much fun! I’m getting married, and would love to do something local, luckily I live in L.A. so it shouldnt be too difficult! :)”

Von Erich joined the promotion in October 2009 to replace Angelina Love in “The Beautiful People” faction.

— TMZ.com has posted the first action photos of former WWE Champion Batista doing some full-contact sparring in preparation for his transition into the world of mixed martial arts. According to the story, there are rumblings that he could fight fellow former WWE performer Bobby Lashley.

Batista has been in San Francisco training with Cesar Gracie, who has trained numerous top fighters. TMZ cites sources as saying the former WWE star is moving closing on a finalizing contract to get in the ring by “early next year.”

— The Bella Twins and Eve Torres indicated yesterday on Twitter that former WWE star Carlito has joined the social networking website. His account is located at twitter.com/carlitocolon.

— SLAM! Wrestling has posted an article reviewing a recent DVD release entitled Missy Hyatt’s Pajama Party.

The video can be described as a shoot interview done in slumber party format, with the self-proclaimed “First Lady of Wrestling” joined by TNA Knockout Lacey Von Erich and independent wrestler Amy Lee. Decked out in skimpy lingerie on a pink bed, the three blonde bombshells mainly discuss wrestling and sex, with a few party games thrown in such as “Truth or Dare” and “F-Marry-Kill.”

— WWE star Goldust is the latest wrestling personality to critique Lacey Von Erich’s in-ring ability as he remarked the following on Twitter while watching her compete on last night’s episode of TNA iMPACT!:

“Lacey has no talent whatsoever.”

“She is horrible.”

“Great family but her no.”

Von Erich and Velvet Sky dropped the TNA Knockout Tag Team Championship to Taylor Wilde and Hamada during the taped broadcast.

— As seen last night on iMPACT!, The Sandman returned to TNA Wrestling during the final segment of the show to join Tommy Dreamer’s team of “Hardcore Originals.” He has been officially announced for Sunday’s HardCORE Justice pay-per-view event.

In regards to his physical appearance, some within the organization felt he looked “rough” and had packed on a lot of weight since he last appeared on national television. (source: Pro Wrestling Torch)

(sources: www.f4wonline.com, PWInsider.com)

— TNA Wrestling officials are trying to put together a match between Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn for next month’s Hard Justice pay-per-view, which would renew one of the most memorable rivalries in the history of ECW.

— Thursday’s episode of iMPACT! scored a 1.09 cable rating, with 1.44 million viewers. Viewership was slightly down from last week’s 1.45 million figure.

— Two TNA Knockouts celebrate birthdays today as Lacey Von Erich turns 24 years old while Daffney turns 35.

— Shannon Moore is working through a wrist injury.

TNA Star Scott Hall

– As reported earlier, Scott Hall was arrested on May 14 on charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Authorities were called to the Hitching Post Bar in Chuluota, Florida after Hall, who had been “drinking heavily” according to a police report, “became aggressive.” When authorities arrived, they found Hall yelling and cursing at the patrons and staff of the bar. Hall was told he was not allowed to return to the establishment. On his police report, the TNA World Tag Team Champion listed himself as an “unemployed” professional wrestler.

– Lacey Von Erich announced on her Facebook account over the weekend that she is involved in a custody dispute over her four-year-old son, Daniel, and that her hectic wrestling schedule may be damaging to her case. She is hopeful everything will be resolved without her having to leave the industry. In an update on the situation, TNA officials are permitting Von Erich to work less dates while she works things out. The father of her son, who is her ex-boyfriend, is claiming she is an unfit mother. Reportedly, he showed footage of her stripping on iMPACT! last month to a judge to further his case for custody of the child.

— TNA Knockout Tag Team Champion Lacey Von Erich announced on her Facebook account that she is currently involved in a custody battle over her son, Daniel. She also noted she may consider quitting wrestling over the ordeal.

“I just found out my son’s father is trying to take him away from me. I can’t stop crying,” Von Erich wrote on Friday. “My schedule has been so hectic he might win. I hope I don’t have to quit wrestling. Who knows a good family attorney in California? I need help…”

She posted a follow-up on the situation yesterday:

“Thank you for everyone’s support on my custody matter with my son! I have the best fans in the world! I have my beautiful son today and I’m talking to an attorney. Also I’ve worked out a better schedule with TNA. I’m lucky to have such a family oriented company that works with me! Love ya’ll!”

— Sorry fellas, but ODB is off the market. The “Sexy, Smart & Powerful” TNA Knockout has announced that she is engaged to be married. No word yet on who is the lucky husband-to-be.

— In this week’s TNA webmatch, Douglas Williams squares off against Okada. You can view the bout here.

Props to f4wonline.com for some of the info used in this report:

– There has been talk of Lacey Von Erich leaving “The Beautiful People” and turning babyface.

– Taz recently talked to Hulk Hogan about bringing Mike Knox in, but “The Hulkster” reportedly had no idea who he was. Eric Bischoff, on the other hand, vaguely remembered him. Nonetheless, there is said to be slight interest in using the recently released WWE star.

– A match pitting Samoa Joe against Matt Morgan could be a late addition to Sunday’s Sacrifice pay-per-view, but a final decision had not been made as of yesterday.

As reported earlier, it has been indicated that Lisa Marie Varon (a/k/a Tara) has buried her peers behind their backs to management. Among the stories cited are reports of Varon complaining about various female wrestlers on house show tours, refusing to work with certain individuals altogether, and squashing numerous storylines — all of which she denies. For those curious as to who she is having these issues with, they are all three members of The Beautiful People — Madison Rayne, Velvet Sky and Lacey Von Erich. The root of the matter is that The Beautiful People have refused to take some of her moves not to mention that she doesn’t respect their in-ring ability.

As noted, Varon took her issues directly to management rather than discussing the matter with the trio. When the group received word of this, they confronted Varon and told her they should have come to them rather than breaking locker room protocol by going to management. The friction was bad enough that when Varon was called in to work a recent house show loop, she specifically asked to work with ODB on the tour — who wasn’t originally scheduled for the set of live events. Company officials complied with Varon’s request due to Madison Rayne being unable to appear (note – there is a unique reason for Rayne’s absence and it will be disclosed in a separate report).

Varon never had a reputation for being difficult to work with during her time in WWE and it should be noted that various sources have stated that she’s been easy going for the most part during her time thus far in TNA. Furthermore, some feel the matter may be more of personality clash as opposed to one side being right and one side being wrong.

On a final note, Varon has been telling people that she hopes to return to WWE once her deal with TNA expires.

source: www.pwtorch.com

— Though Awesome Kong has been telling friends she is leaving TNA, she has yet to be officially released. She is still listed on the company’s roster page and fellow Knockout Tara noted over the weekend on her Twitter account that Kong has not been released. TNA officials have refused to publicly comment on the matter.

Kong has been telling friends she is open to reconciling with TNA and staying on board. However, she has expressed her displeasure over not being able to discuss her problems with TNA president Dixie Carter.

Kong was not backstage at last week’s iMPACT tapings.

— One company source noted that the recently released Traci Brooks did herself no favors with a recent sloppy in-performance against Hamada — which aired on Xplosion. However, Brooks stressed online that her dismissal was simply a case of creative not having anything for her.

— Tonight’s episode of Wrestlicious Takedown will see three TNA Knockouts participating in a single match as Amber Lively (a/k/a Madison Rayne) and Lacey Von Erich squaring off against Draculetta (a/k/a Daffney) and White Magic in tag action. You can catch the show at 11:00 p.m. on MavTV.

source: www.pwtorch.com

— Awesome Kong’s profile was briefly deleted from TNA’s website this morning but placed back a short while later.

It was reported earlier this week that Kong was telling friends within the industry that the company had agreed to release her from her contract. This coincides with her Twitter post last week where she thanked Dixie Carter and TNA Wrestling for wishing her the best in her future endeavors.

— Lacey Von Erich stated on her Facebook page today that effective Saturday, she begins formal wrestling training three times per week.

She wrote: “YAY! My girls did so good monday, winning the gold for the BP’s. I’m happy to be apart of the glory (not that I did much) lol I start training this sat. 3 times a week! Can’t wait to get in the ring more! ;)Love y’all!”

TNA recently established a working relationship with the Orange County based Mach One Wrestling school/promotion to give company performers an official training location and as feeder of sorts for prospective talent.

— TNA’s latest webmatch has Rhino squaring off against “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal.

As seen last night on iMPACT!, Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky defeated the teams of Angelina Love and Tara and Sarita and Taylor Wilde in a three-way match to win the vacant TNA Knockout Tag Team Championship, after interference from Daffney.

The three members of The Beautiful People will defend the titles under the “Freebird Rule,” which allows any two of the three members of the team to defend the title on any given night.

— Wrestlicious announced the following updated list of main events for the month of March on Wrestlicious: Takedown:

March 8th (Bite TV) and March 10th (Mav TV)
~ Autumn Frost vs. Paige Webb

*March 15th (Bite TV) and March 17th (Mav TV)
~ “Team Beautiful” Lacey Von Erich and Amber Lively vs “Ghouls Gone Wild” Draculetta and White Magic

* March 22nd (Bite TV) and March 24th (Mav TV)
~ Sierra Sheraton vs. Marley Sebastian

* March 29th (Bite TV) and March 31st (Mav TV)
~ The Naughty Girls vs. Paige Webb & The Southern Belle

The wrestler known as Paige Webb is none other than WWE Diva and Straight Edge Society member Serena. Her character’s background in Wrestlicious is that she runs a website.

The wrestler known as Amber Lively is actually TNA Knockout Madison Rayne performing a cheerleader gimmick. In a coincidence, she was paired with fellow “Beautiful People” member Lacey Von Erich long before the two joined forces in TNA as these initial episodes of Wrestlicious: Takedown were originally taped in August of 2008.

Another TNA Knockout appears on Wrestlicious: Takedown in the form of Daffney, as she performed under the name Draculetta. Her tag partner, White Magic, is semi-retired independent women’s wrestler Lacey of Ring of Honor fame.

Finally, Marley Sebastian is Daizee Haze while The Southern Belle is Amber O’Neal.

— In an interview with www.RedHotDivas.com, former TNA Knockout Jenna Morasca spoke out on her decision to enter the wrestling industry, who she remains friends with from her time in TNA, which wrestler she enjoyed working with the most, if she ever plans on returning to the industry, and much more. You can read the interview in its entirety at the following link.

— TNA Knockouts Angelina Love and SoCal Val are advertised to appear at tonight’s Women Superstars Uncensored Third Anniversary Show in Union City, New Jersey. Love will be competing against Sassy Stephanie while Val will be handling ring announcing duties. Also scheduled to appear is recently released TNA Knockout Traci Brooks. Click here for more information.

— Kurt Angle is looking to reduce his schedule with TNA.

— Lacey Von Erich will be making her TNA live event debut at this week’s shows in Virginia. She will be teaming up with fellow “Beautiful People” members Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne to take on Tara and Angelina Love in 3-on-2 Handicapped matches. Also note, these shows will mark as Love’s return to TNA house shows.

— As a reminder, this month’s edition of TNA Epics airs tomorrow evening directly following iMPACT!. Sting will be the show’s focus.

(credit to the Wrestling Observer for some of the information used in this report)

– Scott Hall is working on a short-term deal as company officials want him to prove himself before they invest. While he’s not in the shape he was in during his peak, many feel he’s in better shape than in years past.

– The former X-Pac, Sean Waltman, is also on a short-term deal and there was some heat on him for being late to last Tuesday’s television taping.

– Ric Flair is working on a second book.

– TNA will begin airing it’s live pre-iMPACT and post-iMPACT show on their website this Thursday night at 8:30pm and 11pm EST. Jeremy Borash, Don West and SoCal Val will be taking calls from fans and discussing iMPACT.

– Jeremy Borash noted on the Pain Clinic radio show over the weekend that an episode of TNA’s Spin Cycle had to be re-shot two weeks because of Lacey Von Erich. They originally filmed with Lacey and Kevin Nash but the show ended up being too raunchy to air. Borash said they had to re-tape it and Lacey had to clean up her “potty mouth.”

— Jeremy Borash said yesterday morning during an appearance on the Pain Clinic radio show that TNA shot an episode of Spin Cycle two weeks ago with Lacey Von Erich and Kevin Nash but it ended up being much too raunchy to air. Borash said they taped it again and he had Lacey clean up her ‘potty mouth’.

— TNA Superstar Ric Flair is working on a second book. His first book, Ric Flair: To Be the Man, was released in 2004. (source: SLAM! Wrestling)

— In case you missed the post-Impact press conference, you can watch it at the following link.

Independent women’s wrestling promotion Wrestlicious has announced they have released Lacey Von Erich out of her contract early so she can sign with TNA Wrestling. The following press release includes quotes from the wrestling diva:

WRESTLICIOUS AND TNA ELEVATE LACEY VON ERICH PLATFORM
(Los Angeles, CA)  September 21, 2009

In a landmark arrangement, Wrestlicious LLC has agreed to release Lacey Von Erich from her exclusive contract 45 days prior to its’ expiration.  This move will allow Lacey to pursue an immediate roster position with TNA Entertainment.  The third generation wrestler and actress made headlines by signing with the action/comedy television show “Wrestlicious” in mid 2008.

Under the Wrestlicious/TNA agreement, Lacey will continue to tape segments for Wrestlicious, and will appear as part of the ensemble cast in the series’ upcoming television episodes.  She is expected to debut on TNA “Impact” this week.

“We realized that this is a terrific opportunity not only for Lacey, but also to enhance both brands” stated Wrestlicious Senior Producer Johnny Cafarella “We worked together with TNA Director of Talent Relations Terry Taylor and his great team to make it  happen.”

“Hopefully, this will encourage a new spirit of cooperation among professional wrestling organizations with respect to talent contracts” Cafarella continued. “The Von Erich name transcends individual company boundaries which makes Lacey Von Erich the perfect candidate with which to launch this initiative.”

“I am super excited about working with TNA, and really thank Wrestlicious for their support, flexibility, and bringing me to the wrestling forefront.” Lacey Von Erich enthused. “I feel like Wrestlicious recognized my potential early on and gave me the chance to prove myself”

“We enjoy working with Lacey, she is a beautiful person. We extend our sincere best wishes and congratulations to her” said Wrestlicious founder Jay Vargas. “We hope for her continued success in her new endeavor, which would be a win-win-win situation for Lacey, TNA and Wrestlicious.  We’ve always known Lacey is Wrestlicious, now she’s a Knockout, too!”

Lacey joins fellow Wrestlicious alumnus Ashley Simmons and Shannon Spruill in TNA.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WRESTLICIOUS:
http://www.wrestlicious.com info@wrestlicious.com

LACEY VON ERICH OFFICIAL MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/sexymama717