Friday February 10th marked the 28th anniversary of the death of David Von Erich, real name David Akisson. Hailing from the legendary Von Erich family, David was arguably the most talented of the family which included his legendary father Fritz Von Erich and brothers Kevin and Kerry. Before David's untimely death, he was reportedly in line to carry the prestigious NWA world title. Over the years, both Harley Race and Ric Flair have confirmed these details.
David was born on July 22, 1958, and was a star at both basketball and football at Lake Dallas High School. He was set to play football and basketball at North Texas State University on a scholarship but dropped out to join the family business of pro-wrestling.
Here's an Article I wrote on David Von Erich from 2009
In 1977, David had already begun wrestling and within a few months was wrestling against the NWA world champion Harley Race in August 1977.The match ended in a draw. However, two years later, David would defeat Harley in a non-title match, cementing him as a young star within the business.
David become a huge hit in the Missouri and Texas territories, causing many other promoters to want to bring in the young star. By 1981, David went out on his own and headed to Florida where he sought the guidance of Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk. David became a hit in Florida and even enjoyed some success as a heel. He had some great matches in a feud with a young Barry Windham. Barry grew up with the Von Erichs as he used to play with the Von Erich boys under the bleachers while Fritz Von Erich wrestled Barry's father Blackjack Mulligan.
An article from 2009 that I wrote on Harley Race vs. David Von Erich.. With Quotes from Harley Race.. Classic Match: Harley Race vs. David Von Erich and Fritz Von Erich
In late 1982, David came back to Texas and was treated as if the prodigal son had returned. He took on added responsibilities backstage in the creative and management departments with his father. David is credited for helping to bring in The Fabulous Freebirds and Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin.
The feud between the Freebirds and the Von Erichs made all parties involved into rock stars. It was the greatest feud in the early 80's for all of pro-wrestling. In fact, it still passes the test of time as one of the greatest wrestling feuds ever. The Freebirds were the perfect heels to the beloved Von Erich boys and the Texas fans ate it up.
In the midst of the Freebird-Von Erich feud, David also had a very memorable feud with Jimmy Garvin. The two battled for the belt, for supremacy, and for the stipulation of spending a day being the other's personal servant. David won this and Jimmy Garvin, along with Sunshine, had to be David's servants for the day. This produced one of the funniest segments in WCCW history.
After his feud with Garvin had finished, David returned to his brothers' side to battle the Freebirds. But, it wouldn't be long before he went out on his own again in a major feud with Ric Flair. The two would battle during the latter portion of 1983 and into 1984. David came out on top after Flair lost a match to Mike Von Erich that gave David the right to pick the time and place for the NWA world title match.
Unfortunately, the match never happened because David was scheduled to go on tour in Japan a few days after Flair was unable to pin Mike Von Erich in 10 minutes. David would die while on tour with All Japan Pro Wrestling.
There are two theories as to how David died. Some people subscribe to the theory that David died of a drug overdose and that Bruiser Brody removed the evidence upon finding David dead in his hotel room. The other theory was that David died of a heart attack, which is what the Von Erich family stated and is still being said by the only surviving brother Kevin Von Erich.
Regardless of which theory you believe, pro-wrestling lost a great talent on February 10th 1984. The story had a sad ending because everyone knew that David didn't get a full chance to fill his potential as he died at the young age of 25. Many fans, including myself, often wonder how pro-wrestling would have changed if David actually won the NWA world title by defeating Ric Flair in 1984.
A few months after David had died, the Von Erichs held a tribute show where Kerry Von Erich defeated Ric Flair for the title. It was an honor that Flair, the NWA, and the Von Erichs paid in memory of David Von Erich "The Yellow Rose of Texas".
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