The Iron Claw executive producer Maxwell Jacob Friedman has explained why Lance Von Erich’s screen time was kept to a minimum in the A24 wrestling biopic.
In The Iron Claw, Friedman makes a cameo as William Kevin Vaughan/Lance Von Erich, a fictional member of the fabled Von Erich pro-wrestling dynasty. In a brief sequence, Lance works a tag-team match alongside kayfabe cousin Kevin Von Erich (Zac Efron). While speaking with ComicBook.com, Friedman revealed he shot additional scenes as Lance that didn’t make the final cut.
“There most certainly is [an extended scene],” Friedman said. “I don’t know where it’s going to live … There was a scene where me and him were talking, but me and [writer-director Sean Durkin] both completely understood that listen, I want this film to succeed, and the film needed to be about the brothers. As fun as I had shooting that scene, realistically, it didn’t add to the overarching story and the importance of the story between the brothers and what they were going through in dealing with the pressures that their father put on them. It didn’t fit in the pieces of the puzzle.”
He continued, “I’m sure that you’re going to find that there was a lot of stuff that got cut and it wasn’t because it wasn’t good. I think everything that was shot was absolutely fantastic. Not just my stuff, but every actor had stuff that got cut. It’s just like there’s only so much time. The story that’s most important is the brothers. That’s what it came down to. I couldn’t agree with Sean Durkin more on the decisions he made. The film is an absolute masterpiece.”
Of course, Friedman is a wrestling superstar in his own right. Perhaps better known as MJF, he is All Elite Wrestling’s current World Champion.
Who is Lance Von Erich?
Fritz Von Erich — real name Jack Adkisson Sr. — was the patriarch of the Von Erich wrestling family. His sons were Jack Adkisson Jr., who died in 1959 at the age of six; Kevin Von Erich, real name Kevin Adkisson; David Von Erich, real name David Adkisson; Kerry Von Erich, real name Kerry Adkisson; Mike Von Erich, real name Michael Adkisson; and Chris Von Erich, real name Christopher Adkisson.
Holt McCallany, Harris Dickinson, Jeremy Allen White, and Stanley Simons respectively portray Fritz, David, Kerry, and Mike in The Iron Claw. They star opposite Efron as Kevin. Chris does not appear in the film.
In real life, David passed away in 1984. Fritz soon decided a replacement was needed, and enlisted the aforementioned William Vaughan to wrestle under the name Lance Von Erich. Despite taking their iconic surname, however, Lance had absolutely no blood relation to the Adkisson/Von Erich family.
Rather, Lance was billed as the son of Waldo Von Erich (real name Walter Paul Sieber), Fritz’s kayfabe brother from his own wrestling days. Kevin and Kerry were strongly opposed to the idea of bringing in Lance as a fictional family member — but Fritz had final say on the matter.
During their heyday, the Von Erichs were beloved pillars of the Dallas, Texas area. As such, many members of the community knew full well that Lance was not actually related to them. This act of deception only served to damage the Von Erichs’ reputation in the eyes of the fans, and is credited with exacerbating their downfall.
Lance ultimately departed the Von Erich-run World Class Championship Wrestling after failing to convince Fritz to pay him more. He retired from professional wrestling altogether in 1996.
The Iron Claw is in theaters now
The Iron Claw tells a fictionalized version of the tragic tale of the Von Erich family. The now-66-year-old Kevin Von Erich, Fritz’s last living son, was not heavily involved in the film’s production (though other extended family members were). That said, Kevin did give The Iron Claw his blessing, and attended the film’s premiere in Dallas.
According to the aforementioned Jeremy Allen White, Kevin had just one request regarding the film’s content. “[A]ll he asked was to make sure that it was clear how much he loved his brothers, and how much they loved one another. ‘As long as you do that, I’ll enjoy the film,'” White said on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
The Iron Claw’s official synopsis reads as follows: “The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.”
The Iron Claw is now playing in theaters.
