Joe Dombrowski, the play-by-play commentator, content producer, voiceover artist, and ring announcer is the man behind the recently released, The Von Erich Dynasty: Masters of the Iron Claw. It’s just over eight hours split into three episodes, and features lost matches, classic matches, interviews, and much more. It’s available on DVD or via the www.ProWrestlingLibrary.com website.
The Von Erichs were and still have a case for being the most famous wrestling family in the world for several reasons including their wrestling and tragedies. SlamWrestling.net had a chat with Dombrowski about his newly produced The Von Erich Dynasty: Masters of the Iron Claw, and the film that came out about the Von Erichs recently, The Iron Claw.
SlamWrestling.net: What can viewers expect from the Von Erich Dynasty DVD?
Joe Dombrowski
Dombrowski: Viewers can expect the most complete and comprehensive look at the in-ring run of the Von Erich family ever put together. We have over a dozen members represented, when you count the glory years, the next generation, and even the “non blood relatives” who wore the name and helped build that legacy in their own right. It’s a time capsule to what made that name so beloved and adored to begin with. So often, the story of the Von Erichs focuses so much on the tragedies, and understandably so, but lost in that sometimes, are the qualities that made them so special as performers, and idolized like rock stars. They were young and energetic at the perfect time in history, they sparked an entire territory to record business, and they rose as high as you can get at that time as worldwide attractions, working with the top World Champions like Harley Race and Ric Flair, headlining everywhere they went, and leaving a lasting impression on anyone who watched them. I want this set to celebrate those achievements and remind their fans, or educate new ones, as to why The Von Erichs were and are so special.
SlamWrestling.net: Were there any matches or footage of anything that you weren’t able to get that you wish you could’ve?
Dombrowski: Of course, there’s a whole catalog sitting in a vault in Stamford that I would’ve loved to have access to, but I’m very happy with what we were able to uncover. As things came together, the scope and size of the project just continued to grow. It wasn’t just “what Texas footage do we have the rights to?”, it turned into Hawaii and St. Louis and South Africa and the northeast and became such a melting pot of the family’s travels. Iron Claw talks about Kerry Von Erich vs. Ric Flair, we have one of those matches. It also shows David Von Erich chasing Harley Race, we have numerous matches involving those two here. It showed The Freebirds, we have some battles with them as well. We have a lot the movie doesn’t, as well, such as Chris Von Erich. So much of it is off the beaten path or thought lost to time, too. I’d guess a lot of fans don’t even know that Kevin Von Erich crossed paths with men like Taz and The Great Muta or that Kerry wrestled Sid Vicious or the future Godfather, Charles Wright, or that Chris stepped into the ring against Steve Austin. It’s an extra layer that many may have missed, and the beautiful thing is, it’s all in one place.
Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Stanley Simons, and Harris Dickinson in The Iron Claw (2023)
SlamWrestling.net: What were your thoughts on The Iron Claw movie?
Dombrowski: I enjoyed the movie very much, if you leave that theater and don’t feel something, you don’t have a soul. The story of the Von Erich family is one of the most emotional, tragic, profound tales ever in wrestling. I admired the attention to detail surrounding it as well — from the look of the graphics to the name dropping of important historical figures in our sport. I didn’t mind some of the creative license taken when it came to timeline or order of events. You’re not going to stop the movie and try to explain NWA Board of Directors politics and structure, or break down the 1980s US syndicated television market, to an audience of non-wrestling fans.
This is not a wrestling movie and was never intended as a documentary. It’s a dramatic movie about family and trauma that just happens to include wrestling. It’s important to have that mindset.
I also wish Chris would’ve been included. I’m not sure how you decide to make a movie about The Von Erich tragedies, and then decide there’s too many tragedies. That’s the nature of the story, unfortunately. Chris was much younger than his brothers, so I think having him as a background character, presenting him with a “Wow, David, I want to be just like you one day” type approach, and spotlighting his size and his asthma and other health issues, would bring to light his part of the family saga both as a loyal brother and also, unfortunately, a tragedy at the end. Perhaps you could cut the Ric Flair promo everyone has rallied against and replace that runtime with Chris’ moments and still have a tight feature of an acceptable runtime.
SlamWrestling.net: How long was this worked on and were you aiming to get this DVD out close to the time the movie came out, or was it just a happy coincidence?
Dombrowski: Timing was truly everything, and a few things had to happen to get us here. First, I began a conversation and relationship with the folks from Savmar Media, the Savoldi family wrestling library, which in my opinion is the largest and coolest library in existence in North America not owned by a billionaire. What this relationship did is it allowed content sharing from both sides, it allowed some of my titles to reach a new and different audience on ClassicWrestling.net and it allowed some of their titles to reach a new audience with me via ProWrestlingLibrary.com. From there, that opens the door to so much they have access to — USWA Dallas, Wild West Wrestling, IWCCW, Global, etc, which had such a vast scope as to who and what was featured. With the timing being what it was, it was a no-brainer with the movie coming two or three months away, that major project #1 had to be The Von Erichs. It was almost as if it was meant to be. We made the official announcement within a week of the release of the movie and the response has been tremendous. I can’t thank everyone enough who has supported this project, or any of my projects. “Found footage” has really become a passion of mine, uncovering pieces of our business’ history that was either forgotten to time or assumed destroyed, or just not known about, and as long as the public keeps supporting, I’ll have the time and the resources to keep digging.
What’s on The Von Erich Dynasty:
- David Von Erich vs. Harley Race
- Mike Von Erich vs. Michael PS Hayes
- Chris Von Erich & Chris Adams vs. Steve Austin & Percy Pringle
- Kerry Von Erich vs. Brian Adias
- Kevin Von Erich vs. Hollywood John Tatum
- Kerry Von Erich vs. Sid Vicious
- Ross & Marshall Von Erich and Iceman King Parsons vs. Tatanka, Kid Kash & Ky-ote
- Kerry Von Erich & Jeff Jarrett vs. Samoan Swat Team
- Lance Von Erich vs. Iceman King Parsons
- Lacey Von Erich vs. Angel Orsini
- Fritz Von Erich vs. Reggie Parks
- Ross Von Erich vs. Leland Race
- Waldo Von Erich vs. Gene Dubois
- Marshall Von Erich vs. Lance Anoa’i
- Mark Von Erich vs. Rudy Russo
- Plus: Hollie Von Erich and more!
Lost Rarities
- Kerry & Kevin Von Erich vs. Fabulous Freebirds Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts in a “Badstreet Rules” match!
- Kerry Von Erich vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler
- First Blood Match: Kevin Von Erich vs. Michael PS Hayes
- Kerry Von Erich vs. The Punisher (Mark Calaway)
- Kevin Von Erich vs. The Tasmaniac (Taz)
- Kerry Von Erich vs. The Missing Link
- Kevin Von Erich vs. Super Black Ninja (Great Muta)
- Kerry Von Erich, Jeff Jarrett & Bill Dundee vs. Jerry Lawler, Billy Joe Travis & Terrence Garvin
- David Von Erich vs. Bill Rathke
- Lance Von Erich & Candi Devine vs. Iceman King Parsons & Sherri Martel
- Kerry Von Erich vs. Black Bart (one of Kerry’s final ever televised matches!)
- Kevin Von Erich vs. Zap (Johnny Grunge)
- Lance Von Erich vs. Buddy Roberts
- Ross & Marshall Von Erich and Hunter Hayes vs. Kenny, Mikey & Nicky (Ryan Nemeth) of The Squad
- Lance Von Erich vs. Dusty Wolfe
- Plus: The Kerry Von Erich hotline, Kevin Von Erich steps into The Rumble Seat, Lacey Von Erich chats with Bill Apter and more!
Hidden Gems
- David Von Erich vs. Harley Race
- NWA Title Match: Ric Flair vs. Kerry Von Erich
- David Von Erich & Ted DiBiase vs. Baron Von Rashke & Dick Murdoch
- Kerry Von Erich vs. Greg Valentine
- Fritz Von Erich vs. Yukon Eric
- Kerry Von Erich vs. Soultaker (Charles Wright)
- David Von Erich & Rufus R Jones vs. Harley Race & Greg Valentine
- Marshall Von Erich vs. Wes Brisco
- Plus: Rare photos and a special tribute!
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