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Drugs.
Michaels was in a tag team from 1988-91, and then was a midcarder from 92-94....he didn't become a top guy until he won the royal rumble in '95. He worked his way up, and it took him 7-8 years to get there.But then Shawn Michaels was a massive pillhead?? And he got away with murder in the WWF
More about drugs and the suicide:He never thought that Mike would do something like that [commit suicide] because he always seemed to be the most together of the family, although he thought Chris might do that. He never thought Kerry would do that either but drugs and a great deal of shame were involved. Kerry had actually called him up six hours before that and talked about how he was going to commit suicide, but Kevin thought he’d talked him out of it.
The charges Kerry was facing at the time of his death- Because of the attorney Kerry had, there was no way he was going to go to jail. However, Kerry couldn’t live with his name being dragged through the mud daily due to the charges. He thinks Kerry would have actually loved jail if he’d gone because he’d have been able to sleep, lift weights all day, and eat three meals.
Did he know how big Kerry’s drug problem was? No, he was never good at spotting it although his dad supposedly was. The only times he ever noticed anything wrong was when Kerry would do coke, as he’d get a certain wolf-like look in his eyes. Kerry wasn’t addicted to anything, though… he just loved doing all kinds of drugs. He feels that the reason he never spotted anything was that Kerry was doing so many different drugs that there would be different symptoms for each one.
Kerry’s foot- The doctors did somewhere between fifteen and twenty five hours of surgery to save his foot then Kerry just walked down the hall to get a cheeseburger and undid all that work, meaning they had to amputate it. That’s what got him seriously into painkillers.
Kerry Von Erich
Around 1992, Kerry Adkisson a.k.a .Kerry Von Erich started training at “The Gym”. The Von Erich family was one of the biggest names in professional wrestling and one of the saddest stories you will ever hear. Every family member who went into professional wrestling used the ring name "Von Erich" after their father's ring name Fritz Von Erich (Jack Adkisson Sr.). Jack and his wife Doris had six sons. Five of the boy would die before Jack Sr.. The oldest son Jack Jr was accidentally electrocuted by a downed power line which led to his drowning in a puddle of water when he was only six.
Kerry knew the manager of “The Gym” at the time from college, where Kerry played football at North Texas State University. Kerry was always very friendly to everyone at “The Gym” I didn't know him outside of “The Gym” but I think he was for the most part a friendly person and didn't let his fame go to his head. I already knew about a funny experience that one of my friend's had with Kerry before I had met him. My friend’s name was Vernon and he grew up a few houses down from me when we were young. Vernon was waiting tables at Dave and Busters one day when Kerry and his wife came in to eat, Kerry ordered the fajitas and when Vernon brought out their order to them he dumped a rock in Kerry's lap. A rock is the bowl with the guacamole, pico di gallo, sour cream, etc. Vernon said he thought to himself, "Oh my God, I just dumped a rock in "The Modern Day Warrior's" lap". He said Kerry immediately started joking about it and made sure Vernon knew he was not mad. He even joked with him about it. That's how Kerry was when he would come workout and tan at “The Gym” He was always respectful to everyone. More times than not he would have his two young daughters in tow when he came in to workout. They were probably around eight or nine years old at the time and only a year or two apart. They were a handful to say the least. Kerry was constantly having to ask them to settle down during his workouts and when he would go into tan that was their signal Dad was not around and they would raise even more Hell. One of them now wrestles as Lacey Von Erich. I have not seen her since she was a little girl so seeing her in the ring as professional wrestler is almost impossible to relate the wrestler to the little girl. The last time I saw Kerry at “The Gym” was less than a week before his death. In my memory it was the day before his death but I can't say that for sure. I do know it was within the final week. I had been meaning to ask him if he would make an appearance at a fundraiser we were doing. The manager of “The Gym” at the time was Brian Crull. Brian knew Kerry from North Texas State University and was the reason Kerry came to “The Gym” Brian was giving Kerry a free membership and tanning and “The Gym” got the free publicity and notoriety. It was a common thing for gyms to give professional athletes free memberships. Brian had also put the fundraiser together. It was for an elderly woman named "Birdie Jackson" who took in homeless kids and she had no real income. When I asked I remember he said "Anything I can do for you guys let me know."
I know Kerry had some demons and was not an angel but at his core he seemed to have a good heart. He didn't seem nervous or agitated at all. I remember he seemed happy. He went back to the shoulder lateral raise and continued his workout. I remember he did that machine every time he worked out. He loved it. It was a Cybex seated lateral machine made in the early 90's. Like I said earlier it seems like it was the next day. Maybe it was two or three days. I remember I was in my car and the DJ said Kerry Von Erich had been found dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound to the heart. I remember thinking how it did not make sense because I had just seen him happy and working out at “The Gym”. I found out later Kerry was facing a probable lengthy prison sentence for a second drug arrest. I had heard he had been in some trouble before. I had no idea to what extent. I guess the thought of an extended time in prison was too much. I think its obvious depression ran in the Adkisson (Von Erich) family. Three of the six boys committed suicide and David's was a possible drug overdose. Some believed it was Jack's (Fritz's) overbearing pressure he put on his sons. Some people familiar with the family believe that to be true. It's certain that Kerry and his three brothers who died as adults were tortured. Tortured by something so dark they most likely all died self inflicted early deaths.