Kerry Von Erich's Accident & Foot Injury

[hesgotabithycle]

Always something fishy about what went down and the stories that came after.

He did have a pretty bad accident and injured his foot. But it wasn't amputated right then and there (I remember a Zybysco shoot saying he tore it off at the ankle right then and there, which wasn't true) Supposedly he tried to walk on it too early and broke it again. But somehow this led to amputation? Just breaking his foot again? Seems like it shouldn't lead to something that drastic. Unless something else happened, possibly embarrassing (like him going out to party and re-injuring it and it getting infected)

The whole Debeers incident. Frankly I'm not sure it ever happened. It seems like many many people claim to have seen it live...but thus far I haven't seen any pictures or video of the event. I haven't come across anybody who was in attendance at the time either. Did it actually happen?

Is it at all possible that he didn't actually lose the foot but just suffer a bad injury and ended up with it scarred up pretty badly. The matches I watch with him post accident, I have to say he's moving around pretty darn good for a guy with no foot.

["Playboy" Don Douglas]

My understanding, which I admit is far from complete, is that the reinjury wasn't just broken bones, that the initial surgery had also involved soft tissue and that was further damaged to the point that they couldn't go back in and fix it.

I could buy the DeBeers incident being wrestling lore at this point. I've never heard any specific information mentioned along with it.

But I totally believe that he did lose the foot. That one has just been talked about in so many ways by so many people who had such different relationships with Kerry that I buy it.

[thetower52]

What is the Debeers incident

[The 1Watcher Experience]

Sept 14, 2017 1:06:07 GMT -5 "Playboy" Don Douglas said:

My understanding, which I admit is far from complete, is that the reinjury wasn't just broken bones, that the initial surgery had also involved soft tissue and that was further damaged to the point that they couldn't go back in and fix it.

I could buy the DeBeers incident being wrestling lore at this point. I've never heard any specific information mentioned along with it.

But I totally believe that he did lose the foot. That one has just been talked about in so many ways by so many people who had such different relationships with Kerry that I buy it.

I vaguely remember an old shoot interview where someone said his foot was put back together after the wreck and of course they told him not to walk on it. Apparently he got pilled up and passed out. He woke up and walked around the house late at night looking for something to eat. I think they said he was looking for a cheeseburger. He was so messed up that he didn't notice the damage he'd done to the foot until the morning and they couldn't save it after that.

[hulksmash87]

Didn't fritz push for him to return too soon? I remember hearing he had a comeback match with Brian adias and he was doped up and reinjured it.

[Magnus the Magnificent]

Sept 14, 2017 2:05:42 GMT -5 thetower52 said:

What is the Debeers incident

Kerry and DeBeers had a match where the prostetic accidently came off.

More info here.

If it's true. No known footage exists

[Ultimo Gallos]

Lacey Von Erich mentioned the Debeers incident in her shoot.

[Deleted]

Meltzer wrote a really good article about Kerry after his suicide.

In June 1986, Kerry was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. He was traveling at an unsafe speed riding his bike wearing nothing but gym shorts and no shoes. He made an ill-advised pass and crashed into the back of a patrol car. After 13 hours of a new process called microsurgery, they transplanted muscle and skin tissue from Kerry's back to restore circulation and try to save his foot. He also suffered a dislocated hip, a crushed right ankle and many internal injuries. Nearly every specialist put to rest any hopes of him ever coming back to the ring.

I'm going to guess that him being young and feeling invincible along with Fritz pushing for him to return led to him coming back too soon and ruining all of the work that they did to restore circulation and once the circulation ceased the tissue died which resulted in the amputation.

[Joe Neglia]

The DeBeers incident occurred at an AWA show November 12, 1988 in Vegas. It happened. At the time, Kerry was doing all he could to hide the injury, going so far as to shower with his boots on. Everyone knew *something* had happened to his leg/foot, but it wasn't until then that it became full knowledge exactly what it was.

And Kevin VE's story about Kerry waking up after surgery and getting up to get a hamburger, accidentally crushing the foot again, is absolute BS.

[cjh]

Sept 14, 2017 17:50:27 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

The DeBeers incident occurred at an AWA show November 12, 1988 in Vegas. It happened. At the time, Kerry was doing all he could to hide the injury, going so far as to shower with his boots on. Everyone knew *something* had happened to his leg/foot, but it wasn't until then that it became full knowledge exactly what it was.

And Kevin VE's story about Kerry waking up after surgery and getting up to get a hamburger, accidentally crushing the foot again, is absolute BS.

I don't know about the "walking to get a burger" part, but I've always heard that Kerry made the amputation necessary by walking on the bad foot after the doctors had performed surgery on it.  Do you mean the doctors removed it directly after the crash?  If so, its odd that Kevin would make up a story that only makes Kerry look worse.

[Joe Neglia]

Sept 14, 2017 19:39:00 GMT -5 cjh said:

Sept 14, 2017 17:50:27 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

The DeBeers incident occurred at an AWA show November 12, 1988 in Vegas. It happened. At the time, Kerry was doing all he could to hide the injury, going so far as to shower with his boots on. Everyone knew *something* had happened to his leg/foot, but it wasn't until then that it became full knowledge exactly what it was.

And Kevin VE's story about Kerry waking up after surgery and getting up to get a hamburger, accidentally crushing the foot again, is absolute BS.

I don't know about the "walking to get a burger" part, but I've always heard that Kerry made the amputation necessary by walking on the bad foot after the doctors had performed surgery on it.  Do you mean the doctors removed it directly after the crash?  If so, its odd that Kevin would make up a story that only makes Kerry look worse.

Kevin's story has always been that after the crash and hospitalization, Kerry was kept sedated during the first operation and recovery. He woke up in his hospital room and, not knowing what had happened surgery-wise, was so hungry he tried to get up to get a hamburger he saw on a table in the room and re-injured the foot - requiring them to amputate it. Pretty much everyone else has called that story into question, saying he actually left the hospital a few days later with foot intact, and had to go back some time later after he re-injured it - likely from attempting to train to start working again.

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

This story actually reminds me of an Australian Footballer called Matthew Egan who retired due to a foot injury. He had surgery and was told to keep off of it but the moron decided that he'd go on holidays in Bali and ended up not only undoing the surgery by walking about on it but also injured it even worse which caused him to retire.

Thankfully it didn't need to be amputated but it's pretty similar.

[jagilki]

Personal anecdote time.

When I had my leg amputated, they at first were going to just take the front half of the foot off. Keep the heel.

They tried that, but the flesh just was too far gone so had to perform below knee amputation. However there was like a 4 day period between both surgeries.

They told me not to step on what was left on my foot as it may damage it. I was like "But you're cutting it off in a few days."

*I should note, I have a condition to where I don't feel pain in my feet. Half of what allowed a sore on my foot to get to the point of needing an amputation.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

I have a friend who had a similar injury - his foot was crushed in a construction accident. After having it put back together he was told he wouldn't be able to walk on it for something like six months in order to allow everything to knit back together properly, but, being the stubborn bastard he is, within six weeks he was leaving his crutches at home so he could play for his pool team. Within a few months of that the decision was made to take most of his foot because it had healed improperly and there was almost no circulation in the affected area.

Always listen to your post-surgery doctor, kids.

[Deleted]

Sept 14, 2017 17:50:27 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

The DeBeers incident occurred at an AWA show November 12, 1988 in Vegas. It happened. At the time, Kerry was doing all he could to hide the injury, going so far as to shower with his boots on. Everyone knew *something* had happened to his leg/foot, but it wasn't until then that it became full knowledge exactly what it was.

I remember reading about it in an issue of WOW (1999-2000) Dutch Mantel had a column about it.

[Milkman Norm]

If you can find it read Dave's obit of Kerry in the Observer. He goes into detail about this stuff and imo it is some of the best stuff he's ever written.

[hulksmash87]

Is the comeback match with adias on tape anywhere

[brody]

From WCCW memories: FEBRUARY 2, 1987. ON CRUTCHES, KERRY Von Erich slipped undetected into the stage entrance of the Fort Worth Convention Center for his first match since June 1986, His opponent this evening was carefully instructed to "sell" for Kerry, for it was clear in advance that the man who was once among the most agile 250-pounders in wrestling would be virtually immobile. Still, they had to try to make a good show of it; so while Kerry changed into his trunks, a doctor filled a syringe with enough novocaine to numb Secretariat's hoof. Thus fortified, Kerry discarded his crutches, gritted his teeth, and hobbled into the ring. The match lasted five minutes and, as planned, Kerry won. Afterward, when the novocaine wore off, an examination revealed that the ankle had rebroken. Four months later, in another operation, the foot was permanently fused into a walking position

[hesgotabithycle]

Sept 15, 2017 20:01:08 GMT -5 brody said:

From WCCW memories: FEBRUARY 2, 1987. ON CRUTCHES, KERRY Von Erich slipped undetected into the stage entrance of the Fort Worth Convention Center for his first match since June 1986, His opponent this evening was carefully instructed to "sell" for Kerry, for it was clear in advance that the man who was once among the most agile 250-pounders in wrestling would be virtually immobile. Still, they had to try to make a good show of it; so while Kerry changed into his trunks, a doctor filled a syringe with enough novocaine to numb Secretariat's hoof. Thus fortified, Kerry discarded his crutches, gritted his teeth, and hobbled into the ring. The match lasted five minutes and, as planned, Kerry won. Afterward, when the novocaine wore off, an examination revealed that the ankle had rebroken. Four months later, in another operation, the foot was permanently fused into a walking position

Interesting. I mean it could be a lie and the foot was amputated by then. But just unreal he was wrestling in that condition.

[Deleted]

it's really a shame about the drugs, injuries, and Fritz shenanigans because Kerry had all of the tools to be a huge star during the WWF expansion if he had his shit together.