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I grew up in the 80s going to the Sportatorium every Saturday night. My friends and I would talk about it all morning in Sunday School the next day. Our favorite (and who was by far the most popular of the Von Erichs) was Kerry.
🙂The REAL Von Eric's were HUGE, they were LITERALLY TWICE THE SIZE OF THESE ACTORS😎🙂. The real Von Eric's were EXTREMELY ATHLETIC also, Kevin was a football star and he was FAST and acrobatic🙂Kevin decided to quit football because he had terrible knee injuries. Everyone knows how athletic Kerry was...Kerry was a combination of all of the athletic qualities🙂. David was a great wrestling technician. Mike was good too overall. And Chris wasn't included in the movie
As an older brother and the oldest man amongst my whole whole family that line crushed me all u want to do is protect the young ones and he ended up all alone
When asked for input on the movie the real Kevin Von Erich just said "The thing I care about most is that people know how much my brothers and I loved each other." I think he would approve.
He likes it but also stated that it’s not realistic of course bc it’s hollywood. Some situations screw with the timeline (Kevin fighting his dad didn’t happen when Kerry was found). They also left out another brother who also committed suicide.
See, this is where I have a problem with the movie. All Kevin wanted was “to show how much I loved my brothers” and then had NO ISSUE leaving out Chris, who literally killed himself because he would never live up to the family legacy… leaving him out proves he was right, if the brother who survived included their brother that died at 6 and not the one that died just before Kerry because he would be forgotten. That’s beyond messed up in my opinion.
@johnnythiel9646 apparently the producers thought the audience would not believe so much tragedy so they rewrote the script. I think thats such a cop out, their story is public info and the movie is already depressing af. RIP Chris
🙂The REAL Von Erics were incredibly athletic...they were alot more athletic then how the actors portrayed them🙂 The real Von Eris were HUGE, the real Von Eric's were LITERALLY TWICE THE SIZE of these actors. Kevin Von Eric was a football player and he was very fast, explosive, acrobatic and strong😎. Kevin stopped playing football because he had terrible knee injuries🥸 Kerry was huge, 6 foot 3, 260 plus and athletic in all areas🙂 David was a wrestling technician. Mike was pretty good overall and Chris wasn't included in the movie
I agree. Best Picture, Best Actor for Zac Effron, Best Supporting Actor for Jeremy Allen White, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Editing, Best Custome Design, & Best Cinematography.
Fun Fact: Chavo Guerrero, nephew of the legendary wrestler Eddie Guerero trained Zac Efron and the rest for 7 weeks. He is also a consultant for this movie.
@@Dhoehn24 yeah The Sheik was from the old territory days of wrestling like The Von Erichs. The Sheik's territory was the Michigan area & Texas was the Von Erichs. But since they were all under the umbrella of the NWA stars would occasionally crossover & work together.
Should be noted that there's ANOTHER brother who also wrestled and took their own life. Chris Von Erich. The Director has since said there was only so much tragedy they could include in the movie.
@@nekonebitan2912 the thing also you have to remember is that this is a film not a documentary. So the director had to take creative liberties to make changes to the story. In the documentaries all the information is present so that helps. The director was aware of Chris Von Erich and he had to make that sacrifice and so the film explained 2 suicides which itself was tough and adding a 3rd would make even more emotional.
As a pro wrestler myself, this is a movie that really shows the real pain and sacrifice we pro wrestlers go through. What a majestic movie. Zac & Jeremy nailed it!
Unsurprisingly, even though Greg clearly has tremendous chemistry with John and all of the guest hosts, the video in which he has the best, nicest, funniest, and sweetest chemistry with someone sharing the screen is the one guest starring his wife. You two are *adorable*
Another sad part about this movie is an entire brother was written out of the film because the writer/director thought one more tragedy would be to sad for people.
That's a flimsy excuse for erasing Chris Von Erich. They even removed him from the real life family photo at the end. It doesn't feel complete without the full family.
@@kc1johnit’s not for the people. it’s for storytelling. as fucked up as it is to say, from a storytelling perspective one more tragedy would just break the movie. it already felt excessive with the 4 deaths. adding a 5th would make the movie outlandish (despite how tragic the actual events are) and just wouldn’t be the same. as audience members, we feel the weight of each death. a 5th and an extra character at that, would dampen the impact each of them has on us.
@@tommyn3522 that's not even mentioning the fact that it would basically be retreading the same story beats. Factual maybe, but would dilute the movie by stretching it out too far. It was a perfect length that hit the heart at just the right pace. Pacing is important for a movie, and as unfortunate as it is, another brother would have made it too hard to give adequate time to everyone. it's a shame but that's life. And as long as Kevin approves of it, it's fine to me.
Movie of the year. Super sad. As a pro wrestler myself, I was in shambles in the theater, even though I already knew the story. Also Kevin's only rule he gave the director was that he wanted it to be clear, how much he loved his brothers.
i am so lucky, i got to do background work on this movie for about two weeks, i even saw myself in the movie twice for a couple seconds, zach was the nicest and always thanked us at the end of everyday, he is the best
Speaking of Jeremy Allen White. Greg you really need to watch The Bear. Show is one of the best ! Jeremy is fantastic actor. Season 3 is about to come out. You will have a blast and us The bear fans would loved to see ur reaction and bring along 2 others along with ur reaction! U won't be disappointed. Take my word for it 😉
Kevin’s sons are wrestling in Ring of Honor now & theyre actually pretty decent they wrestle a very old school style but Marshall has a crazy high dropkick.. its beautiful lol
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time! I cried so many times in the theater! This movies deserves awards and Zac really deserved an Oscar in my opinion! The whole cast was incredible, but he led movie with so much strength and raw emotion, and that last seen made me sob😭!
the story of the real Von Erich family was actually even more tragic than the movie, there were actually 6 brothers in total, the 6th and youngest brother Chris also died and he was excluded from the movie because his situation was very similar to Mike's, they both were forced into wrestling to replace a dead brother and both later died by suicide. Chris died before Kerry did, but the director felt adding Chris would've been repetitive and too much tragedy in the movie. The movie also did not mention the fact that Kevin's parents later divorced and they have since both died. So Kevin has lost all of his brothers and parents, he is the only survivor. Also even though this movie is a biopic based on the Von Erichs, but some of the details in the movie were factually wrong, so if you want to learn more about the family, it's better to do your own research into the real family history of the Von Erichs. At the end of the day this movie is made for entertainment, so it's not completely accurate.
@@StevieMcKenna10 the director felt there was already enough tragedy in the movie, adding another death in the movie would be too much and the movie might not get made. And since Chris situation was so similar to Mike's, he felt it was repetitive so he basically combined Chris and Mike's characters together. I agree with you though, I definitely think Chris should have been included in the movie.
And just think, there was another brother who committed suicide (Chris) that was left out of the movie. And, they omitted the part where the Dad put a gun to Kevin's head and dared him to 'join his brothers'; then called him weak when he refused to kill himself.
I lost my brother October of 2023 . I saw this movie in theatre with no idea what I was getting into and.. my god were there tears. I was truly blown away by this film. The Iron Claw is one of the best films I have personally seen in a long fucking time and it will stay with me forever. Zac Efron gave a phenomenal performance.. his portrayal of love, loss and grief was so authentic. I miss you brother.
If only my family would actually talk to my dad and me, shame they hate us so much because we don't have alot, but yeah if you truly have a great family mz cherish every moment, that's what me and my dad do
@@qadi796 unfortunately you can’t get everyone together all the time. My family went through this funeral and it’s the first time I’d seen many of them in 20 years. Then we all just move on and recently one of my aunts got into a fight with my niece and I decided to interject and point out that despite All that’s happening you still want to fight like this? And for what. Love to the fullest, never lie. Those who can’t come together you have to be willing to leave the door open, but ignore the tantrum. This movie took my heart and shattered what was left of it in that theater, but my brother was beside me and talking it through since then helped us get on track mentally and physically.
This movie was just beauitful. I saw it in theaters back in December at Cinemark and just loved thr whole brotherhood aspect to the story. The Von Erichs literally are the Kenndys of wrestling.
before one of his matches someone hid his boots as a joke, and he wasn't able to find them before his match, so he just went out barefoot to wrestle, and it later became his trademark.
Watch the Dark Side of the Ring episode. It’s on the first season. You will see the Gino episode, Brody episode and Von Erich episode. Very interesting and tragic
A couple of other sad facts that the film did not talk about at all: David was married to his second wife at the time of his death. His first marriage fell apart after the death of their 13-week-old daughter who passed from SIDS. Kerry was a father of two daughters at the time of his passing.
@@MajikMannprobably did that to fit with the writing when Kevin is sitting there crying watching his sons play and they comfort him telling him they’ll be his brothers.
The craziest part of this movie is the fact that Fritz is even worse in real life. The movie actually toned down the depressing nature of the story a bit. Fritz actually had 6 sons. They actually took out one of the brother's deaths from the movie to lighten it up.
As a wrestling fan for 17 years, this is one of my favorite movies I've ever seen. Zac Efron, as well as the whole cast, absolutely killed it. I also had the same reaction at the end of the movie when it came to the director, I said "who tf directed this? what else have they made?" The story of the Von Erich's is so heartbreaking and this movie portrays it beautifully.
Same. I started watching when I was 4 in 1989. This is what I wrote someone else on here. Wife and I, are personal friends with Johnny Gargano, Candace LeRae, and Vic Joseph all from WWE and NXT. My wife even did/planned Johnnys birthday party at Cleveland Browns stadium. They said they loved the film and I’m planning on renting it tonight. I have so much respect for what they do and it’s allot harder than most people know. The travel, the work, and the emotional ups and downs. They work and travel ALLOT. Also it’s not fake it’s scripted and they get injured allot. I’m excited to see this film and will come to this when I do.
So there was a sixth brother, Chris, whose story is completely untold in the movie. Chris was kind of a bit like Mike (a smaller guy) but also a bit like David (really wanted to be in the business). He unalived himself like Mike and Kerry because it was clear that he wasn’t going to make it in the business. The filmmakers thought it would look like they’d made some stuff up for grief porn if they included his story (and also because he did the least in the business), so his story is untold. Yep, a rare occurrence where the movie of a tragic true story actually toned down the tragedy.
Just to put some context to it…Chris had some type of health issue that gave him brittle bones and he got injured (I think they chose to combine his and Mike’s story in the movie, although they had filmed scenes with the wrestler MJF as Chris). That’s when he realized he wasn’t going to make it in the business and decided to do what he did.
One of the hardest films I ever had to sit through. My first time in theater, I was truly in shambles and I couldn’t stop crying. Actually tearing up on the bus in public right here with you.
This movie was movie of the year, for me! 🔥❤️ and it should’ve been nominated for many things: Best Picture Best actor Best supporting actor So many things!!
11:16 The two wrestlers being portrayed here talking to Kevin and David are Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez, they would also die tragically. Gino would die at the age of 28 due to a cocaine overdose and Brody would be stabbed to death by a fellow wrestler/booker (the guy who would schedule the matches and who would win) in Puerto Rico over a business dispute.
Yay! Your marriage survived the Selena reaction lol This is one of the best movies I've seen especially this year. Cried in the theater & cried during this reaction
54:43: Yep. Iirc, Rowdy Roddy Piper pulled his boot off on camera and exposed that he had only one leg during this time, which is one of the reasons for his downward spiral 54:49: Jerry Jarrett, Jeff Jarrett’s late father and frequent business partner 56:29: Helwig, btw, is the Ultimate Warrior (his real name was Jim Helwig).
i think not being able to go in most of the matches saved kevin's life if you see it ironically.But at the cost of his brothers.This is surely a heartbreaking story
Oh I been waiting for you guys to react to this one ‼️‼️‼️ I walked into the theater only knowing they were wrestler brothers…spent the last 10 mins sobbing
I was a kid in the 80s and grew up in the Dallas/Ft Worth area the Von Erich's were such a big deal hear! It's so sad about all the tragedy that went on with them! I pray Kevin keeps peace in his life he's been through alot🙏
It’s amazing and Zac was so good. Also, I’m the moderator for Greg and John. I’m a OIF Army retired Vet/Nerd at 38 yrs old. I do it for free because I just love doing it. If you need another moderator let me know because I have a passion for this stuff WWE/Star Wars/Marvel/ and so much more. Have a good day!
When you think about how successful Kerry was after losing his foot,he vouldve been one of the biggest superstars ever if not for the injury which really lead him to depend on the drugs to ease his pain. Everytime he wrestled the prosthetic would dig into his leg and put him through crazy pain. Back then us watching had no idea that he'd lost the foot
Everyone gives kudos to Zach and Jeremy who do deserve it but every single actor in this movie was INCREDIBLE. Mike’s actor especially resonated with me. What happened to him is what made me cry. Not wanting to pursue the family legacy but being forced to and then getting brain damage from surgery after an injury so he couldn’t pursue his music anymore…….absolutely f*cking heartbreaking
As a HUGE life long wrestling fan, this movie is perfection. It’s cool Olivia is a wrestling fan too and knew her stuff! But I love seeing people react to this film who don’t know anything about wrestling, cause this movie really explained it in such realistic ways and fine details
The many post movie reactions I saw from people in TikTok who didn’t know this was a tragic true story and not a few good one. All the crying they did not knowing what would happen. I said only this “Oh you poor things. Y’all didn’t have someone warn you before?”
Great reaction, Reel Rejects! I enjoyed how invested your wife was in the story of the Von Erichs! There triumph and tradgedy! The three elder Von Erich's each had their own style. Kerry was the strength, Kevin was the speed/high-flyer, & David was the mat psychologist! They also had another brother named Chris Von Erich. He was the youngest brother who wasn't placed in the film by either the producer or writer due to the film already having enough tradgedy. The reason behind Kevin not wearing wrestling boots was due to another wrestler hiding his boots prior to a match. So, he wrestled without them! Just a little Von Erich trivia! Once again, great reaction, Reel Rejects!
My dad was a kid and grew up watching them wrestle and even went to a lot of the early shows in Dallas. He knew one of them got in a wreck too but never knew he lost his foot. He went to see this movie and came home and told us everything lol
On September 12, 1991, at about 9 P.M., Chris was found by his brother Kevin and mother outside of their family farm in Edom, suffering from a self-inflicted 9mm gunshot wound to the head.[13] According to Kevin, Chris came to him in the middle of the night, wanting back a videocassette recorder (VCR) Kevin borrowed from him. After noticing Chris sitting alone on top of a hill, Kevin went out and talked with him, where he revealed his suicidal tendencies concerning his condition (he had broken his arm earlier that month). After Kevin pleaded with him not to harm himself, Chris reassured him he wouldn't, but after Kevin left, he shot himself in the head.
These last two scenes with the brothers in the afterlife and Kevin crying and being comforted by his kids absolutely wrecked me! Wrestling, especially at that time was absolutely wild and hence why so many wrestlers either died because of drugs or took themselves out, but no family endured as much tragedy and heartbreak as the Von Erich's. Also, not all wrestling families had a patriarch that pushed his kids to the edge like Fritz did.
Because you asked Olivia, the claw is just an old wrestling move from a long time ago. The Von popularized it, and then from their variations have always existed. Usually the claw is used by really huge wrestlers or“ Giants” in the ring the mandible claw was just a made-up variation of it but even still this day, the claw itself they may not use it a lot, but it’s still considered a fun gimmick to use
As a pro wrestler. That silence that Ryan is talking about is pretty real. The adrenaline and the crowd just being so energetic while wrestling is the best feeling then after. You’re in the locker room or driving back home just silence like they show in the movie.
I just saw this film yesterday, so I immediately clicked this video cuz I love your reactions!! Nice to see Olivia after a long time🫶🫶 I cried soooo much and Zac Efron shocked me his acting abilities and is crazy this film got 0 nominations.
For those who weren’t 80s wrestling fans, the blonde wrestler who didn’t tag Kevin in was Lance Von Erich - a kayfabe “cousin” who was brought in while Kerry and Mike were dealing their health issues. The storyline was that Lance was the son of Waldo Von Erich, a kayfabe “brother” and tag team partner from early in Fritz’s career. In reality, neither Waldo nor Lance were related to the Von Erichs or each other. The fans soundly rejected the Lance storyline and it was soon retired.
Greg makes a Taylor Swift joke around @13:50; Fun Fact: Taylor Swift worked as a babysitter for former NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett when she was a teenager!
Kevin’s sons are currently tag team wrestlers in AEW. Kerry’s daughter was a wrestler in TNA for four years, before retiring. She is now a part owner of SWE Fury promotion.
Such a sad but great movie. And Zac Efron definitely delivers his best performance. And his last scene just destroyed. I guess having 3 brothers myself, I could really feel for him even more. I can't imagine a world where you have to go through so much loss and pain.
I dunno if anyone else wrote this, but legit, there was another brother who sadly passed from suicide also, but they cut it out to the director saying it was too redundant/sad, such a tough watch
They did a dark side of the ring on the Von Erich’s that’s where I heard this story first. I remember when Kerry came to the wwf no one knew he was in an accident and lost his foot not even the other wrestlers amazingly horrific story
They nailed it with the Fritz Von Erich casting. Efron was fantastic in this film. As was Jeremy Allen White. This is such a tragic story. They trained with Chavo Guererro Jr. who did all of the wrestling choreography. This was really well done. Loved it.
They did jump from promotion to promotion more often, but a lot of the wrestling companies/territories fell under the NWA umbrella and there was only one NWA world champion. So he would go to different promotions to defend the belt.
One scene that I feel like people missed was the ghost of david sitting on the staircase watching over his mom watch kerry win heavyweight world champion. It hit me so hard because it wasn’t even scary, just so comforting
Olivia’s (spelling? Sorry) Wrestling knowledge during this was fu%$ing awesome! Great video on a great movie! Love the Von Erich’s, I’m glad they decided to cut the Lance storyline, the dad was already awful enough… cheers Greg🤙🏼
Stayed away from this reaction til I saw the movie. Brought back so many memories of going to the sportatorium as a kid to see the von Erich’s. Also brought back memories of all the tragedy as well. Great reaction thank you.
Olivia that scene where Kevin was in the ring with a partner, and the long show with him just standing on the ring. All sad that was MJF’s character. They left Chris out of the movie because they felt that people were not believe that that level tragedy could’ve actually have happened which, of course all of us do know that their family did go through the trauma of not only medical issues, but also tragically members of the family taking their own lives.
1:27:00 The coin wasn't to reference "the flip" it was to "Pay the ferryman" a reference to the Greek myth of Charon, the ferryman who transports the dead across the river Acheron to the underworld. In Greek mythology, a soul must pay a coin called an obol to cross the river, known as Charon's Obol. Souls who are unable to pay risk wandering along the shores of the river for a hundred years as ghosts. In ancient times, it was customary to place coins in or on the mouth of the deceased before cremation so that the deceased could pay the ferryman
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The boys are wrestlers today. Marshall and Ross Von Erich
I worked on this film and we filmed in Baton Rouge
I grew up in the 80s going to the Sportatorium every Saturday night. My friends and I would talk about it all morning in Sunday School the next day. Our favorite (and who was by far the most popular of the Von Erichs) was Kerry.
You guys need to watch The Bear
🙂The REAL Von Eric's were HUGE, they were LITERALLY TWICE THE SIZE OF THESE ACTORS😎🙂. The real Von Eric's were EXTREMELY ATHLETIC also, Kevin was a football star and he was FAST and acrobatic🙂Kevin decided to quit football because he had terrible knee injuries. Everyone knows how athletic Kerry was...Kerry was a combination of all of the athletic qualities🙂. David was a great wrestling technician. Mike was good too overall. And Chris wasn't included in the movie
“Do you think you know why you’re sad?”
“I guess it’s because I used to be a brother and now I’m not a brother anymore.”
That completely broke me 😭😭😭
also "You must be my older brother, Jack"
That line stems from Kevin’s first public interview after Kerry’s death where he said “I used to have 4 brothers, now I’m no longer a brother”
As an older brother and the oldest man amongst my whole whole family that line crushed me all u want to do is protect the young ones and he ended up all alone
Kevin actually said that to Jim Cornette in real life so heartbreaking
I have 3 brothers so I balled like a baby when Kevin said that.
When asked for input on the movie the real Kevin Von Erich just said "The thing I care about most is that people know how much my brothers and I loved each other." I think he would approve.
He likes it but also stated that it’s not realistic of course bc it’s hollywood. Some situations screw with the timeline (Kevin fighting his dad didn’t happen when Kerry was found). They also left out another brother who also committed suicide.
See, this is where I have a problem with the movie. All Kevin wanted was “to show how much I loved my brothers” and then had NO ISSUE leaving out Chris, who literally killed himself because he would never live up to the family legacy… leaving him out proves he was right, if the brother who survived included their brother that died at 6 and not the one that died just before Kerry because he would be forgotten. That’s beyond messed up in my opinion.
@@johnnythiel9646 That's fair
@johnnythiel9646 apparently the producers thought the audience would not believe so much tragedy so they rewrote the script. I think thats such a cop out, their story is public info and the movie is already depressing af. RIP Chris
🙂The REAL Von Erics were incredibly athletic...they were alot more athletic then how the actors portrayed them🙂 The real Von Eris were HUGE, the real Von Eric's were LITERALLY TWICE THE SIZE of these actors. Kevin Von Eric was a football player and he was very fast, explosive, acrobatic and strong😎. Kevin stopped playing football because he had terrible knee injuries🥸 Kerry was huge, 6 foot 3, 260 plus and athletic in all areas🙂 David was a wrestling technician. Mike was pretty good overall and Chris wasn't included in the movie
Can we all agree this film was SNUBBED for some Oscars?? One of the best films of 2023, and Efron is just tremendous
I agree. Best Picture, Best Actor for Zac Effron, Best Supporting Actor for Jeremy Allen White, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Editing, Best Custome Design, & Best Cinematography.
Honestly I think it's cause Jeremy got scared of all the attention. Zach in background like I told I so
Fun Fact: Chavo Guerrero, nephew of the legendary wrestler Eddie Guerero trained Zac Efron and the rest for 7 weeks. He is also a consultant for this movie.
@@Dhoehn24 He played The Sheik, not the Iron Sheik
@@arlopear7136 my bad, I thought they just took creative license. Didn’t know it was a different wrestler.
@@Dhoehn24 yeah The Sheik was from the old territory days of wrestling like The Von Erichs. The Sheik's territory was the Michigan area & Texas was the Von Erichs. But since they were all under the umbrella of the NWA stars would occasionally crossover & work together.
He's fantastic, he also trained the actors in the tv show GLOW
@@arlopear7136 - and he’s Sabu’s uncle.
This film was snubbed so badly but doesn't help that it didn't release worldwide at the same time
I thought it was released after deadline & will be eligible for the 2025 Academy Awards?
@@arlopear7136no it was released very late and A24 didn't spend allot of FYC budget to promote it. They spent it more on Past Lives.
@@arlopear7136No, it is eligible this year and released at a bad time to get more publicity.
@@arlopear7136nope, it did meet the deadline but wasn’t really given an awards push
It didn't release worldwide AND the digital screeners for the award season were sent out late.
Should be noted that there's ANOTHER brother who also wrestled and took their own life. Chris Von Erich. The Director has since said there was only so much tragedy they could include in the movie.
I didn't even realize that until I watched "Dark Side of the Ring: Last of the Von Erichs". Great behind the scenes stuff not covered in the movie.
Yeah he was the baby brother and one that Kevin tried to save. Kevin doesn't want to relive that I'm sure
Took "his" own life, you mean.
@@SCharlesDennicon you are a miserable human being
Both are correct
I love how Olivia comforts Greg when he cries, it's so sweet.
I just had tears in my eyes during the whole afterlife scene. Seeing the brothers reunite, embrace and also seeing young Jack Jr., so beautiful.
It's a shame they didn't include Chris. He was also their brother who commited suicide and I think he should've been in the movie as well
@@nekonebitan2912 the thing also you have to remember is that this is a film not a documentary. So the director had to take creative liberties to make changes to the story. In the documentaries all the information is present so that helps. The director was aware of Chris Von Erich and he had to make that sacrifice and so the film explained 2 suicides which itself was tough and adding a 3rd would make even more emotional.
Same bro same. I didn’t expect to break down at that part but I did.
The final scene I think is one of the best closing scenes of the year. Just breaks my heart but makes me smile.
Yes! The best one along with Past Lives, & Talk to Me! Apparently they’re all A24!
As a pro wrestler myself, this is a movie that really shows the real pain and sacrifice we pro wrestlers go through. What a majestic movie. Zac & Jeremy nailed it!
What's your wrestling name
Oh cool, where do you wrestle
Bring back managers like Classy Freddy and Captain Lou!
Respect✊💥
@@Legacy420Gamermy wrestling name is Elijah ‘The Jawbreaking Jester’
The subtlety of mikes flashlight moving in the fields behind Kerry and Kevin fighting gets me every time.
Do you feel Zac Efron was snubbed?
He should’ve gotten nominated
Definitely he was.
Yes.
yes 100% this was one of the best performances I've seen period
Absolutely
The two little boys at the end grew up to be legit wrestlers in real life. They wrestled on AEW this past Friday
+jdog7673 The boys they were portraying did yep.
That scene when Kerry "reunited" with the boys in the end and met Jack jr. crushed me.
FUN FACT:Steve Austin even said that he wouldn't be wrestler if it wasn't the VON ERICH FAMILY
One of Chris Von Erich’s very few matches he had included a tag match in which one of his opponents, was none other than Steve Austin himself
@@chriskarabatsos that is true
Texas legends man they were the first family, the ones that paved the way for Steve Austin, mark calloway, mark Henry , Jake Robert’s, JBL
@@nickfrmdahill147 Could have done without giving us JBL tbh
Unsurprisingly, even though Greg clearly has tremendous chemistry with John and all of the guest hosts, the video in which he has the best, nicest, funniest, and sweetest chemistry with someone sharing the screen is the one guest starring his wife. You two are *adorable*
Another sad part about this movie is an entire brother was written out of the film because the writer/director thought one more tragedy would be to sad for people.
That's a flimsy excuse for erasing Chris Von Erich. They even removed him from the real life family photo at the end. It doesn't feel complete without the full family.
I completely agree it’s bullshit.
Yeah I heard that too and it's an awful excuse. At that point, don't adapt the story if you're not going to tell it authentically.
@@kc1johnit’s not for the people. it’s for storytelling. as fucked up as it is to say, from a storytelling perspective one more tragedy would just break the movie. it already felt excessive with the 4 deaths. adding a 5th would make the movie outlandish (despite how tragic the actual events are) and just wouldn’t be the same.
as audience members, we feel the weight of each death. a 5th and an extra character at that, would dampen the impact each of them has on us.
@@tommyn3522 that's not even mentioning the fact that it would basically be retreading the same story beats. Factual maybe, but would dilute the movie by stretching it out too far. It was a perfect length that hit the heart at just the right pace. Pacing is important for a movie, and as unfortunate as it is, another brother would have made it too hard to give adequate time to everyone. it's a shame but that's life. And as long as Kevin approves of it, it's fine to me.
Movie of the year. Super sad. As a pro wrestler myself, I was in shambles in the theater, even though I already knew the story.
Also Kevin's only rule he gave the director was that he wanted it to be clear, how much he loved his brothers.
And that's honestly the heart of the movie is that brotherly love.
Kerry wrestled in WWF during the early 90s as Texas Tornado. One of my favorites and I didn't even know he was wrestling with one foot.
As one of two brothers, "I used to be a brother" absolutely destroyed me.
Zac Efron totally deserved an Oscar nomination for this.
I agree
Big time!
i am so lucky, i got to do background work on this movie for about two weeks, i even saw myself in the movie twice for a couple seconds, zach was the nicest and always thanked us at the end of everyday, he is the best
That's awesome to hear.
Speaking of Jeremy Allen White. Greg you really need to watch The Bear. Show is one of the best ! Jeremy is fantastic actor. Season 3 is about to come out. You will have a blast and us The bear fans would loved to see ur reaction and bring along 2 others along with ur reaction! U won't be disappointed. Take my word for it 😉
I am so with you on that!! Listen to him, Greg!!
The Bear reactions from the RR crew would be so sick
Kevin’s sons are wrestling in Ring of Honor now & theyre actually pretty decent
they wrestle a very old school style but Marshall has a crazy high dropkick.. its beautiful lol
It might help them stand out more similar to Chad Gable, FTR, and the Briscoes trying a more old school style and what not.
Their work in MLW was incredible
I think I've watched more movies with The Rejects than my own family at this point. 💜
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time! I cried so many times in the theater! This movies deserves awards and Zac really deserved an Oscar in my opinion! The whole cast was incredible, but he led movie with so much strength and raw emotion, and that last seen made me sob😭!
the story of the real Von Erich family was actually even more tragic than the movie, there were actually 6 brothers in total, the 6th and youngest brother Chris also died and he was excluded from the movie because his situation was very similar to Mike's, they both were forced into wrestling to replace a dead brother and both later died by suicide. Chris died before Kerry did, but the director felt adding Chris would've been repetitive and too much tragedy in the movie. The movie also did not mention the fact that Kevin's parents later divorced and they have since both died. So Kevin has lost all of his brothers and parents, he is the only survivor. Also even though this movie is a biopic based on the Von Erichs, but some of the details in the movie were factually wrong, so if you want to learn more about the family, it's better to do your own research into the real family history of the Von Erichs. At the end of the day this movie is made for entertainment, so it's not completely accurate.
After all the death he decided THAT was too much? Sounds like an excuse to me tbh
@@StevieMcKenna10weirdo
@@zeeksy6276 lmfao how? It just seems weird he decided to completely basically delete an entire person from the story who was also apart of the story
@@StevieMcKenna10 the director felt there was already enough tragedy in the movie, adding another death in the movie would be too much and the movie might not get made. And since Chris situation was so similar to Mike's, he felt it was repetitive so he basically combined Chris and Mike's characters together. I agree with you though, I definitely think Chris should have been included in the movie.
@@iamlinda100 yeah I guess, it just feels less real
This movie was one of my favorite movies of last year! Zac Efron is so great in this movie! 👍
And just think, there was another brother who committed suicide (Chris) that was left out of the movie. And, they omitted the part where the Dad put a gun to Kevin's head and dared him to 'join his brothers'; then called him weak when he refused to kill himself.
That happened on his deathbed, pretty well. Why would they have covered that?
@@fjorgyn7438it’s a movie about the tragedies of the family and that’s part of it so it could’ve been included if they had the time too.
@@rayparker4231 not with the timeline they were going with.
I lost my brother October of 2023 . I saw this movie in theatre with no idea what I was getting into and.. my god were there tears.
I was truly blown away by this film. The Iron Claw is one of the best films I have personally seen in a long fucking time and it will stay with me forever. Zac Efron gave a phenomenal performance.. his portrayal of love, loss and grief was so authentic.
I miss you brother.
I am sorry for your loss.
Always a pleasure to see Mr. and Mrs.Alba on screen together ❤ You guys are the absolute best, hope you both have an amazing week ☀
I met Kerry von Erich in Sweeny TX back in 1988 I was 5yrs.old at the time
The Harts definitely deserve their own movie. Stu Hart did train Fritz Von Erich.
My uncle passed the week before this movie dropped. Very powerful, love your brothers and sisters guys, life is that delicate.
If only my family would actually talk to my dad and me, shame they hate us so much because we don't have alot, but yeah if you truly have a great family mz cherish every moment, that's what me and my dad do
@@qadi796 unfortunately you can’t get everyone together all the time. My family went through this funeral and it’s the first time I’d seen many of them in 20 years. Then we all just move on and recently one of my aunts got into a fight with my niece and I decided to interject and point out that despite All that’s happening you still want to fight like this? And for what. Love to the fullest, never lie. Those who can’t come together you have to be willing to leave the door open, but ignore the tantrum. This movie took my heart and shattered what was left of it in that theater, but my brother was beside me and talking it through since then helped us get on track mentally and physically.
This movie was just beauitful. I saw it in theaters back in December at Cinemark and just loved thr whole brotherhood aspect to the story. The Von Erichs literally are the Kenndys of wrestling.
Kevin was barefoot because he loved Jimmy " superfly" Snuka who also wrestled barefoot.
it was because he felt better without them
before one of his matches someone hid his boots as a joke, and he wasn't able to find them before his match, so he just went out barefoot to wrestle, and it later became his trademark.
Watch the Dark Side of the Ring episode. It’s on the first season. You will see the Gino episode, Brody episode and Von Erich episode. Very interesting and tragic
A couple of other sad facts that the film did not talk about at all:
David was married to his second wife at the time of his death. His first marriage fell apart after the death of their 13-week-old daughter who passed from SIDS.
Kerry was a father of two daughters at the time of his passing.
Additionally, Kevin’s oldest two kids are girls, his sons weren’t born until after Mike’s death.
@@MajikMannprobably did that to fit with the writing when Kevin is sitting there crying watching his sons play and they comfort him telling him they’ll be his brothers.
This movie got snubbed like crazy, not just Efron. One of my favorite movies from last year.
The craziest part of this movie is the fact that Fritz is even worse in real life. The movie actually toned down the depressing nature of the story a bit. Fritz actually had 6 sons. They actually took out one of the brother's deaths from the movie to lighten it up.
he brainwashed his sons into try living up to impossible standards and when they couldn't. they felt they brought shame and guilt
As a wrestling fan for 17 years, this is one of my favorite movies I've ever seen. Zac Efron, as well as the whole cast, absolutely killed it. I also had the same reaction at the end of the movie when it came to the director, I said "who tf directed this? what else have they made?" The story of the Von Erich's is so heartbreaking and this movie portrays it beautifully.
Same. I started watching when I was 4 in 1989. This is what I wrote someone else on here.
Wife and I, are personal friends with Johnny Gargano, Candace LeRae, and Vic Joseph all from WWE and NXT. My wife even did/planned Johnnys birthday party at Cleveland Browns stadium. They said they loved the film and I’m planning on renting it tonight. I have so much respect for what they do and it’s allot harder than most people know. The travel, the work, and the emotional ups and downs. They work and travel ALLOT. Also it’s not fake it’s scripted and they get injured allot. I’m excited to see this film and will come to this when I do.
This movie just… WRECKED me. Recent events on my life made this one hit a little closer to home, so yeah, I loved it but it was HEAVY.
So there was a sixth brother, Chris, whose story is completely untold in the movie. Chris was kind of a bit like Mike (a smaller guy) but also a bit like David (really wanted to be in the business). He unalived himself like Mike and Kerry because it was clear that he wasn’t going to make it in the business.
The filmmakers thought it would look like they’d made some stuff up for grief porn if they included his story (and also because he did the least in the business), so his story is untold.
Yep, a rare occurrence where the movie of a tragic true story actually toned down the tragedy.
Just to put some context to it…Chris had some type of health issue that gave him brittle bones and he got injured (I think they chose to combine his and Mike’s story in the movie, although they had filmed scenes with the wrestler MJF as Chris). That’s when he realized he wasn’t going to make it in the business and decided to do what he did.
One of the hardest films I ever had to sit through. My first time in theater, I was truly in shambles and I couldn’t stop crying. Actually tearing up on the bus in public right here with you.
This movie was movie of the year, for me! 🔥❤️ and it should’ve been nominated for many things:
Best Picture
Best actor
Best supporting actor
So many things!!
11:16 The two wrestlers being portrayed here talking to Kevin and David are Bruiser Brody and Gino Hernandez, they would also die tragically. Gino would die at the age of 28 due to a cocaine overdose and Brody would be stabbed to death by a fellow wrestler/booker (the guy who would schedule the matches and who would win) in Puerto Rico over a business dispute.
Yeah, felt wild when they were the first tag opponents in the film. Ouch.
As a huge fan of you guys for years, learning that your wife’s a wrestling fan just makes me love you guys more! Great watch along!
Yay! Your marriage survived the Selena reaction lol
This is one of the best movies I've seen especially this year. Cried in the theater & cried during this reaction
54:43: Yep. Iirc, Rowdy Roddy Piper pulled his boot off on camera and exposed that he had only one leg during this time, which is one of the reasons for his downward spiral
54:49: Jerry Jarrett, Jeff Jarrett’s late father and frequent business partner
56:29: Helwig, btw, is the Ultimate Warrior (his real name was Jim Helwig).
i think not being able to go in most of the matches saved kevin's life if you see it ironically.But at the cost of his brothers.This is surely a heartbreaking story
Kevin said he liked the movie and he liked how Zac Efron portrayed him.
Oh I been waiting for you guys to react to this one ‼️‼️‼️ I walked into the theater only knowing they were wrestler brothers…spent the last 10 mins sobbing
The part that broke me I started tearing up is towards the end when he hugged the “baby” brother.
You guys NEED to watch The Bear!
I was a kid in the 80s and grew up in the Dallas/Ft Worth area the Von Erich's were such a big deal hear! It's so sad about all the tragedy that went on with them! I pray Kevin keeps peace in his life he's been through alot🙏
Same!
@@BuckyBarnesNC A fellow DFW native! 🤝👊
One of my absolute favorite movies of the year. I hate that it hasn't gotten awards attention because it absolutely deserves it.
It’s amazing and Zac was so good. Also, I’m the moderator for Greg and John. I’m a OIF Army retired Vet/Nerd at 38 yrs old. I do it for free because I just love doing it. If you need another moderator let me know because I have a passion for this stuff WWE/Star Wars/Marvel/ and so much more. Have a good day!
When you think about how successful Kerry was after losing his foot,he vouldve been one of the biggest superstars ever if not for the injury which really lead him to depend on the drugs to ease his pain. Everytime he wrestled the prosthetic would dig into his leg and put him through crazy pain. Back then us watching had no idea that he'd lost the foot
Wrestling and movies are my two favourite things. Thank god for this film and A24 all together. And thank god we at least still have kevin
Everyone gives kudos to Zach and Jeremy who do deserve it but every single actor in this movie was INCREDIBLE. Mike’s actor especially resonated with me. What happened to him is what made me cry. Not wanting to pursue the family legacy but being forced to and then getting brain damage from surgery after an injury so he couldn’t pursue his music anymore…….absolutely f*cking heartbreaking
There was, unfortunately another brother that was not portrayed in the film. His name was Chris Von Erich. He had a death similar to Kerry Von Erich.
The afterlife / we can be your brothers ending has to be up there with the beginning of UP as one of the saddest / most beautiful scenes ever
As a HUGE life long wrestling fan, this movie is perfection. It’s cool Olivia is a wrestling fan too and knew her stuff! But I love seeing people react to this film who don’t know anything about wrestling, cause this movie really explained it in such realistic ways and fine details
The many post movie reactions I saw from people in TikTok who didn’t know this was a tragic true story and not a few good one. All the crying they did not knowing what would happen. I said only this “Oh you poor things. Y’all didn’t have someone warn you before?”
Great reaction, Reel Rejects! I enjoyed how invested your wife was in the story of the Von Erichs! There triumph and tradgedy! The three elder Von Erich's each had their own style. Kerry was the strength, Kevin was the speed/high-flyer, & David was the mat psychologist! They also had another brother named Chris Von Erich. He was the youngest brother who wasn't placed in the film by either the producer or writer due to the film already having enough tradgedy. The reason behind Kevin not wearing wrestling boots was due to another wrestler hiding his boots prior to a match. So, he wrestled without them! Just a little Von Erich trivia! Once again, great reaction, Reel Rejects!
The scene where Kerry sees his brothers again broke me, I rarely if ever cry in movies but that got me
My dad was a kid and grew up watching them wrestle and even went to a lot of the early shows in Dallas. He knew one of them got in a wreck too but never knew he lost his foot. He went to see this movie and came home and told us everything lol
For a while they invented a new Von Erich named Lance Von Erich. He was the blonde in the tag team that wouldn't tag in Kevin.
i don't watch a ton of wrestling but isn't that MJF from AEW that played him in the movie? l
It's a damn shame what these young men went through to many heartbreaking tragedies for one family to deal with"Great Movie"😢
Zac Effron also did a lot of choreography/dance in The Greatest Showman
On September 12, 1991, at about 9 P.M., Chris was found by his brother Kevin and mother outside of their family farm in Edom, suffering from a self-inflicted 9mm gunshot wound to the head.[13] According to Kevin, Chris came to him in the middle of the night, wanting back a videocassette recorder (VCR) Kevin borrowed from him. After noticing Chris sitting alone on top of a hill, Kevin went out and talked with him, where he revealed his suicidal tendencies concerning his condition (he had broken his arm earlier that month). After Kevin pleaded with him not to harm himself, Chris reassured him he wouldn't, but after Kevin left, he shot himself in the head.
This movie and Zac deserved some recognition during the awards season.
Actually cried when I saw this in the cinema Greg,cried again at your reaction. Thank you. Sending you a transatlantic hug 🤗
Harris Dickinson, portrayed David, was in The King’s Man movie from 2021.
Also Triangle of Sadness. I can't believe it's the same guy.
These last two scenes with the brothers in the afterlife and Kevin crying and being comforted by his kids absolutely wrecked me!
Wrestling, especially at that time was absolutely wild and hence why so many wrestlers either died because of drugs or took themselves out, but no family endured as much tragedy and heartbreak as the Von Erich's. Also, not all wrestling families had a patriarch that pushed his kids to the edge like Fritz did.
Because you asked Olivia, the claw is just an old wrestling move from a long time ago. The Von popularized it, and then from their variations have always existed. Usually the claw is used by really huge wrestlers or“ Giants” in the ring the mandible claw was just a made-up variation of it but even still this day, the claw itself they may not use it a lot, but it’s still considered a fun gimmick to use
Fun fact: Many wrestlers were around helping make this legit. MJF, Chavo Guerrero, even Kevin Von Erich was asked for his input.
Another thing, listen to their dad, everytime one of his sons would compete for a title he would always say "I can''t wait until WE have that title."
As a pro wrestler. That silence that Ryan is talking about is pretty real. The adrenaline and the crowd just being so energetic while wrestling is the best feeling then after. You’re in the locker room or driving back home just silence like they show in the movie.
I just saw this film yesterday, so I immediately clicked this video cuz I love your reactions!! Nice to see Olivia after a long time🫶🫶 I cried soooo much and Zac Efron shocked me his acting abilities and is crazy this film got 0 nominations.
For those who weren’t 80s wrestling fans, the blonde wrestler who didn’t tag Kevin in was Lance Von Erich - a kayfabe “cousin” who was brought in while Kerry and Mike were dealing their health issues. The storyline was that Lance was the son of Waldo Von Erich, a kayfabe “brother” and tag team partner from early in Fritz’s career. In reality, neither Waldo nor Lance were related to the Von Erichs or each other. The fans soundly rejected the Lance storyline and it was soon retired.
Thanks for that information! I was in fact one of those individuals wondering who the heck that blonde tag partner was supposed to be!
Greg makes a Taylor Swift joke around @13:50; Fun Fact: Taylor Swift worked as a babysitter for former NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett when she was a teenager!
she babysat JJ's kids? insane fact!
I think his daughter was in one of her her music videos too. I could be wrong.
As a brother myself, the ending really made me tear up a lot
couldnt get anyone to go see this movie with me, so im so happy you guys did a reaction to this! Fun to see you guys together on screen!
Kevin’s sons are currently tag team wrestlers in AEW. Kerry’s daughter was a wrestler in TNA for four years, before retiring. She is now a part owner of SWE Fury promotion.
17:45 the NWA World Champion would travel through the different territories to defend the title against each territories' top contenders.
When kerry put that coin tail side up when he was on the boat, it broke me
Such a sad but great movie. And Zac Efron definitely delivers his best performance. And his last scene just destroyed. I guess having 3 brothers myself, I could really feel for him even more. I can't imagine a world where you have to go through so much loss and pain.
I dunno if anyone else wrote this, but legit, there was another brother who sadly passed from suicide also, but they cut it out to the director saying it was too redundant/sad, such a tough watch
They did a dark side of the ring on the Von Erich’s that’s where I heard this story first. I remember when Kerry came to the wwf no one knew he was in an accident and lost his foot not even the other wrestlers amazingly horrific story
MJF was in the movie very briefly. Almost blink and you miss him. He was also an Executive Producer on the movie.
They nailed it with the Fritz Von Erich casting. Efron was fantastic in this film. As was Jeremy Allen White. This is such a tragic story. They trained with Chavo Guererro Jr. who did all of the wrestling choreography. This was really well done. Loved it.
They did jump from promotion to promotion more often, but a lot of the wrestling companies/territories fell under the NWA umbrella and there was only one NWA world champion. So he would go to different promotions to defend the belt.
12:00 yes they did. In fact they trained mostly with, Chavo Guerrero.
Didn't MJF help train them too or did he just help with you know producing the matches
Damn Greg needs to watch The Bear
One scene that I feel like people missed was the ghost of david sitting on the staircase watching over his mom watch kerry win heavyweight world champion. It hit me so hard because it wasn’t even scary, just so comforting
Olivia’s (spelling? Sorry) Wrestling knowledge during this was fu%$ing awesome! Great video on a great movie! Love the Von Erich’s, I’m glad they decided to cut the Lance storyline, the dad was already awful enough… cheers Greg🤙🏼
Stayed away from this reaction til I saw the movie. Brought back so many memories of going to the sportatorium as a kid to see the von Erich’s. Also brought back memories of all the tragedy as well. Great reaction thank you.
Olivia that scene where Kevin was in the ring with a partner, and the long show with him just standing on the ring. All sad that was MJF’s character. They left Chris out of the movie because they felt that people were not believe that that level tragedy could’ve actually have happened which, of course all of us do know that their family did go through the trauma of not only medical issues, but also tragically members of the family taking their own lives.
1:27:00 The coin wasn't to reference "the flip" it was to "Pay the ferryman" a reference to the Greek myth of Charon, the ferryman who transports the dead across the river Acheron to the underworld. In Greek mythology, a soul must pay a coin called an obol to cross the river, known as Charon's Obol. Souls who are unable to pay risk wandering along the shores of the river for a hundred years as ghosts.
In ancient times, it was customary to place coins in or on the mouth of the deceased before cremation so that the deceased could pay the ferryman