Kerry Von Erich, also recognized as The Texas Tornado, gained immense popularity as a professional wrestler throughout the 1980s until his unfortunate demise in 1993. Notably, he secured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and made a pivotal move to the WWF in 1990, contributing to the wrestling "Golden Era" until 1992. His tenure in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) included holding the Intercontinental Championship and engaging in a well-known feud with Mr. Perfect, Curt Hennig.
The release of The Iron Claw movie, a true story recounting the history of the Von Erich brothers, has thrust Tornado back into the spotlight. This film chronicles the journey of Kerry, Kevin, David, Mike, and Chris as they strive for recognition in professional wrestling, ultimately aspiring to join the WWF (now WWE). Despite Kerry achieving this feat by lifting the Intercontinental title at Summerslam 1990, personal challenges such as drug abuse, family issues, and other problems led to his tragic suicide in 1993.
The Iron Claw premiered in the United States on December 22, 2023, and was released in the United Kingdom last Friday, February 9, 2023. Portraying a narrative marked by physical pain, explicit language, drug abuse, and tragedy, the film delves into the eventual suicides of three of the five Von Erich brothers. Starring Zac Efron as Kevin and Jeremy Allen White as Kerry, this Sean Durbin film has already grossed nearly $40 million at the box office and is poised for exceptional numbers in Europe in the coming months. The recent resurgence in professional wrestling's popularity is likely to further boost its success.
Despite being one of wrestling’s more popular characters in the United States in the 1990’s, Kerry only featured in a couple of action figure releases, most notably in WWF Hasbro Series 3. Tornado featured his spinning punch move, labelled on the box as “The Texas Twister”.
This series was an interesting one for the line. The Texas Tornado was released alongside Earthquake and Typhoon, Greg the Hammer Valentine, the third release of Hulk Hogan, Sgt Slaughter, Koko B Ware, a third release of the Macho Man Randy Savage, Mr Perfect with yellow singlet and a third release of The Ultimate Warrior.
As Hasbro aimed to capitalize on the World Wrestling Federation's newfound popularity worldwide, they began releasing thousands of these figures on international cards. Variants of Tornado are known to exist on Spanish, French, Italian, and Dual Language cards. Our analysis has revealed that, notably, several WWF Hasbro Series 3 figures are more frequently encountered on foreign language cards compared to the US English version. This anomaly is thoroughly examined on our website, Retrofigure, specifically on our WWF Hasbro foreign card page. Among the figures, Koko B Ware and the focal point of this article, Texas Tornado, are the most commonly found on international cards. Interestingly, the foreign version of Tornado has been purchased nearly three times more often than its US English release.
Usually, an English US card is considered the most valuable of the WWF Hasbro series, but on occasion a dual language card can attract top dollar. We have observed that Texas Tornado rarely secures a top value amongst the other English cards, and this may be because so many foreign releases were sold in the 1990’s. Now, however, with the release of the Iron Claw, collectors have been busy snapping up Tornado mint on card figures in recent weeks, as you can see from the charts on the right hand side. Most notable is the increase in value of Texas Tornado’s figure. Please note that our Wrestling Figure Shop also has a number of Texas Tornado figures available for purchase.
Elsewhere, The Texas Tornado was also featured in a figure released in Spain as part of the Star Toys line. This action figure is particularly challenging to locate in good condition. Additionally, Tornado was released as a mini wrestler by WWF Hasbro, included in a four-pack alongside Rowdy Roddy Piper, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Mr. Perfect.
In subsequent years, various other Tornado figures were introduced, including the WWE Legends Series 6 version, the Ultimate Edition by Mattel, and Powertown’s Series 1, among others. However, none have managed to replicate the popularity of the original WWF Hasbro release. This trend is likely to persist in the coming months as more enthusiasts appreciate The Iron Claw in theaters.
