Former WCCW And WWE Star Black Bart Details Moment Before Kerry Von Erich's Suicide

Former NWA Mid-Atlantic and World Class Heavyweight Champion Black Bart was a recent guest on the Pancakes and Powerslams Show to discuss the Dark Side of the Ring documentary series. Bart, who competed in NWA, WCCW, and WWE, worked with all the former wrestlers featured in each episode.

As explained in the documentary, Kerry Von Erich committed suicide on February 18, 1993 at only the age of 33. Kerry had been addicted to pain killers, primarily stemming from his motorcycle accident in 1986 which led to his right foot being amputated.

Kevin stated in the documentary that Kerry told him that he was going to commit suicide, but Kevin tried to prevent that from happening. They decided to take their guns to Alaska and shoot around, but it did not happen.

The documentary explained that Kerry was supposed to be indicted on drug charges on February 17, and he drove out to his father Fritz's ranch. Kerry walked up to his dad while he was pouring concrete, hugged and told him that he loved him, and drove out to the field. Fritz then discovered his son Kerry dead, committing suicide by shooting himself in the heart.

Bart went into detail the moments leading before Kerry's drive to Fritz's ranch, along with his drug problem.

"I wrestled Kerry, and I was around him a lot. But, when he left to go to [WWE] as Texas Tornado, or whatever they did up there to try to bury him, that's what they were trying to do is bury [him], but he made something out of it, and I give him all the credit for that," said Bart. "But when he left, he had a cocaine problem. And he got zapped. When he [came] back home, he bought more cocaine, and get zapped again. By I mean zapped, I mean the cops got him. And he was facing time.

"I wrestled Kerry that Friday night at the Sportatorium in a cage match, loser leaves. I beat him to the door, one of the first times ever, and double juiced, the whole nine yards. And he went out with his wife, his ex-wife, had two little beautiful daughters, and asked if him and her could get back together. She said, there's no way, no shape, form, or [fashion]. He wrote on a napkin ? on the table ? that tomorrow, I walk with my brothers. He went that next morning out to Fritz's ranch, and went out and took a jeep and put a .44 right through his chest. [Blew] his heart out the backside. It went in the size of a .44, and came out the size of a basketball. Fritz knew he was out there, and he waited 8, 9 hours before he even went out there."

Bart added that Kerry was "very talkative" in the dressing room backstage "because he was on cocaine and it hypes you up." He also said the Von Erich boys were "sweethearts," but "a little snotty because [of] the way they [were] raised."

You can hear the full interview above, where he also discusses Bruiser Brody, Gino Hernandez, and his theory on Bret Hart knowing about the Montreal Screwjob.