The Man Who Started It All Didn't Know He Started It All
There's a moment every wrestling fan knows. The one where you see someone - really see them - and every Saturday morning from your childhood comes rushing back at once.
I almost had that moment in the middle of an airport security line.
As I was literally walking through security on my way home from Las Vegas, I caught something out of the corner of my eye. A face I'd recognize anywhere. Kevin Von Erich. I held it together. Mostly.
For anyone who didn't grow up glued to a TV on Saturday mornings in the early 1980s, let me give you some context.
World Class Championship Wrestling - WCCW out of Dallas, Texas - was must-see television for a certain generation of fans. At the center of it all was one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling history: The Fabulous Freebirds vs. The Von Erich Family. It was dramatic, emotional, and completely consuming. I was hooked.
What I didn't know then was that my love of professional wrestling would eventually become more than a passion. It would become part of my career. Years later, I found myself working for WWE, supporting key creative teams across Writing, TV Production, and Creative Services. None of that happens without WCCW. None of it happens without the Von Erichs. Kevin didn't know any of that, of course. He was just a guy at an airport gate.
After clearing security, I noticed we'd ended up at adjacent gates. I introduced myself, tried not to be too much of a fan about it, and Kevin couldn't have been more gracious. We talked for a few minutes. He took a photo with me. No fanfare, no entourage — just a genuinely kind man with somewhere to be.
The Von Erich family story is not an easy one. The tragedies are well-documented and I won't revisit them here. What I will say is that Kevin Von Erich, the last surviving son, has built a life. A family. A reason to keep going.
Before we parted ways, I asked him how he does it.
His answer was three words.
"Just be happy."
I've been thinking about that ever since.
Not "stay positive." Not "find your purpose." Not a podcast recommendation or a five-step framework.
Just be happy.
For someone who has faced more loss than most of us could fathom, that wasn't a platitude. It was hard-won wisdom delivered with a smile at an airport gate.
I don't know that I needed a reminder. But I'm glad I got one.
This is part of an ongoing series - Five Days in Vegas: Where Every Conversation Was the Right One - where I'm sharing the stories, reconnections, and unexpected lessons from a recent trip that reminded me why relationships are everything.
More soon. - Jon