Mike Von Erich Michael Brett Adkisson ( March 2 , 1964 – April 12 , 1987 ) was an American professional wrestler under the ring name Mike Von Erich . His four brothers , David , Kerry , Kevin and Chris , also wrestled . He was the son of longtime Texas wrestler and wrestling promoter Fritz Von Erich and a member of the famous Von Erich family . Professional wrestling career . Several wrestlers associated with Mike , such as his brother Kevin , King Kong Bundy , " Gentleman " Chris Adams , Gary Hart and Jake Roberts , have all stated that he never wanted to be a wrestler . He was not a natural athlete like his older brothers and wanted to work for his father ' s company , World Class Championship Wrestling , as a cameraman . He also played guitar and wanted to be a musician away from the industry . Mike made his debut on November 24 , 1983 , winning a match against Skandar Akbar during " WCCW Wrestling Star Wars " at the Reunion Arena . He was then involved in several encounters with The Freebirds . Von Erich and Michael Hayes brawled on October 17 , 1983 , in Ft . Worth , after Hayes ripped a jacket given to Mike by his brother Kerry . Mike teamed up with his brother Kevin against Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts on December 25 , 1983 . The only time Mike ever teamed up with his brother David was in January 1984 when , along with Kerry , they battled the Freebirds . Mike took David ' s place teaming with Kerry after David ' s death in February 1984 . WCCW tried to give Mike a feud of his own against Brian Adias in October 1986 , since Kerry was out of wrestling with an ankle injury . Mike and Adias were to battle in a match at Parade of Champions on May 3 , 1987 , but Mike died on April 12 of that year . His final match took place at the Sportatorium on April 3 , 1987 , against Mike Williams . Personal life . Mike was married on February 14 , 1985 , to Shani Garza . He underwent shoulder surgery on August 22 , 1985 , due to an injury suffered during a wrestling tour of Israel ; he was involved in a tag match against Hernandez and Adams with his brother Kevin when his shoulder " went out . " He was released from the hospital in good condition , but four days later he developed a fever of 107 °F ( 42 °C ) . He was later diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome and it is theorized that this resulted from his surgery , which was performed by Dr . Stonie R . Cotton at Brookhaven Hospital in Dallas , Texas . It was said in various publications and in the " Heroes of World Class " DVD that he suffered some brain damage as a result of his illness , and he lost a great deal of weight . He had a difficult time returning to the ring , and was not able to perform as well as before . Just as Mike was not the same physically , his promos also suffered , as his speech was often slurred . Meanwhile , his drug and alcohol dependencies worsened as a result of depression over his condition , and his personal behavior became extremely erratic . He was accused ( although later acquitted ) of assaulting an emergency room physician while being treated for his shoulder problem . In 1986 , he suffered head injuries from a car accident in which his vehicle overturned after he lost control . In addition , Kevin cited an incident in which Mike attacked a streetlight in frustration over his current condition . Kevin once said that Mike also suffered from the pressure of having to " be David " after his brother ' s death . Since the two had similar facial features , many fans saw David in Mike , and from the beginning of his career the pressure was on for Mike to succeed on the same level of his brothers . Death . A few days before his death , Mike was arrested on drunk driving and drug charges . On April 12 , 1987 , he left a suicide note for his family , then went to Lake Dallas , where he overdosed on the sleeping pill Placidyl and alcohol . He was found dead four days later and buried at Grove Hill Memorial Park in Dallas .