Fritz Von Erich vs. Brute Bernard

Fritz's feud with Brute Bernard came about when the American Heavyweight Title was formed for the territory in Texas. Brute Bernard came in after beating Wilbur Snyder (probably a phantom match) for the title. Fritz was the Texas Champion at the time and was looking to move up.

Fritz beat Brute for the championship on 3-27-67 in Fort Worth and most of the match was shown on TV. Kenji Shibuya, who was feuding with Fritz at the time, caused Fritz to be distracted before the introduction to the match. Brute then jumped on Fritz to gain the advantage and win the first fall. Fritz won the second fall with the Iron Claw and Brute bladed big time for it. The match was going Fritz's way in the third fall when TV time ran out. It was reported the next week that the championship had changed hands.

Fritz and Brute had a series of matches during the next several months. The Brass Knuckles Title was also involved as well as the American Tag Team Titles. Waldo Von Erich was Fritz's partner and Mike Paidousis was Brute's partner and manager.

Brute was a very entertaining wrestler and made a great heel. He walked like a chicken making loud noises. He never did promos and would usually use concealed weapons. Mike Paidousis, his manager, would do promos for him.

Fritz went on to hold the American Title 13 times from 1967 to 1982 when he retired.