Was Mike Von Erichs near-fatal illness in 1985 really the result of a drug overdose?
No. This particularly irresponsible bit of rumor mongering appeared in the 1995 book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pro Wrestling, written by boxing journalist Bert Randolph Sugar and former WWE manager “Captain” Lou Albano. It’s not surprising that some in the wrestling industry — an industry where the general attitude is that “everything’s a work”, as there are few other businesses so completely dependent upon deceiving the public — may have believed this to be the case, as Mike was known to have substance abuse issues both before and after his hospitalization for toxic shock syndrome. It should be self-evident, though, that a physician like Dr. William Sutker, who performed the shoulder operation during which Mike contracted the infection, would not have attempted to help cover up a drug overdose had one actually occurred (unless, of course, he wanted to risk losing his license to practice medicine). Nor would Fritz have bothered to file a malpractice suit if Mike’s brain damage ha
