Mike and Wanda: A World Class Love Story

Posted on March 4, 2025 by bdamage1

Brian Damage

As wrestling fans, we are probably well versed in the story of the Von Erich family. We know about all of their triumphs and unbelievable tragedies. There have been books, articles, documentaries and even a motion picture made about them. Just when you think you know everything there is to know about Fritz, Doris, Jack, Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris Von Erich…there seems to be another layer to their incredible stories. Today, we look a little into the private life of Mike Adkisson aka Mike Von Erich and the six month romance he had with a woman named Wanda Nichols. Like every Von Erich tale, this one also deals with triumphs and a tragedy. This is their love story…

This story began at the famed Reunion Arena in downtown Dallas, Texas on November 11, 1986. This wasn’t a wrestling event, but a Bob Seger concert. It’s the place where Mike Von Erich first laid eyes on a model, actress and successful business owner named Wanda Nichols. Wanda admitted that she was not a pro wrestling fan in the least and had no idea that she was meeting Texas wrestling royalty. It was an instantaneous attraction between the two and the couple ended spending the remainder of the evening sitting together front row at the concert. During this same night, they shared their first kiss.

Wanda said she was completely surprised by Mike’s forwardness, but at the same time, it just felt right. She also recalled an incident at the concert, where a man in back of them kept pushing to get up closer and in the process, pushed Wanda. Seeing Wanda getting shoved, set Mike off and he immediately confronted the man. Before a single punch was thrown, security stepped in. The security team saw who was involved in the skirmish and reminded the man doing the pushing that he was about to fight Mike Von Erich. Realizing he was about to fight a member of a Texas wrestling dynasty, the man quickly backed down and apologized profusely to Mike and Wanda.

Wanda got an up close experience of what the Von Erich name meant in Texas. By the end of the evening, Mike invited Wanda to watch him wrestle on Thanksgiving night. This was Mike’s first match back from surviving Toxic Shock Syndrome. Wanda would attend and be ringside for her first wrestling show…World Class’ Thanksgiving Star Wars. Even though she was never a fan of wrestling, Wanda readily admitted to getting caught up in the emotion and the energy only a wrestling show could provide. She would attend many shows rooting Mike on and completely getting immersed in the action. She recalled going backstage at one event and being introduced to a number of the stars of World Class. Mike introduced her as his wife and for the most part, all the wrestlers welcomed her with open arms…except one. That  wrestler, ironically was a childhood friend of Mike’s older brother Kerry in Brian Adias.

Wanda remembers vividly standing backstage and Adias walking up to her and saying, “You’re a pretty lady, but have bad taste in men.”  She said from that point on, she disliked Brian Adias and the two would often argue backstage at various shows. When asked how Adias could be disrespectful to the brother of a close friend in Kerry, Wanda said Mike and Brian were never friends and never got along. Despite Adias, she said she got along with everyone including the wrestlers, fans and the Von Erich family themselves.

She talked glowingly about how Jack aka Fritz welcomed her and treated her like one of the family from the very beginning. She talked about how Fritz was very tough on all of his boys, but saw how different and loving he was away from wrestling. In fact, one morning at the Von Erich ranch, it was just Wanda and Fritz having coffee when Fritz said…”I have three of the most beautiful Daughters in Law” meaning Pam, Cathy and Wanda. Wanda said that Fritz’s wife and mother of the Von Erich brothers, Doris was just as tough and in many ways tougher than Fritz actually was. While a loving mother, she expected greatness out of the brothers whether it was in the wrestling ring, school or outside athletics. 

Many people have claimed that Mike was forced into pro wrestling and some have stated that he hated it. Wanda said that Mike always loved being a professional wrestler, but had other interests outside of the ring. He loved the TV production side of wrestling and had a passion for his music. Mike played guitar, but was skilled on several other instruments. Wanda fondly remembered being in Mike’s room, jumping up and down on his bed singing a variety of rock songs that blared on the radio….while playing on his favorite red and blue guitar. She recalled sitting in Chris’s room with all the brothers Kevin, Kerry, Mike and Chris where all five made a pact to stick together and love one another no matter what. She swore to the brothers that she would never reveal the other secrets they shared in Chris’ room that day.

The relationship between Mike and Wanda got very serious, very fast. They became inseparable going out to movies, wrestling shows, shopping, rock concerts and out to restaurants three times a day. With the relationship growing stronger by the day, it was important to Wanda that her son from a previous marriage be accepted by Mike and his family. Both Mike and Wanda were married and divorced. Mike’s marriage to Shani lasted only a couple of months and really didn’t talk about her or why his marriage ended so quickly. It did not matter, Mike was all about Wanda and as she put it…“Placing her on a pedestal.”

Wanda said that Mike was in constant pain and she did see him smoke weed occasionally and take pills to ease his pain, but never saw him abuse anything. Mike drank, but Wanda said it was not on a daily basis.

Mike treated her son Jonathan like he was a Von Erich himself. Jonathan said he would hang out with Mike’s younger brother Chris and play video games. Jonathan was not a wrestling fan himself and asked Mike point blank if it was real. He said Mike was very honest with him. He said that the hatred and matches for the most part was just an illusion, but then showed him bruises on his body and said the pain is very real.

With his mother dating Mike Von Erich, Jonathan said that many of his friends and classmates didn’t believe him. Jonathan decided to become an entrepreneur like his mother and bring his friends to meet Mike and charge each one a dollar to do so. Laughingly, Jonathan said that Mike refused to charge any of the kids to meet him and sign autographs. That’s how nice Mike was as a person. At times, he hated his built in celebrity, like when fans came over to his table at a restaurant while dining with Wanda and ask for autographs or pictures. Otherwise, Mike was very welcoming and embraced his fans.

One thing about dating Mike Von Erich, when you went out with him, you had his baby brother Chris Von Erich tagging along. Wanda said that Chris really looked up to Mike and he went with the couple to various events with them. She did recall one time Chris disrespected Wanda and Mike yelled at his brother and made him apologize in front of him…other than that one instance, Mike and Chris were like two peas in a pod as brothers.

On December 13, 1986, just a little over a month of dating, Mike and Wanda had a commitment ceremony on top of a small mountain which Mike said was an ancient Indian sacred ground located at the Von Erich ranch. While the ceremony was not an official wedding, they did commit to each other forever and became engaged. I asked Wanda what was her favorite gift that Mike ever gave her and without hesitation she said her engagement ring. She also said that Mike bought a dress for her favorite doll, which she cherished. 

Being a Von Erich wasn’t always glitz and glamorous. Wanda said there were “fans” who wanted to see how tough the brothers really were outside of the ring. Wanda’s son Jonathan recalled being at home and seeing Mike being helped in by friends as he was bloody and battered after a group of men assaulted him for just being a Von Erich. The incident happened just a week before something much worse took place.

Wanda said that she was going away on a business trip and Mike and her made plans to go away to Europe on a trip and made plans for her birthday. He told her…“I’ll see you when you come back.” Those were the last words Mike ever told Wanda. In April of 1987, Mike suddenly went missing. Wanda said she had a sick feeling in her gut that something was seriously wrong. Mike never went a day without calling her. Kerry called up Wanda and asked if Mike was with her or if he saw or heard from him. It just made Wanda’s fears grow. On April 12, her worst feeling were confirmed as Mike’s body was discovered. Wanda said not five minutes after Fritz found out that his son had died….he called up Wanda to give her the news that Mike was gone. 

As chaotic as the funeral services were for Mike, Wanda was whisked right up front to be with the rest of the Von Erich family. A while after Mike’s funeral, Jonathan remembered how devastated his mother was. Upon visiting his grave for the first time, she had thrown herself onto Mike’s grave and was inconsolable. She said she lost the love of her life. They were only together for six months, but as Wanda put it….“He was the best guy I’ve ever met. I loved him so much. I don’t know if I’ll ever find anybody like him or close to him that made me that happy again.”

Since Mike’s death, Wanda has definitely lived a very eventful life, but that story is for another time. To this day, Wanda still keeps in contact with the only remaining brother Kevin and the rest of the Von Erich clan whether it be his sons Ross and Marshall, or his daughter Kristen. Wanda never remarried after her relationship with Mike. Simply, nobody matched up like Mike did. A truly Texas sized romance.