Bruiser Brody.
BIO.
Frank "Bruiser
Brody" Goodish was one of the most wildest, most insane, and most impersonated
man ever to step into the ring. The 6'8 foot, 325 lb New Mexican wildman
with long curly black hair, scraggly beard and furry boots brawled with
such reckless abandon and fury that he is a true legend in every country
he performed in.
Bruiser Brody
is one of the greatest if not the greatest brawlers the sport has
ever known.
Frank Goodish
was born in Pennsylvania and moved to New Mexico during his youth, to start
his career as "Bruiser" Frank Brody in 1973. By September of 1974, he won
his first championship---the NWA U.S. {Tri-State version] Tag-team titles
with Stan Hansen. This was the beginning of what would be, from that point
onward, a life long friendship. By 1975, Brody was in main event matches
with the great Bruno Sammartino....not bad for only two years in the sport
Brody wrestled
with such unpredictabley and force....he was banned [for real] from a couple
of promotions for wildly swinging chairs and chains at anyone unfortunate
enough to get too close to him, including the fans at ringside. He was
an instant success in Japan, and has been considered a "wrestling God"
there since his Japanese debut in a tag match with [King] Curtis Iukea
vs Giant Baba and The Masked Destroyer in January of 1979.
During his
fifteen years in the sport, Brody wrestled as both a hated villian and
a loved hero. He feuded with the best in the business during his time as
a warrior of the ring.......Dick The Bruiser [for the right to the name
"Bruiser", which he lost....ever wonder why Brody was sometimes called
"King Kong"?], Bruno Sammartino, the Funks, Ric Flair, Abdullah the Butcher,
the Von Erich Family, Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdoch, Harley Race and many
others. Probably his most remembered feud, though, was against the late
Andre the Giant. At his size, Brody was a legitimate physical challenge
for Andre, and he gave the Giant some of the toughest matches of his career,
during their on-again, off-again 10-year-feud. It was one of the best feuds
of wrestling's history and of either man's career.
TITLE HISTORY.
Among other
tournaments and championship's, Brody won the NWA Western States title
in 1975, the Florida Heavyweight title, four NWA North American titles,
three Texas Tag Team titles between 1977-79, the Texas Brass Knuckles title,
four American Tag-team titles [three with Kerry Von Erich, one with Erine
Ladd] the Central States Tag-team title [with Ladd] and the Central States
Heavyweight title in 1980, three NWA International Heavyweight titles between
1981-1988, the Australian World Brass Knuckles title, the World Wrestling
Asscoation World Heavyweight title, the PWF Tag-team titles [with Hansen],
the WCCW TV title in 1986, and the last title he would ever hold, the NWF
International Heavyweight title in 1987.
HIS DEATH.
As was the
case everywhere he wrestled, Bruiser Brody was one of the biggest stars/draws
in the Puerto Rican-based World Wrestling Council. He had legendary feuds/matches
there with Abdullah, Carlos Colon, and the Invader. But his feud with the
Masked Invader [Jose Gonzales, co-owner of WWC] proved to be the last of
his career. On the 17/07/1988 Frank "Bruiser Brody" Goodish was wrestling
for the WWC promotion in Puerto Rico, when he was suddenly and fatally
stabbed in the shower room by Jose Gonzales aka Invader III. Gonzales was
arrested and held for questioning, but because Goodish was American, none
of the Puerto Rican wrestlers would testify and the American ones [specifically
Doug Furnas and Dutch Mantel] were afraid for their own lives, if they
did. Officially the murder was unsolved and the motives unknown, but it
is a fact that Jose Gonzales did the killing. The lack of conviction is
a legal technicality at best. The motive however, will never be known.
The World
Wrestling Council, once a wrestling hot-bed all but disappeared after the
negative publicity and devastating loss of American talent who refused
to work in Puerto Rico after Brody's murder. But the loss of the WWC pales
in comparison to the loss the sport suffered when Frank Goodish died. Wrestling
lost a true legend on that steamy August night, the likes of which we may
never see again.
Memories.