Bruiser Brody

Bruiser Brody
Ring name(s)	Bruiser Brody Frank Goodish King Kong Brody The Masked Marauder Red River Jack
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Billed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Billed weight	283 lb (128 kg)
Born	June 18, 1946(1946-06-18) Detroit, Michigan
Died	July 17, 1988(1988-07-17) (aged 42) Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Billed from	Santa Fe, New Mexico
Trained by	The Sheik
Debut	1973

Frank Donald Goodish (June 18, 1946 – July 17, 1988) was an American professional wrestler who earned his greatest fame under the name Bruiser Brody. Goodish was an All-State football and basketball player at Warren High School, Michigan, and played football at West Texas A&M University (then known as West Texas State). As a wrestler, he helped innovate the "brawling" style and was infamous for his wild and legitimately uncooperative demeanor.

Professional wrestling career

Brody competed as a freelancer in several companies including the National Wrestling Alliance, Central States Wrestling, World Wide Wrestling Federation, Southwest Championship Wrestling, Windy City Wrestling, Texas All Star Wrestling, World Wrestling Council, Deep South Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, American Wrestling Association, and World Class Championship Wrestling. In the States, he had numerous feuds with the likes of Kamala the Ugandan Giant, Abdullah the Butcher, and Jerry Blackwell. In Japan, he was in a tag team with Stan Hansen. Brody had a reputation for refusing to job to other wrestlers. He also competed under the moniker of Red River Jack in Texas, during an angle against Gary Hart's men and Skandor Akbar's Army in World Class Championship Wrestling. Brody also competed as the Masked Marauder for one time in the AWA.

In 1985, he had a very short stint with New Japan Pro Wrestling in a feud with Antonio Inoki and many of their matches ended in no contests or disqualifications. In 1987, Brody began working primarily for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico after getting fired from New Japan. Brody continued his feud with Abdullah the Butcher, as well as engaging in a feud with Carlos Colon. He briefly returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling to win his last NWA International Heavyweight Championship. On April 15, 1988, the first attempt to form what became the AJPW Triple Crown was done when Brody faced off against NWA United National and PWF champion Genichiro Tenryu; the result was a double countout. Brody ended up losing the title back to Jumbo Tsuruta four days later.

Brody had a steel cage match with Lex Luger in Florida at NWA Florida in January 1987. The match was very bizarre as in the middle of the match Brody just stopped "working" and stood around. Luger and Bill Alfonso, the referee of the match, were puzzled and attempted to speak to Brody who did not respond. Luger and Alfonso decided to forgo the planned finish of the match and Alphonso disqualified Luger in a spot where Luger continually punched Brody in a corner and did not back off. After the match Luger recalls asking Brody if he did anything wrong to upset him to which Brody responded "no" and Brody's reasons for not working were not very clear, stating that "the match just wasn't working". In Larry Matysik's book, Wrestling at the Chase, Matysik states that before the match Brody told him "I'm not putting up with any of his bullshit" and that Brody was upset that Luger wouldn't sell for him.

Personal life

Goodish was married twice, firstly on June 4, 1968 to Nola Marie Neece; however the marriage was brief and ended in divorce on October 12, 1970. Goodish's second wife Barbara remained with him until his death in 1988. Together they had a son named Geoffrey Dean, born November 7, 1980.

Death

On July 16, 1988, Brody was in the locker room before his match with Dan Spivey in Bayamón (a city near San Juan, Puerto Rico), when José Huertas González, a fellow wrestler and booker, asked him to go into the shower to discuss business. Brody entered the shower stall and a few minutes later a scuffle ensued, followed by two groans, loud enough for the entire locker room to hear. Tony Atlas ran to the shower and saw Brody bent over and holding his stomach. Atlas then looked up at González and saw him holding the knife. When the paramedics arrived, Atlas carried Brody downstairs to the waiting ambulance, as, due to Brody's enormous stature, paramedics were unable to lift him. González, who always maintained his innocence, was initially charged with first-degree murder but was later reduced and tried for involuntary homicide. In January 1989, González was acquitted on all counts, citing self-defense. Carlos Colón testified against Brody during the trial. Minutes before the incident Carlos Colón was having a conversation with González, and Colón knew of González intentions of "having a conversation" with Brody.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Running, jumping or a diving knee drop

• Signature moves
  • Atomic drop
  • Backbreaker rack
  • Diving brain chop
  • High knee strike
  • One-armed body slam
  • Piledriver
  • Running big boot
  • Running leg drop
  • Suplex powerslam

• Entrance themes
  • "The Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin (Japan)

• Managers
  • Downtown Bruno
  • Oliver Humperdink

Championships and accomplishments

• All Japan Pro Wrestling
  • NWA International Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
  • PWF World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Stan Hansen
  • World's Strongest Tag Team League (1981) – with Jimmy Snuka
  • World's Strongest Tag Team League (1983) – with Stan Hansen

• Central States Wrestling
  • NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA Central States Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ernie Ladd

• Championship Wrestling from Florida
  • NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• National Wrestling Federation

• NWF International Championship (1 time)

• NWA Big Time Wrestling / World Class Wrestling Association
  • NWA American Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
  • NWA American Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Kerry Von Erich
  • NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Texas version) (6 times)
  • NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NWA Texas Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Mike York (1), Gino Hernandez (1), and Kerry Von Erich (1)
  • WCWA Television Championship (1 time)

• NWA Tri-State
  • NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Tri-State version) (1 time) – with Stan Hansen

• NWA Western States Sports
  • NWA Western States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Editor's Award (1988) tied with Adrian Adonis
  • PWI ranked him #14 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003

• Southwest Championship Wrestling
  • SCW Southwest Brass Knuckles Championship (1 time)
  • SCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dick Slater

• St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
  • Class of 2007

• World Wrestling Association
  • WWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • 5 Star Match (1984) with Stan Hansen vs. Dory and Terry Funk on December 8
  • Best Brawler (1980–1984, 1987, 1988)
  • Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

External links

• http://www.bedofnailz.com/bruiserbrody
• http://www.kingkongbrody.com/ web site run by Barbara Goodish
• Unofficial Memorial Website
• BruiserBrody.com (Unofficial Website for Brody's biography)
• Crowbar Press (Publisher of the Bruiser Brody biography)
• TRIBUTE PAGE for Bruiser Brody