Bruiser Brody

Bruiser Brody
Brody in 1986
Birth nameFrank Donald Goodish
Born(1946-06-18)June 18, 1946
DiedJuly 17, 1988(1988-07-17) (aged 42)
Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Cause of deathStabbed to death by José González
Alma materWest Texas State University[1]
Spouse(s)
  • Nola Neece
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1968; div. 1970)​
  • Barbara Smith
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1972)​
Children1
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)
  • Bruiser Brody
  • Frank Goodish
  • King Kong Brody
  • The Masked Marauder
  • Frank Brody
  • Red River Jack
Billed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)[1]
Billed weight300 lb (136 kg)[1]
Billed fromSanta Fe, New Mexico[2]
Trained byFritz Von Erich
Debut1973[2]

Frank Donald Goodish (June 18, 1946 – July 17, 1988) was an American professional wrestler who earned his greatest fame under the ring name Bruiser Brody. He also worked as King Kong Brody, the Masked Marauder, and Red River Jack. Over the years Brody became synonymous with the hardcore wrestling brawling style that often saw one or more of the participants bleeding by the time the match was over. In his prime he worked as a "special attraction" wrestler in North America, making select appearances for various promotions such as World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), Central States Wrestling (CSW), Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF), and the American Wrestling Association (AWA) among other events. He worked regularly in Japan for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).

Behind the scenes Brody was very protective of his "in-ring" image, hardly ever agreeing to lose matches and building a reputation of being volatile; he would on occasion intentionally hit or hurt opponents during a match contrary to the predetermined nature of professional wrestling. His in-ring work and wrestling persona earned him an induction in the professional wrestling hall of fame, St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame, Southern Wrestling Hall of Fame, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame and the WWE Hall of Fame.

Brody died in 1988 from stab wounds suffered backstage in a shower during a wrestling event in Puerto Rico. The killer was José González, better known as Invader 1. A jury acquitted González of murder, ruling that González killed Brody in self-defense. Key witnesses to the killing did not give testimony at González' trial due to their summonses only being received after the trial had concluded.[3]

  1. ^ a b c "Bruiser Brody". WWE. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE Encyclopedia. DK. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference newsAU was invoked but never defined (see the help page).