Frank Goodish

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Bruiser Brody
Statistics
Ring name(s) Red River Jack
Bruiser Brody
King Kong Brody
Born June 18, 1946
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Died July 17, 1988
Debut 1960

Frank Goodish (June 18, 1946-July 17, 1988) was a professional wrestler who garnered his greatest fame under the name Bruiser Brody. He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Goodish was an All-State football and basketball player at Warren High School, Michigan and played football at West Texas State.

Contents

[edit] Career

He sometimes wrestled under a mask as Red River Jack, as an angle against Gary Hart's men and Skandor Akbar's Army. Bruiser stood 6'6" and weighed in at 320 pounds.

Brody was a major star in the United States, having competed in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Wrestling Federation, American Wrestling Association and World Class Championship Wrestling, but achieved his legendary status in various other countries. Among his many accolades was Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council World Championship, defeating Carlos Colon.

He held titles wherever he went, and had a reputation for refusing to job to other wrestlers. Despite his unwillingness to follow instructions, he was well liked by promoters for his ability to sell tickets. At one point, in 1985, he was the highest paid wrestler in the world, pulling down $14,000 per week as a result of a bidding war between New Japan and All Japan Pro Wrestling.

On July 17, 1988, Brody had finished a match with Abdullah the Butcher and Dan Spivey in Bayamón (a city near San Juan, Puerto Rico), when another wrestler (Jose Huertas, AKA Invader I) came up to him in the locker room and asked him to go into the shower to discuss business. It is rumored that several wrestlers in the scene claimed that Huertas was holding a knife wrapped inside a towel when he was waiting for Brody to arrive to the locker room. Since Huertas was at that time one of the men who made decisions at the WWC meetings and was also a good friend of Carlos Colón (WWC Promoter and main superstar), it has been speculated that this is why none of the wrestlers did anything to prevent Brody from "talking" to Huertas.

Huertas got into the shower area first and, when Brody bent his head to enter the shower area, Huertas allegedly grabbed his hair and stabbed Brody several times in the stomach and the chest. Brody was taken by ambulance to Centro Medico, the main hospital facility in San Juan, but he died hours later while undergoing a second surgery. Huertas, who always maintained his innocence, was tried for murder, but was acquitted by a jury of his peers. Afterwards, a number of wrestlers refused to work in Puerto Rico in protest of the jury verdict, which temporarily crippled the Puerto Rican wrestling scene.

He has been honored by two wrestling Halls of Fame in Japan, and was named to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996. In addition to these inductions in 2006 his widow, Barbara, signed a "Legends" contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), allowing them to produce and distribute merchandise in his likeness. Brody had spent 1976 and 1977 feuding with the likes of Bruno Sammartino and Ivan Putski in one of the WWE's predecessors, the WWWF. As a result, the first Bruiser Brody action figure was made and released as a part of the WWE "Classic Superstars" line by Jakks Pacific.

The modern hardcore "brawling style" of wrestling has been heavily influenced by the work of Bruiser Brody.

[edit] In wrestling

  • Finishing and signature moves

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

  • 3-Time NWA International Heavyweight Champion
  • 1-Time PWF Tag Team Champion with Stan Hansen
  • 1-Time (All Japan) Real World Tag Team Tournament Winner w/Jimmy Snuka (1981);
  • 1-Time (All Japan) Real World Tag Team Tournament Winner w/Stan Hansen (1983);
  • Other championships
  • 1-Time WWA World Heavyweight Champion
  • 1-Time Tri-State Tag Team Champion with Stan Hansen
  • 1-Time Western States Champion
  • 1-Time Central States Tag Team Champion with Ernie Ladd
  • 1-Time Central States Heavyweight Champion
  • 1-Time Southwest Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champion with Dick Slater
  • 1-Time SCW Brass Knuckles Title
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • 1988 Editor's Award.
  • He was ranked # 14 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
  • He is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (inducted in 1996)
  • Best Brawler award renamed the Bruiser Brody Memorial Award in his memory
  • 1980 Best Brawler
  • 1981 Best Brawler
  • 1982 Best Brawler
  • 1983 Best Brawler
  • 1984 Best Brawler
  • 1987 Best Brawler
  • 1988 Best Brawler

[edit] External links

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