Jose Gonzalez (wrestler)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2006)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Jose Huertas Gonzalez
Statistics
Ring name(s)	Invader #1
Billed height	5'10
Billed weight	250 pounds
Resides	San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
Debut	1966
Retired	2006

Jose Huertas Gonzalez, better known as Invader #1 to the wrestling fans in Puerto Rico, is a professional wrestler that wrestled in the United States and around the world, especially in Puerto Rico. Since 1973, he has wrestled for both the World Wrestling Council and the International Wrestling Association. He is most famous for killing of fellow wrestler Bruiser Brody, in what he says was self-defense. He was acquitted of murder charges and continued to wrestle until his retirement in 2006, after 40 years.

Currently, Gonzalez is running for City Council for the municipality of Carolina, Puerto Rico for the Partido Nuevo Progresista.^{[citation needed]}

1 WWC Career (1973-2002)
2 IWA Career (2003-2006)
3 Bruiser Brody Death and Trial
4 Championships and accomplishments
5 References

[edit] WWC Career (1973-2002)

Gonzalez started his career in 1966, wrestling for Vincent J. McMahon and the World Wide Wrestling Federation (known today as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)) as a jobber though he did appear in the late 70's/early 80's both as himself and 1/2 of the invaders where he had good success. When Victor Jovica and Carlos Colon opened the World Wrestling Council (WWC) in 1973, he went back to Puerto Rico to work for the company. He stayed for twenty-nine years, wrestling foes such as Joe LeDuc, Pierre Martel, Bruiser Brody, Abdullah the Butcher, Dutch Mantell, Chicky Starr, Ray Gonzalez and Terry Ray Gordy, until issues arose with both Jovica and Colon.^{[citation needed]} Because of these issues, he left the WWC after being one of the headliners of the company and took one year off to rest and plan his future in wrestling.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] IWA Career (2003-2006)

Gonzalez debuted in the International Wrestling Association (IWA) as a surprise in June 2003 and announced that he would be the special referee between then-champion Ray Gonzalez and Gran Apolo at Summer Attitude 2003. Around the same time that he debuted in the IWA, his ex-WWC foe Savio Vega started challenging Gonzalez to fight him. He had referee Herberito Lopez don an Invader #1 mask to mock Gonzalez.^{[citation needed]} The two wrestled at IWA Christmas in Puerto Rico later that year in a barbed wire match, which Gonzalez won.

2004 began with Gonzalez being confused about why the Millennium Family was going the heel route, since Ray Gonzalez, El Profe, El Diamante, Thunder and Lightning were attacking fan favorites such as Ricky Banderas, Gran Apolo, Glamour Boy Shane and others.^{[citation needed]} He teamed with his arch-enemy Savio Vega to feud with Thunder and Lightning for the rest of fall 2004.^{[citation needed]}

He spent most of 2005 as the "Coach" of the New Generation of the IWA, leading Chicano to the Heavyweight title over Shane at Juicio Final in Caguas, Puerto Rico on April 9, 2005. He resumed his feud with Vega during that year as well, and popped out of La Cruzz del Diablo's casket, causing Chicano to lose the title on November 11, 2005, in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.^{[citation needed]} He served once again as special referee in the Vega-Chicano match at IWA Christmas in Puerto Rico 2005. The match went to a no-contest, and Chicano turned heel by attacking Gonzalez.^{[citation needed]}

2006 started off with Jose Gonzalez wrestling Chicano at Histeria Boricua on January 6, 2006, and receiving a wound that required 58 stitches to close and a black eye. He feuded with Chicano across the island. He turned heel later on in the year by teaming with Savio Vega to attack Ray Gonzalez while he was handcuffed to the top rope, as well as bloodying "Mr. Raytings" and giving him several heart punches.^{[citation needed]} He spent the remainder of 2006 as part of the "Inhumans" team with Vega until September 16, 2006, in Cayey, Puerto Rico when he turned on Savio's La Compania by attacking Mikel Judas. He counted the pin quickly while Ray Gonzalez had Judas covered, thus regaining the held-up title.^[1] He had his last match at IWA Hardcore Weekend on October 16, 2006, when he and Vega fought across the Sola Morales Stadium. Gonzalez won the match by pinning Vega.

[edit] Bruiser Brody Death and Trial

On July 17, 1988, Bruiser Brody was scheduled to wrestle in a match with Abdullah the Butcher and Dan Spivey in Bayamón, a city near San Juan, Puerto Rico, when Jose Gonzalez came up to him in the locker room and asked him to go into the shower to discuss business.^{[citation needed]}

It is known that several wrestlers at the scene saw that Gonzalez was holding a knife wrapped inside a towel when he was waiting for Brody to arrive in the locker room.^{[citation needed]}

Gonzalez got into the shower area first and, when Brody bent his head to enter the shower area, Huertas grabbed his hair and stabbed Brody several times in the stomach.^[1] 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.

Gonzalez, who cites self-defense as the reason for killing Brody, was tried for murder but was acquitted after his attorney showed the judge a portfolio of picture's of Brody's matches, leading the judge and jury to believe that Brody was legitimately insane, and agreeing that it was most likely done in self defense.^[2] Afterwards, a number of wrestlers refused to work in Puerto Rico in protest of the verdict.^{[citation needed]}

It is said in the book "Bruiser Brody" released by Crowbar Press, that Gonzales had no intention of killing Brody, but rather stabbed him 'to teach him a lesson'. However, this is one of many theories surrounding the murder. Gonzales reputation has only been villified more in recent years by recreating death angles in Japan and Puerto Rico, carrying around a bloody knife. Many believed (and it was later confirmed) that this was part of a plot to lure Gonzales to Japan, so that he could have been murdered. Carlos Colon has also taken his share of blame over the death mainly because he was the owner of the company. Colon did not fire Gonzales and that did not sit well with the wrestlers, especially the Americans.