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Life, Death of a "Bruiser"

Posted: Oct 12th 2007 By: CMBurnham

The murder/suicide of World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Chris Benoit and his family was pro wrestling's biggest story ever.

But almost two decades earlier, the stabbing death of Frank "Bruiser Brody" Goodish by a co-worker received scant media coverage. That is a shame, considering such attention could have influenced what followed legally.

Goodish died in July, 1988 after a locker-room confrontation with fellow wrestling Jose "Invader" Gonzales in Puerto Rico. Two recently released Brody biographies cast a negative light on the police investigation and the trial that followed.

Bruiser Brody (Crowbar Press, $24.95) and Brody (ECW Press, $19.95) include damning claims against Gonzales, who successfully argued he acted in self-defense. Some of Brody's co-workers believe the stabbing stemmed from decade-long animosity that began when Gonzales and Brody worked in World Wrestling Entertainment.

Both books detail witness intimidation and character assassination that created a favourable courtroom atmosphere for Gonzales, who was cleared of murder charges.

Bruiser Brody author Emerson Murray said the murder investigation and Puerto Rican legal process "would have been looked at much more carefully" in the post-Benoit world. Murray said he unsuccessfully tried to reach Gonzales for his side of the story.

"Things were so skewed with the murder investigation," said Larry Matysik, who penned Brody with Brody's wife Barbara. "All Barbara wanted to know was why this happened."

Brody was an international superstar, having established himself as a Japanese headliner in the early 1980s.

Some promoters had problems dealing with Brody, especially when it involved match finishes and payoffs. Brody was extremely protective of his in-ring image to remain "strong" in Japan, which is why he was rarely pinned in the U. S.

The 6'6, 285-lb Brody would sometimes bully and embarass inferior opponents. He did that to Gonzales in one WWE match that may have laid the groundwork for their fatal encounter. But Brody was also known as being loyal to his friends and savvy enough to thrive in an unscrupulous industry.

Highlighted by a spectacularly gory photo collection, Bruiser Brody features interviews with more than 100 Brody associates.

Brody takes a different approach. Matysik serves as a sympathetic biographer who worked professionally with Brody as a St. Louis wrestling promoter. Barbara Goodish tells a love story that began during Brody's Australian tours in the 1970s.

"Barbara and I both agreed that we had to deal with how Frank died, but the story should really be as much about how Frank lived," Matysik said. "He entertained thousands of people and lived life the way he wanted to."

Tags: Bruiser Brody