Bruiser Brody
Real Name: Frank Goodish
Stats: 6' 8" 325 lbs.
Born: June 14, 1946

Frank Goodish was a mild-mannered, well-liked man - when he transformed into Bruiser Brody, however, he was the most unpredictable, dangerous man in all of professional wrestling. Standing 6' 8", 325 lbs. with wild, long black hair, unkempt beard and fur covered boots, Bruiser Brody's very appearance was enough to make most people stop in their tracks in awe. When he got to business in (and outside of) the Ring, however, people learned not to stand and gawk, but rather to run for their lives.

Born in Pennsylvania, Goodish moved to New Mexico as a teenager and entered professional wrestling in 1973. As "Bruiser" Frank Brody, Goodish teamed with the Texas wildman Stan Hansen and captured the NWA US tag team titles in 1974. Just one year later, in only his second year in the sport, he faced the great Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF World Heavyweight championship. His rough and tough approach made him a viable competitor, but his lack of experience allowed Sammartino to emerge victorious. Undeterred, Brody returned to the ring to present new challenges and compete for various titles. Over a period of 13 years, Brody would capture the NWA Western States, title, the NWA North American title, the Florida Heavyweight title, the Australian World Brass Knuckles title and the WWA Heavyweight title, among many others. As well, he competed in the tag team ranks, partneRing with Ernie "the Big Cat" Ladd, Kerry Von Erich and his old friend Stan Hansen to hold the Texas Tag Team titles, the PWF tag team titles and the American tag team titles.

Success of this magnitude would be sufficient to make a legend out of the average wrestler but these accomplishments are often overlooked because of the sheer force of Brody's personality and performance inside of the Ring. Brody was well-known for refusing to follow the script laid out for a match and on more than one occasion refused to lose when he was not in the proper frame of mind. This tendency to deviate from the plans as well as his enormous size and strength made him a very feared wrestler - but not just by other wrestlers. Brody was particularly popular in Japan where he was looked upon almost like a god. On occasion, Brody would turn his assault on his own followers, including a chair swinging, punch-throwing journey through the crowded stands of the Egg Dome. His volatile nature caused a number of wrestling promotions to legitimately ban him from their organizations.

By his actions and appearance, Brody was groomed to be a villain but his charisma often drew fans to him. This caused him to be booked with some of the greatest stars in the business including Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, Dusty Rhodes and Antonio Inoki. Unfortunately, not everyone was a fan.

On July 17, 1988 Bruiser Brody was scheduled to wrestle in Puerto Rico but got into a pre-match argument with wrestler/promoter Jose Gonzalez. After Brody went back into the shower room, Gonzalez followed him in. Moments later, wrestlers heard screams from the shower area and watched as Brody stumbled out towards them, with several stab wounds to the stomach. Gonzalez slipped out of the arena and medical attention was called. Unfortunately, doctors botched several attempts to save his life and Frank Goodish was dead at age the age of 42. Gonzalez was arrested and charged with murder but all of the wrestlers present (including Tony Atlas) refused to testify for fear of reprisals. Gonzalez was subsequently acquitted of all charges.

Frank Goodish, as Bruiser Brody fought with a rage and fury that brought electricity to an arena - his death continues to bring a loud silence to the wrestling world.

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