'Brody' is a look back at an often-forgotten legend

July 8, 6:51 PMPro Wrestling ExaminerMark Satrang

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Summer reading programs have become a part of many libraries and institutions across the country. They are a way to try and keep kids (and adults alike) into the concept of reading during their off-months from the school year. So I figured I may as well jump in on the concept and present a little summer reading program myself, full of some of professional wrestling’s most entertaining and engaging books that have come out over the years.

In this first installment I present Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling’s Rebel, a biography on the famed wrestling wild man Bruiser Brody. It seemed only fitting to highlight this 2007 novel, twenty-one years to the month after his untimely death.

The book is co-penned by Larry Matysik and Barbara Goodish, the widow of Frank “Bruiser Brody” Goodish. The book inter splices with a chronological look of Brody’s career by Matysik, a wrestling promoter from St. Louis who was one of those few who were in Brody’s inner circle, with Goodish providing the personal side and family story of Frank and Barbara and their son Geoff.

Brody was truly an enigmatic figure in the wrestling business, both in and out of the ring. With his wild hair, penchant to bleed during matches and a large 6’5, 285 lbs. frame he was a true sight to behold, but he contrasted his in-ring persona with an absolute knowledge of finances, politics and life in general outside of the wrestling world. He was loyal to his young family almost to a fault, arguing with promoters to ensure his proper payday and eating canned tuna and green beans on the road in order to save up enough as possible to take care of his loved ones.

Bruiser Brody, also called King Kong Brody in some areas, was one of pro wrestling last true outlaws as he worked across virtually every territory across the United States and became an absolute living legend in Japan. In fact even to this day, Bruiser Brody is considered a legendary personality in Japan. He was a true draw in the business that didn’t need a promotion’s hype machine behind him to make him a superstar. His name and reputation alone brought the fans into the arenas.

Throughout the book are interviews that knew and worked with Brody the most, including former opponents and partners like Stan Hansen, Terry Funk and Bobby Jaggers. They recounted tales of his hard-nosed tactics against promoters, the way he would take control of a locker room and his philosophies on “doing business” inside the squared circle.

Unfortunately like so many of the greats, Brody was one that went to soon. He came to his fateful end on July 16, 1988 in a locker room in Puerto Rico. He was called into a locker room by fellow wrestler and booker Jose Huertas Gonzalez (who wrestled under a mask as Invader I) to go over details of the night’s matches. Within moments Gonzalez stepped out of the locker room unscathed while Brody lied on the shower room floor, covered in stab wounds. Amidst the chaos of getting the ambulance to the crowded baseball stadium where the event was taking place Brody ended up lying for hours before ending up at a hospital. The book does a great job of detailing the entire events of that night, including testimonials from other wrestlers who were there. Gonzalez was acquitted of murder, citing self-defense, but Brody’s death has caused a long-term impact on the pro wrestling business in Puerto Rico, as many American wrestlers have refused to return to the island to wrestle in the wake of those events.

The end of the book is truly fantastic as various wrestling personalities are asked on where Brody would have ended up in the wrestling business as Vince McMahon, Jr. began to take his World Wrestling Federation global. Personally I could have easily pictured Brody ending up in the WWF for a brief period to challenge Hulk Hogan in a huge moneymaking program for everyone involved. I could have also seen him in the fledgling World Championship Wrestling at the turn of the ‘90s for another brief period before he became the godfather of the original Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Brody is a fantastic look at a wrestler who died too soon, and under such dubious means. The book is filled with quotes from those who knew and liked him the best. Not surprisingly Matysik and Goodish and use the book to honor their fallen friend and husband, and while many dissention opinions about Brody’s business practices are hinted at, there are not a lot of dissenting opinions presented here. Regardless, Brody is a great profile on someone that long-time fans remember fondly and a capsule for newer fans to learn from. As the years go on Brody’s legacy is slowly fading so this book is a vigil to keep his memory alive.