Bruiser Brody was an international superstar.  He was nicknamed “King Kong” and known for
his violent nature in the ring.  Prior to making his bones on the wrestling mat, Brody played
football for West Texas State University.  He began wrestling in Texas during the 1974
season, under his real name, Frank “The Hammer” Goodish.  Later that year, he traveled to
Florida and beat Rocky Johnson for the NWA Florida Heavyweight Title.

In 1976, Goodish ventured to the World Wide Wrestling Federation and changed his name to
“Bruiser Brody.” A feud was quickly established with Bruno Sammartino.  He returned to
Texas later in the year and lifted the American Title off Fritz Von Erich in January 1977.  The
two traded the belt again before Brody was upended by John Studd in July.  He again beat
Von Erich for the championship in September 1978 at Fort Worth.  Brody received a stern
challenge not from the Fritz, but his son, Kevin.  He lost the title to Kevin on Christmas, 1978.  
Brody became a favorite when he began advising David and Kevin Von Erich in their battle
against Mark Lewin and the Spoiler in mid-1979.  He regained the belt from the Spoiler in
November 1979.  It wasn’t before long that Brody established himself as a household name in
Asia.  Gold was soon to follow.

Brody beat former NWA World Champion, Dory Funk Jr. on October 9, 1981 in Tokyo to
capture the International Heavyweight Belt.  Funk regained the belt on November 1st in
Tokyo.  He teamed with Jimmy Snuka between November and December 1981 to win the
annual tag team tournament.  Brody and Snuka ousted two former winners from the victor
circle, the Funks and Shohei Baba and Jumbo Tsuruta.  The win was huge for both
wrestlers.  He regained the International Championship in Tokyo with a win over Funk on April
21, 1982.

Brody found a new partner, with a more similar style, in late 1982.  Brody aligned himself
alongside Stan Hansen and the duo were runners-up in the tag tournament, only second to
the Funk Brothers.  Hansen was also from West Texas.  Jumbo Tsuruta was able to oust
Brody for the International Crown on August 31, 1983 in Tokyo, Japan.  On December 12,
1983, Brody and Hansen won the tag team tournament, avenging their loss a year earlier.

During the summer of 1984, Brody was in the AWA and was managed by Sheik Adnan Al-
Kaissee.  He attacked Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell in two separate brawls, injuring both
men.  Brody met Flair at the Kiel in St. Louis in November 1984 and nearly pinned the NWA
World Champ when Jerry Blackwell ran out and interfered, causing a disqualification.  He was
in a three-way tussle for second place after everything was said in done at the end of the
Real World annual tag team tournament in December 1984.  Brody and Hansen were tied
with the Funks and Harley Race and Nick Bockwinkel, all placing second behind Genichiro
Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta.  He received a rematch with Flair’s for the NWA World Crown in
January 1985 at Kansas City’s Memorial Hall.

After winning the heavyweight title with a flying kneedrop and returning to the dressing room,
Brody found that referee Sonny Myers had entered the ring and reversed the decision, citing
a disqualification on Flair’s part for throwing the challenger over the top rope.  Fans hurled
foreign objects into the ring in protest.  Brody reformed his previously successful tag team
with Jimmy Snuka during the winter of 1987 in Japan.  Brody and Snuka tied three other tag
teams for second place in the Real World Tag Tournament.  He won his third International
Title in March 1988 from Tsuruta in Tokyo but dropped the belt back to the former champion
in April.

On July 15, 1988, Brody teamed with Carlos Colon against Abdullah the Butcher and Dan
Spivey in Puerto Rico.  Abdullah pinned Colon to win the match, a bout that would be Brody’s
final.  The next day, Brody was stabbed in the locker room of Juan Ramon Lobriel Stadium in
Bayamon, Puerto Rico, prior to a WWC Card there, and died on the 17th in San Juan.  He
was scheduled to meet Spivey in a singles contest.  Another wrestler was arrested on July
19th and charged with first-degree murder.  He was later acquitted.  Bruiser Brody was 42.

All-Japan honored him on August 29, 1988 with a Tokyo show at Budokan Hall.  Shohei
Baba, Stan Hansen, Abdullah the Butcher, Tiger Mask, Genichiro Tenryu, Yoshiaki Yatsu and
Jumbo Tsuruta appeared on the card.  

To this day, fans remember and pay homage to the legend that was Bruiser Brody.

Title History:

-Co-holder of the NWA United States Tag Team Title (1974) w/ Stan Hansen
-NWA Western States Heavyweight Title (1975) defeated Ray Candy
-NWA Florida Heavyweight Title (1975-’76) defeated Rocky Johnson
-A four-time NWA American Heavyweight Champion
       -Defeated Fritz Von Erich (1977)
       -Defeated Fritz Von Erich (1977)
       -Defeated Fritz Von Erich (1978)
       -Defeated The Spoiler (1979)
-A three-time co-holder of the NWA Texas Tag Team Title
       w/ The Alaskan (1977) defeated Cien Caras and Jose Lothario
       w/ Gino Hernandez (1978) defeated The Von Erich Brothers
       w/ Kerry Von Erich (1979) defeated Killer Brooks and Mark Lewin
-NWA Texas Heavyweight Title (1978) defeated Dale Valentine
-A four-time NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
       -Defeated Mark Lewin (1979)
       -Defeated Mark Lewin (1979)
       -Defeated Professor Toru Tanaka (1979)
       -Defeated Stan Stasiak (1981)
-WWA World Heavyweight Title (1979) defeated Dick the Bruiser        
-Co-holder of the NWA Central States Tag Team Title (1980) w/ Ernie Ladd
-NWA Central States Heavyweight Title (1980) defeated Bob Brown
-A two-time NWA American Tag Team Champion
       w/ Kerry Von Erich (1981) defeated Gino Hernandez and Gary Young
       w/ Kerry Von Erich (1983) defeated The Freebirds
-A three-time All-Japan/NWA International Heavyweight Champion
       -Defeated Dory Funk Jr. (1981)
       -Defeated Dory Funk Jr. (1982)
       -Jumbo Tsuruta (1988)
-A two-time co-holder of the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Title
       w/ Jimmy Snuka (1981)
       w/ Stan Hansen (1983)
-Co-holder of the SCW World Tag Team Title (1982) w/ Dick Slater
-WCCW TV Title (1986) defeated Rick Rude




Research by Tim Hornbaker
Bruiser Brody Wrestling History
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