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Bruiser Brody
"A masterful idea, masterfully executed, therefore, a veritable masterpiece … a difficult subject, but approached in an intelligent and searching fashion that tells the reader a ton of stuff he likely never knew about Goodish/Brody."
— J Michael Kenyon
"He had an air about him that got him over almost everywhere he went. On the other hand, he took advantage of that attitude, too. If you were in the ring with him, if you didn’t have the guts to cut him off, he’d just eat you alive."
— Harley Race, former NWA world heavyweight champion
"He was feared by all the fans. And I’ll tell you what. There were a lot of guys in the locker room who were scared of Bruiser Brody. He was a bad dude."
— Lance Russell, legendary Memphis wrestling announcer
Today, more than 18 years after his death, professional wrestling fans still talk about Bruiser Brody with reverence and awe in their voice. Hardcore fans consider him to be the greatest brawler in the history of the sport.
Frank "Bruiser Brody" Goodish was known as a brawler, a wild-man, and an outlaw. His style and character have been copied by countless other wrestlers. Mick Foley (Cactus Jack/Mankind), whose name is synonymous with the hardcore style of wrestling, claims to have studied Brody’s Japan tapes for hours while training to be a pro wrestler, and patterned his ring style after him. However, like the old saying, "Often imitated, never duplicated," that applies to Bruiser Brody. There will never be another one like him.
Brody was a great athlete and an exciting performer, but he was also one of the most unpredictable men ever to step into the ring. As an independent (some call him an outlaw), he marched to his own drummer, and refused to bow to either of the two powerful American promotions—the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance. On any given night, he might or might not do what the promoters asked of him. As a result, promoters hated him, but they also loved him, because when he was billed on a card, the fans turned out in droves to see him wrestle.
Brody feuded with the top names in the sport—Ric Flair, Dory Funk, Terry Funk, the Von Erich family, Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant, and Dick the Bruiser. His most remembered feud, however, was against Abdullah the Butcher. When those two met in the ring, fans could count on the blood flowing like tap water.
In 1988, Brody was murdered in a dressing room in Puerto Rico—by one of his fellow wrestlers!
This book is the story of Bruiser Brody, told in the words of those who knew him best—childhood friends, family members, fellow wrestlers, photographers, and newspaper reporters. No punches are pulled and the rulebook has been thrown out. This is THE definitive … Bruiser Brody
— SPECIAL FEATURES —
• FOREWORD written by Brody's friend and tag team partner, STAN HANSEN
• Frank Goodish and Stan Hansen's first publicity photo
• The most in-depth information on the night of Brody's death ever published!
• A transcript of the coroner's report
Interviews with 92 people who knew Brody the best, including —
Abdullah the Butcher, Bad News Allen, Bill Watts, Bob Geigel, Bobby Jaggers, Bruno Sammartino, Carlos Colon, Dick the Bruiser, Dory Funk Jr., Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Ivan Putski, Jim Duggan, Jimmy Snuka, JJ Dillon, Kevin Sullivan, Kevin von Erich, Killer Karl Kox, Killer Tim Brooks, Lou Thesz, Nick Bockwinkel, Ole Anderson, Ox Baker, Playboy Gary Hart, Red Bastien, Road Warriors Animal and Hawk, Scandor Akbar, Sir Oliver Humperdink, Stan Hansen, Steve
— J Michael Kenyon
"He had an air about him that got him over almost everywhere he went. On the other hand, he took advantage of that attitude, too. If you were in the ring with him, if you didn’t have the guts to cut him off, he’d just eat you alive."
— Harley Race, former NWA world heavyweight champion
"He was feared by all the fans. And I’ll tell you what. There were a lot of guys in the locker room who were scared of Bruiser Brody. He was a bad dude."
— Lance Russell, legendary Memphis wrestling announcer
Today, more than 18 years after his death, professional wrestling fans still talk about Bruiser Brody with reverence and awe in their voice. Hardcore fans consider him to be the greatest brawler in the history of the sport.
Frank "Bruiser Brody" Goodish was known as a brawler, a wild-man, and an outlaw. His style and character have been copied by countless other wrestlers. Mick Foley (Cactus Jack/Mankind), whose name is synonymous with the hardcore style of wrestling, claims to have studied Brody’s Japan tapes for hours while training to be a pro wrestler, and patterned his ring style after him. However, like the old saying, "Often imitated, never duplicated," that applies to Bruiser Brody. There will never be another one like him.
Brody was a great athlete and an exciting performer, but he was also one of the most unpredictable men ever to step into the ring. As an independent (some call him an outlaw), he marched to his own drummer, and refused to bow to either of the two powerful American promotions—the World Wide Wrestling Federation and the National Wrestling Alliance. On any given night, he might or might not do what the promoters asked of him. As a result, promoters hated him, but they also loved him, because when he was billed on a card, the fans turned out in droves to see him wrestle.
Brody feuded with the top names in the sport—Ric Flair, Dory Funk, Terry Funk, the Von Erich family, Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant, and Dick the Bruiser. His most remembered feud, however, was against Abdullah the Butcher. When those two met in the ring, fans could count on the blood flowing like tap water.
In 1988, Brody was murdered in a dressing room in Puerto Rico—by one of his fellow wrestlers!
This book is the story of Bruiser Brody, told in the words of those who knew him best—childhood friends, family members, fellow wrestlers, photographers, and newspaper reporters. No punches are pulled and the rulebook has been thrown out. This is THE definitive … Bruiser Brody
— SPECIAL FEATURES —
• FOREWORD written by Brody's friend and tag team partner, STAN HANSEN
• Frank Goodish and Stan Hansen's first publicity photo
• The most in-depth information on the night of Brody's death ever published!
• A transcript of the coroner's report
Interviews with 92 people who knew Brody the best, including —
Abdullah the Butcher, Bad News Allen, Bill Watts, Bob Geigel, Bobby Jaggers, Bruno Sammartino, Carlos Colon, Dick the Bruiser, Dory Funk Jr., Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Ivan Putski, Jim Duggan, Jimmy Snuka, JJ Dillon, Kevin Sullivan, Kevin von Erich, Killer Karl Kox, Killer Tim Brooks, Lou Thesz, Nick Bockwinkel, Ole Anderson, Ox Baker, Playboy Gary Hart, Red Bastien, Road Warriors Animal and Hawk, Scandor Akbar, Sir Oliver Humperdink, Stan Hansen, Steve
- GenresBiography
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 30, 2023
Bruiser Brody and the truth
An oral history of this legend covering his entire life.
Including the bad. It's as honest as wrestling gets.
You'll read this and admire the man. HUSS
An oral history of this legend covering his entire life.
Including the bad. It's as honest as wrestling gets.
You'll read this and admire the man. HUSS
May 21, 2018
average book
i’ve read many stories on different wrestlers and
this one rates low. Just didn’t have that pop and too few
illustrations .
i’ve read many stories on different wrestlers and
this one rates low. Just didn’t have that pop and too few
illustrations .
April 16, 2019
This could make a good biography!
April 29, 2025
I first read this in 2008; after reading it again, the book still holds up.
Because of the diverse opinions people in the business have of Bruiser Brody, presenting this story as an oral history proves beneficial. Brody was a complex man, and you can't objectively get the true story of a complex man through one set of eyes.
From the pro-Brody point of view, you hear about a man who would not allow a promoter to use and abuse him. They say he was an honest man who expected the same from those he worked with. He was viewed as a locker room hero for sticking up for himself and fighting for every dollar he was worth. The wrestlers loved working with him, as they were guaranteed big payoffs when they wrestled Bruiser Brody, thanks to his drawing power.
From his critics, you hear about a man who went into business for himself on numerous occasions. His word was of no value. He would come in and try to change matches in order to make himself look good, regardless of whether or not it was good for his opponent, or the territory he worked in. He had no problem screwing over promoters, as evidenced most blatantly by a particular deal he made once with Antonio Inoki.
Lots of great stories in here, with great pictures that showcase his hardcore style. Of course, Brody's story ends tragically, with his murder in a Puerto Rico locker room by a booker. And just like his life, his murder is surrounded with controversy, as more than one person says Brody brought his death upon himself.
This book does an extraordinary job in telling the story of one of professional wrestling's most fascinating careers. If you're a pro wrestling fan, I highly recommend this book.
Because of the diverse opinions people in the business have of Bruiser Brody, presenting this story as an oral history proves beneficial. Brody was a complex man, and you can't objectively get the true story of a complex man through one set of eyes.
From the pro-Brody point of view, you hear about a man who would not allow a promoter to use and abuse him. They say he was an honest man who expected the same from those he worked with. He was viewed as a locker room hero for sticking up for himself and fighting for every dollar he was worth. The wrestlers loved working with him, as they were guaranteed big payoffs when they wrestled Bruiser Brody, thanks to his drawing power.
From his critics, you hear about a man who went into business for himself on numerous occasions. His word was of no value. He would come in and try to change matches in order to make himself look good, regardless of whether or not it was good for his opponent, or the territory he worked in. He had no problem screwing over promoters, as evidenced most blatantly by a particular deal he made once with Antonio Inoki.
Lots of great stories in here, with great pictures that showcase his hardcore style. Of course, Brody's story ends tragically, with his murder in a Puerto Rico locker room by a booker. And just like his life, his murder is surrounded with controversy, as more than one person says Brody brought his death upon himself.
This book does an extraordinary job in telling the story of one of professional wrestling's most fascinating careers. If you're a pro wrestling fan, I highly recommend this book.
December 24, 2012
I thought this was a great book and actually liked it better than the other Bruiser Brody book that came out after this one.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews