Customer Reviews

Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling's Rebel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The legend of Bruiser Brody has finally been documented on paper by the people who knew him by both his personas; First there was Frank Goodish - the gentle giant, caring human being, loyal friend, loving husband, and proud father; And then there was Bruiser Brody - the wild and often controversial wrestler that most of us are familiar with. This combination of distinct characteristics bundled together to create complex and entertaining MAN who was loved by those who knew him personally and admired by fans who knew him professionally - although many greedy promoters knew him as a seven foot tall walking talking headache. Larry Matysik (the voice of St. Louis wrestling, announcer for the famed "Wrestling at the Chase," and author of a wonderful book by the same name) joined forces with Barbara Goodish, the widow of Frank and mother of his only child, Geoff, to boldly present the life and times of Frank "Bruiser" Brody.

With the exception of the big two, WWF and WCW, Bruiser Brody literally worked everywhere on the wrestling planet. He developed one of the most unbalanced reputations in the history of the wrestling industry. Starting out in Texas, then making a name for himself in St. Louis under the guidance of promoter Sam Muchnick, hitting virtually every territory in the country, dominating the wrestling circuit in Japan, and taking advantage of the national exposure by appearing in Verne Gagne's AWA. The road-map of Brody's career literally circled the globe and he did it all with an iron fist and a steadfast commitment to preserving his own character as well as the integrity of the sport. His insistence on getting every penny he earned often left a bad taste in the mouths of unscrupulous promoters, who would inevitably book him again due to one unavoidable principle - Brody could "draw" the fans like no other.

Personally, I have always been very much intrigued by Bruiser Brody. My limited exposure to his matches, and fuzzy low-quality compilation tape left me terribly curious about this mysterious figure that seemingly has the entire wrestling world in the palm of his hand. Very few wrestlers could attract the attention of his audience as well as Bruiser Brody, and perhaps (no I'm pretty sure it is) that's the reason he was able to make so much money in so many territories. Bruiser Brody, sometimes known as "King Kong" Brody (as not to infringe on Dick The Bruiser's notoriety), will go down in history as one of the most all-around fan-friendly professional wrestlers ever - despite what role, heel or face, he was playing.

Thanks to the courage of his widow, Barbara, fans of the legendary Bruiser Brody have been formally introduced to the man behind the wild persona known as Mr. Frank Goodish. This is a book about Frank's early life, football career, pro-wrestling career, his famously firm philosophies, becoming a LEGEND in Japan, and of course the tragic events leading up to his murder in Puerto Rico at the hands of another wrestler who never spent a single day in jail. Also included in this book are touching stories of Goodish meeting his wife while touring New Zealand, and the effect their first child had on his life. Both writers theorize on what the wrestling landscape would be like were it not for Brody's untimely death in 1988.

"BRODY" is a truly fascinating look at a man that captured the imagination of every person fortunate enough to experience a Bruiser Brody match and/or wrestling interview while Brody was still with us on this earth.

Rating: 9 / 10

While growing up Bruiser Brody was my favorite brawler. I had tapes from every place he wrestled. That said this book has all the facts to answer any "Brody" questions and the heart of his families love to choke you up. I laughed, cried and yes even got mad once again at the travesty of justice that took an icons life. I read it in one sitting and the credit goes to the co-writers Barbara Goodish and Larry Matysik. Their obvious affection and respect for the man exudes from each page. A must read for Brody aficionados and those not lucky enough to have experienced his unique persona!! Later.Mike

In Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling's Rebel authors Larry Matysik and Barbara Goodish give an insightful first hand account of the man behind the legend. I myself have enjoyed hours of watching King Kong Bruiser Brody perform in the squared circle and was in shock and dismay at his untimely/unnecessary/unavenged death back in 1988. For years I had wanted to learn more about the person Frank Goodish behind the skilled wrestler. This book brought that opportunity to me. It had numerous first hand accounts by his friends and colleagues, such as Terry Funk. They didn't try to tell stories to make him look good, and they certainly didn't worry about kayfabe. You come away with an honest picture of the big man. The chapters that Barbara (his wife) authored are real page turners. You can feel the emotion and love she had for him and this project with every word. There is still so much material left undiscussed, she could write a second book about him telling more about their romance and Frank personal life from her and their son Geoff's point of view. This book is also full of never before seen pictures of Frank. The only critical thing I can think to say about this book is that most biographies and autobiographies take the format of a timeline. The story proceeds in chronological order. In this book, the chapters are divided up by topic. All the way to the end of the book, you are exposed to events that happened before the first chapters. I'm sure this book was a difficult one to write. I've read many a book where the ending is already known, and it isn't a happy one. The entire time you are reading it you are dreading the last chapter where the main character meets his unfortunate end. The authors handled this by getting the worst aspect of his life out of the way first. The beginning chapter dives right in to talking about the murder of Bruiser Brody and how it went unpunished. I highly recommend this book to any fan of King Kong Bruiser Brody, any wrestling fan, or anyone who respects a person that stands up for his rights.

I just finished reading this book and I totally recommend it to the diehard wrestling fan out there. It goes thru Brody's early years in the sport to how he became the legend that he is. It gives you the prespective from his widow Barbara and you get see Brody outside the ring as a loving father and husband. Its especially heartbreaking to hear his widows take on his brutal murder in Puerto Rico. Pleae read this book to get a great take on this great legend who was hardcore before there was such a thing as hardcore

I loved Larry Matysik's Wrestling at the Chase, so was excited when I heard that he was also doing a book on Bruiser Brody. Unfortunately my excitement was misplaced. This book offers little--if anything--new to anyone that has the most basic knowledge of Brody's career. I thought that having Barbara Goodish (Frank's widow) involved as a co-writer would mean a more in-depth look at this colorful, larger than life character. Sadly her contributions are superficial and reveal little. Dave Meltzer's informative and knowledgeable introduction is easily the highlight of the book.

This is a heartfelt biography of the famed professional wrestler Bruiser Brody who was murdered in Puerto Rico in 1988.

The authors are his friend Larry Matysik and wife Barbara Goodish. They tell a story of a man who looked like one of the more ferocious and scary wrestlers of all time but was also a man who loved his family and friends. A man of contradictions in that he would be incredibly difficult to work wirh if you were a promoter but could be so gentle and laidback with children.

Is this a perfect book? No. There are times in it where the author (prinmarily Matysik) chops and changes too often with paragraphs on peoples recollections of Brody and his impact on the business but on the whole, it is a very servicable read and it makes me want to check out some of Brody's matches.

When I was a kid growing up watching professional wrestling, Bruiser Brody was one of the scariest wrestlers and one I enjoyed watching the most. His matches were often extreme and bloody. This biography, written by Larry Matysik whose professional career revolved around wrestling as an announcer, booker, and failed promoter, and Bruiser Brody's wife, Barbara Goodish, brings the real Bruiser Brody to life.

Bruiser Brody, whose real name was Frank Goodish, was old school. His matches were "stiff" and he put on a real show for the crowd. He also embraced "blading" or cutting his forehead during matches. Some of his matches with Abdullah the Butcher were blood fests. And let's face it, entertaining.

Goodish grew up outside Detroit, Michigan and was a rebel from the start. His lack of focus led him to West Texas State instead of a big time college to play football, but he could not quite make in the pros because he lacked the discipline and technique he should have picked up in college. Eventually, this huge beast of a man turned to professional wrestling. And he certainly had the look. At 6 feet 5 inches tall and around 300 pounds, with long curly black hair, a beard, and character that embraced and enjoyed the violence, he was perfect for the business.

Brody was a very independent man who did not stick with one promotion, but instead rode the circuit to the places where he could make the most money. He was a huge star as "King Kong" Brody in the St. Louis region, and was a huge superstar in Japan. Over time Brody was able to become an international star, which was difficult to do without sticking with one promotion that could push him to the top.

But Bruiser Brody had another side, and that was Frank Goodish. Outside the ring he was smart, articulate, a good business man, and great husband and father. But he did what he could in his profession to make money and often rubbed promoters the wrong way. Wrestlers were often treated by promoters as mere commodities and it was not uncommon for them to cook the books to cheat wrestlers out of their appropriate pay or manipulate them in other ways. Brody would have none of it and made sure he got his due.

And Brody wouldn't "go over" for just anyone. He had to make sure he kept his character strong and it had to make sense before he would allow himself to be pinned in the ring. As a result he sometimes clashed with promoters and sometimes other wrestlers, such as Jose Huertas Gonzales, who was also a part of the wresting promotion in Puerto Rico. Brody and Gonzales, who wrestled as the masked "Invader" evidently didn't like one another.

Frank Goodish, wresting in Puerto Rico, was stabbed to death in the bathroom of the locker room before a fight in Puerto Rico by Gonzales. Gonzales got off the murder wrap claiming it was self-defense, even though the details of the murder clearly show otherwise. This guy should be in jail. Unfortunately he isn't. It was a tragic end to a fascinating man with a personality that was part the querulous, violent Bruiser Brody, and part the quiet, smart, articulate, family man Frank Goodish.

Brody's career spanned the most of the 1970's and 1980's, linking the old school, bruising style of professional wrestling of the regional promotions, to the beginning of Vince McMahon, Jr. destroying the regional system and creating a near monopoly on the sport. Had Brody lived, it would have been interesting to see if he would have ever toed the line and fought in the WWF (now WWE) given the dictatorial management style of McMahon. Regardless of whether he wrestled for McMahon, overseas, or with rival promotions, there would undoubtedly be many more tales to tell about this fascinating individual.

The one quibble I have with this biography is Matysik does not go into more detail about the circumstances of the murder. For example, Tony Atlas, a former wrestler who was there the day Brody was killed and took him to the hospital, believes there was a conspiracy to murder Brody. Brody had bought into the Puerto Rico promotion and wanted to have his say in how things were run, and he clashed over the ending of matches. Maybe they just wanted him out of the way. Or maybe Gonzales simply didn't like Brody, who belittled him and clearly didn't like him. Certainly the shady circumstances that lead Gonzales to getting a free walk after committing murder could have been more closely examined. On the other hand, so much time as passed maybe Matysik decided simply to focus on the life of Frank Goodish.

Overall, this biography is an excellent tribute to and intriguing look at a forgotten legend in professional wrestling from two of the people who knew him best - his close friend Larry Matysik and his widow Barbara Goodish.

If you are a fan of old-school wrestling, this book is a must read. I'd put it in the second-tier of wrestling bios, behind Bret Hart and Mick Foley. I was a teenager when Brody was murdered, so my memories of him are from being terrified of him as a kid. This book explained a lot about him, his life, and how he developed his character. It also goes into great detail about how he was outside of the ring. The only thing missing is the "funny road stories" that seem to populate wrestling bios and shoot interviews. The reason I give this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that it is overly gushing. There is not one negative thing about Brody in the book except to refute what others have said negatively about him. Seeing as this book was written by a personal friend and his widow, I can see why it is like that, but I feel that detracts from the accuracy of the book. Highly recommended.

This is a very good book and account of Brody's career. It's a shame that it ended the way it did, he was a classic performer that gave all in the ring for the fans.

As a fan who saw Bruiser Brody in person a handful of times, this book gives tremendous insight into both the man, Frank Goodish, and the wrestler, Bruiser Brody, that only increases my respect for both. And it proves what we already knew, he left us way to soon. For the true wrestling fan, this is a must read, the story of one of the greatest characters in the history of the business.