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Sunday is Grandparents Day, and as a gift, how about a book with photos of muscular men that Grandma can enjoy (and that will let her see how grandpa might have looked), and a story Grandpa can enjoy?
The book is about Frank Goodish. OK, the name probably doesn't ring a bell, but his ring name may: Bruiser Brody. The title captures the man: "Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling's Rebel," authored by Larry Matysik and and Brody's widow, Barbara Goodish (ECW Press).
The tragedy part was a life ending far too soon - at age 42 - in July 1988 when Brody was alleged to have been stabbed to death by wrestler Juan Huertas Gonzalez in a bathroom at Juan Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Gonzalez was found innocent, claiming self-defense.
Brody was a man with intelligence, independence and intensity inside the ring. Standing 6-8 and weighing 285 muscular pounds, with long scraggly hair matched by a beard and mustache, he looked like your worst nightmare - and was.
After bouncing around three colleges - he "majored in good times" - and following a tryout with the Washington Redskins, he turned to wrestling in 1974 and found his calling.
The book says that, to many promoters, "he was a problem - a smart man with a great business savvy." Add to it his intensity and integrity, and it's easy to see why Brody roamed through organizations, creating fear and panic in opponents and fans alike who loved to hate him. One promoter commented: "There aren't many show-stoppers but Bruiser was a show-stopper!"
Unfortunately, that show-stopping career ended too soon.
 Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling's Rebelby Larry Matysik and Barbara Goodish and foreword by Jim Ross $22.95 CAD |
