Description: A Quick History on Bruiser Brody:
Frank Goodish stood 6'6" and weighed in at 320 pounds.Brody was a major star in the United States, having competed in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Wrestling Federation, American Wrestling Association and World Class Championship Wrestling, but achieved his legendary status in various other countries. Among his many accolades was Puerto Rico's World Wrestling Council World Championship, defeating Carlos Colon.
He held titles wherever he went, and had a reputation for refusing to job to other wrestlers. Despite his unwillingness to follow instructions, he was well liked by promoters for his ability to sell tickets. At one point, in 1985, he was the highest paid wrestler in the world, pulling down $14,000 per week as a result of a bidding war between New Japan and All Japan Pro Wrestling.
On July 17, 1988, Brody had finished a match with Abdullah the Butcher and Dan Spivey in Bayamón (a city near San Juan, Puerto Rico), when another wrestler (Jose Huertas, AKA Invader I) came up to him in the locker room and asked him to go into the shower to discuss business. It is rumored that several wrestlers in the scene claimed that Huertas was holding a knife wrapped inside a towel when he was waiting for Brody to arrive to the locker room. Since Huertas was at that time one of the men who made decisions at the WWC meetings and was also a good friend of Carlos Colón (WWC Promoter and main superstar), it has been speculated that this is why none of the wrestlers did anything to prevent Brody from "talking" to Huertas. Huertas got into the shower area first and, when Brody bent his head to enter the shower area, Huertas allegedly grabbed his hair and stabbed Brody several times in the stomach and the chest. Brody was taken by ambulance to Centro Medico, the main hospital facility in San Juan, but he died hours later while undergoing a second surgery. Huertas, who always maintained his innocence, was tried for murder, but was acquitted by a jury of his peers. Afterwards, a number of wrestlers refused to work in Puerto Rico in protest of the jury verdict, which temporarily crippled the Puerto Rican wrestling scene.
Tony Atlas who witnessed the murder and gave the police his story did not attend the trial and because of this probably got Invader off.
Quick History of "Crusher" Jerry Blackwell:
Nicknamed the "Mountain from Stone Mountain", "Crusher" Jerry Blackwell was one of wrestlings top big men in the 1980's. Despite his considerable bulk, Blackwell was quite nimble and a gifted worker, able to throw a standing dropkick and take incredible bumps in the ring.
His career really took off after the departure of Hulk Hogan from the AWA in late 1983. Verne Gagne tapped Blackwell to be Hogan's replacement as the top good guy or babyface. Prior to that, Blackwell was an integral part of Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissey's army, feuding with both Verne, his son Greg, and Greg's tag-team partner "Jumpin'" Jimmy Brunzell (the team called the "High Flyers"). Blackwell and Ken Patera defeated the High Flyers to win the AWA Tag-Team Championship, but were later de-throned by the legendary team of The Crusher and Baron Von Rashke. Blackwell became a face immediately after winning a battle-royal, when he was attacked by Al-Kaissey and Bruiser Brody (billed as "King Kong Brody" in the AWA out of respect for Dick the Bruiser). Blackwell began teaming with Greg Gagne in a feud against Al-Kaissey and King Kong Brody, and later teamed with Sgt. Slaughter in a feud against the Road Warriors.
Blackwell would go on to receive numerous title shots at Stan Hansen and Curt Hennig throughout 1986 and 1987. But due to poor health, he stopped wrestling full-time, making only sporadic appearances thereafter. Blackwell made his last appearance in the AWA during a television taping in Rochester, Minnesota in October 1989. Wrestling in a singles match against Tom Stone and in a 6-man tag team match with Bobby Fulton and Jackie Fulton against Johnny Valiant, Mike Enos, and Wayne Bloom. The AWA took the opportunity to push an angle between Blackwell and Adnan's new protege Kokina Maximus, but the match never took place.
Jerry Blackwell died on January 22 1995, at the age of 45, due to complications from pneumonia.