The Story Of Bruiser Brody’s Tragic Death, Explained

UPDATE: 2024/05/02 17:00 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

During his era, Bruiser Brody was an iconic name in the professional wrestling world. Standing at 6’8″, he was a true giant in every sense of the word. In addition, his character presented an iconic appearance as well. Simply put, he was tremendous and influenced a ton of other wrestlers in the business, both past and present. Brody’s legacy continues to live on, and he is one of the major names in the history of professional wrestling. However, Brody’s life was tragically cut short in Puerto Rico. At the age of 42 years old, Brody was murdered, and his killer was never convicted of his crimes.

Bruiser Brody was a legend of his time, a 6’8″ bearded mountain of a man. He would enter the ring like a hurricane of fury and rage, with fur-covered boots and swinging a chain, while audience members would run in fear of the huge man. Brody was considered one of wrestling’s best and brightest stars of the 80s. Bruiser Brody was a popular name across the world, particularly in Japan, who considered him one of the strongest wrestlers in the world. He also competed in WWE in its early years. Brody would do tours across the world, but it would be in Puerto Rico where this particular tragedy would take place.

The Death Of Bruiser Brody Remains A Controversial Subject

Bruiser Brody Died In Puerto Rico

• Bruiser Brody was 42 years old at the time of his murder.
• José Huertas González allegedly stabbed Bruiser Brody while in a shower.
• There were no witnesses to the murder of Bruiser Brody.

On July 16, 1988, Bruiser Brody was supposed to wrestle for the World Wrestling Council, a promotion owned by Carlos Colon. Ahead of his match, however, fellow wrestler José Huertas González, who wrestled as Invader 1, allegedly asked Brody to step into the showers with him to discuss business. It was known prior to the event that González did not like Brody as Brody had humiliated him in several matches before. According to people who knew him, Brody thought González was a “punk” and didn’t have any respect for him. González apparently swore that “one day I am gonna kill that man” following a match with Brody.

Due to the design of the dressing room, there were no witnesses to what happened in the showers between Bruiser Brody and José González. However, there were two screams heard, loud enough for the entire dressing room to hear. Tony Atlas was the first man to enter the scene, and he saw Brody bent over holding his stomach and González holding a knife.

Dutch Mantel Describes The Bruiser Brody Murder Scene

The Dressing Room Where Bruiser Brody Died Was Chaotic

• It took paramedics an hour to get to the scene of Bruiser Brody’s stabbing.
• Tony Atlas carried Bruiser Brody to the ambulance.
• Brusier Brody’s lung had been pierced by the knife.

Dutch Mantel entered the scene just a few minutes afterward and described absolute chaos. He said:

“
The whole dressing room was chaotic. The first person I saw was Chris Youngblood. I asked him what had happened. He was almost hysterical as he said, ‘José stabbed Brody.” “I still did not know what he meant, but as I looked deeper into the room, I saw Brody lying prone on the floor with several guys surrounding him. I thought that some guy named José had rushed into the room and attacked Brody. Everybody in PR is named José, so I looked at Chris again, and he said, ‘Invader – Invader stabbed Brody.’

“It was bedlam in the dressing room. Now, everything started to move in slow motion. I remember walking over to where Brody was lying and just staring in disbelief. A doctor is always present in San Juan, and he was crying. Brody was conscious, and as I looked closer, I could see a stab wound about an inch long and deep with air bubbles escaping from it. Much later, the doctor told me that meant that the blade had pierced the lung. Brody was telling promoter Carlos Colon to take care of his family.

“I didn’t see a lot of blood, but, again, later, I learned that he was hemorrhaging internally. This can’t be happening, I thought to myself. This can’t be real. But real it was. I am not a very religious person, but I eased over in a corner out of everyone’s way and prayed for Bruiser. I then found myself looking through a plexiglass door that led into the shower. The door was kind of translucent plexiglass that distorted images somewhat, but I saw the Invader and Victor Jovica screaming at each other in the shower room.
It seemed as though Invader was attempting to leave, and Jovica was trying to stop him.”

Due to heavy traffic outside, it took paramedics nearly an hour to reach Brody. As Brody was such a large man, paramedics were unable to lift him, so Tony Atlas had to psychically carry Brody to the ambulance himself. Brody would die later that night from his stab wounds.

José González Gets Away With Murder

José González Was Acquitted Of All Charges For The Death Of Bruiser Brody

• José González pleaded self-defense.
• José Gonzálezcontinued to wrestle in Puerto Rico.
• Nobody was at the trial to testify on behalf of Bruiser Brody.

José González was charged with murder but, as Dutch Mantel would say:

“He pleaded self-defense, and partly due to a weak justice system in Puerto Rico, and partly due to the fact that nobody was at González’ trial on behalf of Brody, González was acquitted.”

Tony Atlas and and Dutch Mantel were supposed to be summoned for the trial, but they only got their invitation after the trial had taken place. The justice system in Puerto Rico failed Bruiser Brody that night and José González was able to literally get away with murder. González continued to wrestle in Puerto Rico like nothing ever happened.

The Legacy Of Bruiser Brody

Bruiser Brody Is A Legend In The Professional Wrestling Business

With a career that dated back to the early 1970s, Bruiser Brody’s legacy in professional wrestling remains intact to this very day. He wrestled for a variety of different promotions, such as WWE, NJPW, NWA, and more. Throughout his career, he acquired numerous championships. However, his legacy is not solely about titles, but his persona. Brody portrayed an uncontrollable and fired up character, one who was unpredictable and that fans never knew what to expect next. His career inspired countless others in professional wrestling and will continue to in the future.