1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:03,480 Good evening, everyone. 2 00:00:03,525 --> 00:00:04,915 Welcome to Championship Sports. 3 00:00:04,961 --> 00:00:07,311 By now, all of you have heard about the tragic and 4 00:00:07,355 --> 00:00:09,175 untimely death of Bruiser Brody, 5 00:00:09,226 --> 00:00:10,576 very disappointing. 6 00:00:10,619 --> 00:00:13,139 ...wrestler, prior to a bout in Puerto Rico. 7 00:00:13,187 --> 00:00:15,487 His menacing looks gave him the reputation of 8 00:00:15,537 --> 00:00:18,797 a madman inside the ring, but a long time wrestling promoter 9 00:00:18,844 --> 00:00:21,594 and others remember a very different man. 10 00:00:21,630 --> 00:00:23,630 If you could picture a man coming into the ring, 11 00:00:23,675 --> 00:00:27,105 6'6, 6'7, 350-something pounds... 12 00:00:27,157 --> 00:00:29,067 He looked like danger coming. 13 00:00:29,116 --> 00:00:32,076 It was the kind of danger you were drawn to. 14 00:00:32,119 --> 00:00:34,079 People would actually run from him. 15 00:00:34,121 --> 00:00:35,951 They'd just all run and scatter. 16 00:00:35,992 --> 00:00:37,472 He had a chain. 17 00:00:37,515 --> 00:00:39,385 He'd sometimes hit people with it. 18 00:00:39,430 --> 00:00:42,170 He was just a wild fucking guy. 19 00:00:42,216 --> 00:00:44,256 Bruiser Brody's larger-than-life presence 20 00:00:44,305 --> 00:00:47,825 and in-ring brutality delivered an undeniable 21 00:00:47,873 --> 00:00:50,573 authenticity in professional wrestling. 22 00:00:50,615 --> 00:00:53,045 Brody coming down the aisle is like a tornado coming 23 00:00:53,096 --> 00:00:55,186 to your house, but you still want to see it. 24 00:00:55,229 --> 00:00:57,669 He'd beat you up with 2x4s, chairs, 25 00:00:57,709 --> 00:01:00,229 anything that he could get his hands on. 26 00:01:00,277 --> 00:01:02,757 Bruiser Brody was insane. 27 00:01:08,024 --> 00:01:10,554 On July 16, 1988, 28 00:01:10,592 --> 00:01:13,942 this insanity bled out of the ring into real life 29 00:01:13,986 --> 00:01:16,116 when Bruiser Brody was violently killed 30 00:01:16,163 --> 00:01:17,383 in a locker room... 31 00:01:17,425 --> 00:01:20,295 moments before the opening bell. 32 00:01:20,341 --> 00:01:22,431 In the world of professional wrestling, 33 00:01:22,473 --> 00:01:24,873 it is still the only sport where its characters 34 00:01:24,910 --> 00:01:26,300 live in two worlds, 35 00:01:26,347 --> 00:01:29,477 where fantasy bleeds out into reality. 36 00:01:33,571 --> 00:01:35,441 Hi, I'm Mick Foley. 37 00:01:35,486 --> 00:01:38,226 In my career, there was one man more than any other 38 00:01:38,272 --> 00:01:39,882 I wish I could have had the opportunity 39 00:01:39,925 --> 00:01:43,885 to step into the ring with; that person was Bruiser Brody. 40 00:01:43,929 --> 00:01:47,239 The day that I got my hands on an old VHS tape with 41 00:01:47,281 --> 00:01:49,201 vintage Brody matches was the day that 42 00:01:49,239 --> 00:01:51,149 everything changed for me. 43 00:01:51,198 --> 00:01:54,068 I wanted to be the next Bruiser Brody. 44 00:01:54,114 --> 00:01:56,294 The stories I've heard surrounding Brody's death 45 00:01:56,333 --> 00:01:58,163 have always troubled me. 46 00:01:58,205 --> 00:02:01,075 After 30 years, we tracked down 3 wrestlers 47 00:02:01,121 --> 00:02:03,691 willing to tell their version of what happened that night and 48 00:02:03,732 --> 00:02:06,262 to chronicle the life and death of one of 49 00:02:06,300 --> 00:02:08,300 wrestling's greatest outlaws. 50 00:02:08,345 --> 00:02:10,905 Just in case you don't know who I am, 51 00:02:10,956 --> 00:02:13,386 I'm Tony "Mr. USA" Atlas. 52 00:02:13,437 --> 00:02:15,867 Broad at the shoulder, narrow at the hip, 53 00:02:15,918 --> 00:02:18,308 tower of power, too sweet to be sour. 54 00:02:18,355 --> 00:02:21,045 One of the last people to see Bruiser Brody alive was 55 00:02:21,097 --> 00:02:23,187 Mr. USA, Tony Atlas, 56 00:02:23,230 --> 00:02:25,540 a former body builder turned wrestler, 57 00:02:25,580 --> 00:02:29,060 and a current WWE Hall of Famer. 58 00:02:29,105 --> 00:02:32,015 Okay, stand up. Take - clothesline him over the top. 59 00:02:32,064 --> 00:02:33,814 Cameraman watch out. 60 00:02:33,849 --> 00:02:36,679 Agh! Oh! 61 00:02:36,721 --> 00:02:38,591 That was the shittiest finish I've ever seen. 62 00:02:38,636 --> 00:02:42,246 Dirty Dutch Mantell is one of the business' 63 00:02:42,292 --> 00:02:43,552 most infamous villains in front of the camera... 64 00:02:43,598 --> 00:02:45,728 Has the taste returned to your mouth after I 65 00:02:45,774 --> 00:02:48,304 slapped it out just a few seconds ago? 66 00:02:48,342 --> 00:02:51,482 And one of wrestling's greatest minds behind the scenes. 67 00:02:53,651 --> 00:02:55,961 I never did. I never, I never had a match with Brody. 68 00:02:56,872 --> 00:02:58,402 Well, he beat the shit out of you. 69 00:02:58,439 --> 00:03:01,879 And then, there's the madman from the Sudan, 70 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:03,710 Abdullah The Butcher. 71 00:03:03,748 --> 00:03:06,188 Abdullah was also Bruiser Brody's 72 00:03:06,229 --> 00:03:08,579 greatest in-ring nemesis. 73 00:03:10,277 --> 00:03:12,497 ...This is it. And, you know, this is a very graphic display 74 00:03:12,540 --> 00:03:15,370 of exactly what the world of professional wrestling is 75 00:03:15,412 --> 00:03:17,852 all about, the dark side, so to speak. 76 00:03:17,893 --> 00:03:21,293 I've been in the business for 53 years. 77 00:03:21,331 --> 00:03:24,381 What else can I say? 78 00:03:24,421 --> 00:03:28,691 My name is Abdullah The Butcher, right. 79 00:03:28,730 --> 00:03:30,730 I'm not a wrestler. I didn't grab holds. 80 00:03:30,775 --> 00:03:34,035 I used karate. I used jiu-jitsu. 81 00:03:34,083 --> 00:03:37,963 Okay? I'm not a wrestler. 82 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:42,310 I can beat you up any time that I want to beat you up, 83 00:03:42,352 --> 00:03:44,882 you understand? 84 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:47,440 And the guy behind the camera, 85 00:03:47,488 --> 00:03:49,878 give me the fork so I can stab it all in his head, 86 00:03:49,925 --> 00:03:52,745 then you'll know... 87 00:03:52,797 --> 00:03:55,277 Let me tell you something, 88 00:03:55,322 --> 00:04:00,372 don't you ever say that me and Brody was fake. 89 00:04:00,414 --> 00:04:02,894 We are not fakes. 90 00:04:02,938 --> 00:04:05,288 We kept bringing 'em back and back, 91 00:04:05,332 --> 00:04:06,902 and the people would say, 92 00:04:06,942 --> 00:04:10,032 "When I seen that match, that was no bullshit." 93 00:04:14,123 --> 00:04:15,823 What would a match resemble between 94 00:04:15,864 --> 00:04:18,874 Abdullah and Bruiser Brody? 95 00:04:18,910 --> 00:04:21,220 A blood bath. Every night. 96 00:04:21,261 --> 00:04:25,571 We were like killers. We kept pounding. 97 00:04:25,613 --> 00:04:27,703 When you get Abdullah The Butcher and Bruiser Brody 98 00:04:27,745 --> 00:04:30,435 in the ring, gonna be a lot of blood. 99 00:04:30,487 --> 00:04:33,137 'Cause Abdullah had his fork... 100 00:04:33,185 --> 00:04:37,275 And they did it every night. It was just a formula. 101 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:38,500 Oh, I loved the fork. 102 00:04:38,539 --> 00:04:39,759 I'd just stab him in the head, 103 00:04:39,801 --> 00:04:42,851 stick it in his mouth. Do everything. 104 00:04:42,891 --> 00:04:47,331 Probably 85% of the match was outside the ring. 105 00:04:47,374 --> 00:04:50,124 He struck fear in the hearts of fans. 106 00:04:50,159 --> 00:04:51,549 When he went down to the ring, 107 00:04:51,595 --> 00:04:54,335 people moved out of the way; that's an art. 108 00:04:54,381 --> 00:04:56,511 Brody's reputation in the business was, 109 00:04:56,557 --> 00:04:58,557 he was a main eventer 110 00:04:58,602 --> 00:05:00,262 and could make you a lot of money. 111 00:05:00,300 --> 00:05:01,740 So, that's why he was so popular. 112 00:05:01,779 --> 00:05:03,219 It's why so many promoters wanted him because 113 00:05:03,259 --> 00:05:05,389 he could put asses in the seat. 114 00:05:15,010 --> 00:05:18,360 He was a superstar, and at the time, 115 00:05:18,405 --> 00:05:21,015 he was one of the biggest stars in the late 70s, 116 00:05:21,059 --> 00:05:24,589 early 80s, one of the biggest stars in the world. 117 00:05:24,628 --> 00:05:26,368 Bruiser Brody, he was a legend. 118 00:05:26,413 --> 00:05:29,633 He was a legend... back before he died. 119 00:05:35,813 --> 00:05:38,383 Oh my gosh. 120 00:05:38,425 --> 00:05:40,205 Oh my... 121 00:05:40,252 --> 00:05:41,692 But like, every time I come out here, 122 00:05:41,732 --> 00:05:43,172 I find something new. 123 00:05:43,212 --> 00:05:45,212 Look at this, another one. 124 00:05:45,257 --> 00:05:47,257 Some sentimental stuff associated with it. 125 00:05:47,303 --> 00:05:49,483 There's a lot of it though. 126 00:05:49,523 --> 00:05:52,483 Oh, here's a whole pile of photographs in here. 127 00:05:52,526 --> 00:05:54,266 I mean, take a look at that. 128 00:05:54,310 --> 00:05:56,880 Oh, boy. 129 00:05:56,921 --> 00:06:00,011 I first met Frank in Australia in the hotel 130 00:06:00,055 --> 00:06:01,835 that I was working in. 131 00:06:01,883 --> 00:06:05,323 I had no idea of his character because 132 00:06:05,365 --> 00:06:09,055 I only saw Frank Goodish. I never saw Bruiser Brody. 133 00:06:09,107 --> 00:06:13,497 Frank was very quiet, very intelligent. 134 00:06:13,547 --> 00:06:17,637 Even back in those days, just like a regular person. 135 00:06:17,681 --> 00:06:19,731 So, he never lost sight of who he was. 136 00:06:19,770 --> 00:06:22,120 He didn't become the character he created. 137 00:06:22,164 --> 00:06:23,824 That's dad's football helmet. 138 00:06:23,861 --> 00:06:26,431 In my own case, I spent 3 years with 139 00:06:26,473 --> 00:06:31,003 the Washington Redskins in 1969, '70, and '71. 140 00:06:31,042 --> 00:06:34,442 I was an all-American high school football player. 141 00:06:34,481 --> 00:06:36,571 I went to school on an athletic scholarship. 142 00:06:40,922 --> 00:06:42,712 - Okay, yeah. - Oh, okay. I'm sorry. 143 00:06:48,451 --> 00:06:50,151 Um... Yeah, I did. 144 00:06:50,192 --> 00:06:51,452 - You did? - Yeah. 145 00:06:51,498 --> 00:06:52,758 I don't think it's good that anybody knows 146 00:06:52,803 --> 00:06:54,543 that I'm Frank Goodish. 147 00:06:54,588 --> 00:06:56,458 Don't worry; that won't happen. 148 00:06:56,503 --> 00:06:59,553 Frank was kind of a, little bit of a renegade. 149 00:06:59,593 --> 00:07:01,423 We were together for a long time and 150 00:07:01,464 --> 00:07:03,774 he just came up with this idea, 151 00:07:03,814 --> 00:07:06,694 "Why don't we stop off in Vegas and get married?" 152 00:07:06,730 --> 00:07:08,730 He said, "I'm gonna tell you now 153 00:07:08,776 --> 00:07:11,126 it is not gonna be an easy life." 154 00:07:11,169 --> 00:07:13,039 Out of a year, he maybe would only be home 155 00:07:13,084 --> 00:07:15,394 3 months of that year. 156 00:07:15,435 --> 00:07:17,695 It was a challenge, but you do it. 157 00:07:17,741 --> 00:07:21,921 When Geoff was born, he changed so much 158 00:07:21,963 --> 00:07:24,573 'cause then he wanted to do for his family and 159 00:07:24,618 --> 00:07:27,618 he wanted to provide for his son. 160 00:07:27,664 --> 00:07:30,544 So, it changed him, 161 00:07:30,580 --> 00:07:32,930 even made him softer than who he really was 162 00:07:32,974 --> 00:07:34,674 when he was around his son. 163 00:07:34,715 --> 00:07:37,145 They had a really good relationship. 164 00:07:37,195 --> 00:07:39,145 I do believe I've subconsciously possibly 165 00:07:39,197 --> 00:07:41,027 blocked a lot of things out, unfortunately. 166 00:07:41,069 --> 00:07:43,509 So, a lot of the stories I hear are stories 167 00:07:43,550 --> 00:07:45,640 other people tell me about my dad. 168 00:07:45,682 --> 00:07:47,862 At the same time, it's hard to hear these stories because 169 00:07:47,902 --> 00:07:49,562 they're stories that people are telling me and 170 00:07:49,599 --> 00:07:51,379 I don't have a lot of stories of my own to tell. 171 00:07:51,427 --> 00:07:54,947 It was like this character that he created, 172 00:07:54,996 --> 00:07:58,036 that it was separate from the person I knew. 173 00:07:58,086 --> 00:08:00,306 I would take him to the airport and 174 00:08:00,349 --> 00:08:03,269 he would just be dad, husband... 175 00:08:03,308 --> 00:08:06,878 Get out of the car, had his hair pulled back, 176 00:08:06,921 --> 00:08:09,881 walked through those doors, take his hair down, 177 00:08:09,924 --> 00:08:12,234 he became Bruiser Brody on the other side, 178 00:08:12,274 --> 00:08:15,194 and I could actually see the whole transformation take place. 179 00:08:20,412 --> 00:08:22,152 In July 1988, 180 00:08:22,197 --> 00:08:24,547 Frank departed for a booking in Puerto Rico, 181 00:08:24,591 --> 00:08:27,681 an isolated wrestling territory notorious for 182 00:08:27,724 --> 00:08:30,514 its wild blood feuds and the zealousness of its fans. 183 00:08:33,469 --> 00:08:37,169 It was blood city. It was blood all the time. 184 00:08:37,212 --> 00:08:39,562 Big shows, you'd have 3 or 4 matches with blood in 'em, 185 00:08:39,606 --> 00:08:41,956 because remember, I told you, people believed, 186 00:08:41,999 --> 00:08:44,919 and they believed when you saw blood that it was serious. 187 00:08:44,959 --> 00:08:46,439 Ricky Vargas wants to stop him. 188 00:08:46,482 --> 00:08:49,442 Look! The blood is just coming up! 189 00:08:49,485 --> 00:08:53,225 The people are violent people. 190 00:08:53,271 --> 00:08:56,881 They wanted violence. 191 00:08:56,927 --> 00:08:59,537 People throw rocks at you, they throw piss on you, 192 00:08:59,582 --> 00:09:02,592 they throw urine on you, they throw feces on you. 193 00:09:02,629 --> 00:09:06,719 They stoned me. They used to take cups, 194 00:09:06,763 --> 00:09:09,553 put glass or stones and throw 'em at me. 195 00:09:09,592 --> 00:09:11,592 They want to see somebody get hurt. 196 00:09:11,638 --> 00:09:13,338 They want some, to see somebody 197 00:09:13,378 --> 00:09:15,468 get carried out on a stretcher. 198 00:09:15,511 --> 00:09:19,121 Every place you go, they love violence. 199 00:09:28,045 --> 00:09:31,875 Some weekly planners, 1987, 1988... 200 00:09:31,919 --> 00:09:33,659 Just his daily activities, it appears. 201 00:09:33,703 --> 00:09:36,013 His workout, workout schedule and regimen and 202 00:09:36,053 --> 00:09:37,843 where he's traveling to. 203 00:09:37,881 --> 00:09:41,231 Ah, San Juan, Puerto Rico, of all places. 204 00:09:41,276 --> 00:09:44,576 Yeah, I believe it was the, it was either the 16th or 205 00:09:44,627 --> 00:09:48,627 the 17th that that happened, unfortunately. 206 00:09:48,675 --> 00:09:50,585 In July 1988, 207 00:09:50,633 --> 00:09:53,033 Frank Goodish left his family in Texas and 208 00:09:53,070 --> 00:09:55,640 entered one of the most violent wrestling territories 209 00:09:55,682 --> 00:09:57,252 in the world. 210 00:09:57,292 --> 00:09:59,602 His family could not have imagined that this would be 211 00:09:59,642 --> 00:10:07,872 the last time that they would see him alive. 212 00:10:07,911 --> 00:10:11,261 In the summer of 1988, Bruiser Brody left his family 213 00:10:11,306 --> 00:10:12,956 in Texas and entered one of the most 214 00:10:13,003 --> 00:10:16,223 violent wrestling territories in the world. 215 00:10:16,267 --> 00:10:18,527 It wasn't only his Puerto Rican fans who were 216 00:10:18,574 --> 00:10:21,934 waiting for his return, but some unresolved business and 217 00:10:21,969 --> 00:10:24,929 a bitter longstanding grudge. 218 00:10:24,972 --> 00:10:27,022 The World Wrestling Council is Puerto Rico's 219 00:10:27,061 --> 00:10:29,501 main wrestling promotion, which was established by 220 00:10:29,541 --> 00:10:32,631 wrestlers Gorilla Monsoon, Victor Jovica, 221 00:10:32,675 --> 00:10:34,805 and Carlos Colon. 222 00:10:34,851 --> 00:10:40,071 Carlos Colon! Carlos Colon! 223 00:10:42,380 --> 00:10:45,510 Carlos Colon was the boss. 224 00:10:45,557 --> 00:10:48,207 He's also a WWE Hall of Famer now. 225 00:10:48,256 --> 00:10:50,906 He was probably as big a star as Roberto Clemente. 226 00:10:50,954 --> 00:10:55,704 Carlos Colon's right-hand man was Jose Huertas Gonzalez, 227 00:10:55,742 --> 00:10:58,012 a local wrestler celebrated in the ring 228 00:10:58,048 --> 00:11:00,398 as Invader #1. 229 00:11:00,442 --> 00:11:03,752 Gonzalez also acted as the company's booker, 230 00:11:03,793 --> 00:11:06,403 the person in charge of the creative direction and 231 00:11:06,448 --> 00:11:08,968 outcomes of wrestling shows. 232 00:11:09,016 --> 00:11:11,926 Frank understood the value of his character 233 00:11:11,975 --> 00:11:15,495 consistently appearing as an unbeatable monster to fans 234 00:11:15,544 --> 00:11:18,374 as a way to keep them coming back for more. 235 00:11:18,416 --> 00:11:20,376 He took this aggression to a new level 236 00:11:20,418 --> 00:11:22,638 when he wrestled a young Jose Gonzalez 237 00:11:22,682 --> 00:11:24,382 when Gonzalez was hoping to make 238 00:11:24,422 --> 00:11:27,122 a big impression in the WWF. 239 00:11:29,384 --> 00:11:30,784 Brody and Invader, 240 00:11:30,820 --> 00:11:32,740 they didn't really care for each other. 241 00:11:32,779 --> 00:11:35,519 Their personalities did not mesh. 242 00:11:35,564 --> 00:11:37,574 Even their matches, you could tell there was 243 00:11:37,609 --> 00:11:39,919 something not quite right with it. 244 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:42,920 He was a pretty decent guy - if he liked you. 245 00:11:42,963 --> 00:11:47,793 If he didn't like you, he would beat the living crap out of you. 246 00:11:47,837 --> 00:11:50,617 But I just seen Brody take people in the ring many a time 247 00:11:50,666 --> 00:11:52,796 and just beat 'em unmercifully. 248 00:11:52,842 --> 00:11:54,932 He would just beat 'em to death. 249 00:11:54,975 --> 00:11:56,665 Well, I've tried to piece it together over the years, 250 00:11:56,716 --> 00:11:58,456 what brought this on. 251 00:11:58,500 --> 00:12:01,720 Let's go back in the past, in the mid 70s. 252 00:12:01,764 --> 00:12:04,944 They were grooming - I heard - Jose Gonzalez, 253 00:12:04,985 --> 00:12:07,335 to be like the next Puerto Rican star. 254 00:12:07,378 --> 00:12:10,768 Bruiser Brody came in and had a match with Jose Gonzalez 255 00:12:10,817 --> 00:12:12,247 and just beat the shit out of him. 256 00:12:12,296 --> 00:12:13,776 He ate him up. 257 00:12:13,820 --> 00:12:15,390 I mean, his whole face was swollen, 258 00:12:15,430 --> 00:12:17,780 his head was swollen up; looked just like a pumpkin. 259 00:12:17,824 --> 00:12:19,524 Brody beat him so bad that S.D. 260 00:12:19,564 --> 00:12:21,004 had to take him to the hospital. 261 00:12:21,044 --> 00:12:24,134 S.D., "Special Delivery" Jones, he was a wrestler. 262 00:12:24,178 --> 00:12:26,478 We put him in the car, and S.D. took him to the hospital, 263 00:12:26,528 --> 00:12:29,788 and he turned to S.D. Jones and said, 264 00:12:29,836 --> 00:12:32,796 "One day I'm gonna kill that man." 265 00:12:32,839 --> 00:12:34,749 He was angry. 266 00:12:34,797 --> 00:12:36,837 I mean, his head looked like a pumpkin, brother. 267 00:12:36,886 --> 00:12:39,146 Bruiser Brody was worried about one image, 268 00:12:39,193 --> 00:12:40,803 and that was Bruiser Brody. 269 00:12:40,847 --> 00:12:44,937 Once the people see you get beat once or twice, 270 00:12:44,981 --> 00:12:47,161 that brand - and he knows this - 271 00:12:47,201 --> 00:12:50,641 the brand becomes kind of... violated. 272 00:12:50,682 --> 00:12:52,292 And he, he didn't want that to happen and 273 00:12:52,336 --> 00:12:54,816 that's why, that's why he acted the way he did. 274 00:12:54,861 --> 00:12:58,081 I don't know about the other professional wrestlers. 275 00:12:58,125 --> 00:13:00,075 I only know about Bruiser Brody. 276 00:13:00,127 --> 00:13:02,827 And when I go in the ring, it doesn't matter whether 277 00:13:02,869 --> 00:13:06,049 I'm in Texas or in New York, and it doesn't matter 278 00:13:06,089 --> 00:13:07,869 whether people like me or dislike me, 279 00:13:07,917 --> 00:13:10,877 I'm gonna be just as aggressive every night. 280 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:15,270 But I also heard that Brody was making huge money in Japan, 281 00:13:15,316 --> 00:13:21,626 and he had wanted to invest in a wrestling promotion somewhere, 282 00:13:21,670 --> 00:13:24,110 and he had Puerto Rico in mind. 283 00:13:24,151 --> 00:13:26,201 And there was an owner, a part owner, 284 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:28,590 a minority owner named Victor Quinones, 285 00:13:28,633 --> 00:13:30,513 who had 10% or something, 286 00:13:30,548 --> 00:13:33,898 but a lot of it was owned by Gorilla Monsoon. 287 00:13:33,943 --> 00:13:37,773 And I think Victor Quinones was brokering a deal 288 00:13:37,817 --> 00:13:42,557 between Monsoon to sell his shares to Brody, 289 00:13:42,604 --> 00:13:46,004 which would have made Brody probably a minority owner. 290 00:13:46,042 --> 00:13:47,872 I think he bought part of that company. 291 00:13:47,914 --> 00:13:52,054 They wanted his money, but they didn't want his ideas. 292 00:13:52,092 --> 00:13:54,222 And Brody ain't that type of guy. 293 00:13:54,268 --> 00:13:56,178 Brody had his opinions. 294 00:13:56,226 --> 00:13:57,706 If you didn't like 'em, too bad. 295 00:13:57,749 --> 00:14:00,059 - Can you tell us your name? - David Manning. 296 00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:03,630 I was the booker for World Class Championship Wrestling. 297 00:14:03,668 --> 00:14:05,708 I was a little worried because Frank was 298 00:14:05,757 --> 00:14:07,187 going to Puerto Rico to wrestle. 299 00:14:07,237 --> 00:14:08,847 Frank said they owed him about, around 300 00:14:08,891 --> 00:14:10,501 20, $25,000. 301 00:14:10,545 --> 00:14:12,895 And, he had asked for the money politely. 302 00:14:12,939 --> 00:14:14,899 He had been waiting for the money. 303 00:14:14,941 --> 00:14:16,771 And he told me before he left, 304 00:14:16,812 --> 00:14:19,382 "I'm coming back with my money." 305 00:14:19,423 --> 00:14:21,383 And he said, "If I have to beat every one of 'em up, 306 00:14:21,425 --> 00:14:22,505 I'm getting my money." 307 00:14:22,557 --> 00:14:24,687 Brody had mentioned to people that 308 00:14:24,733 --> 00:14:28,873 if he took over, he was gonna get rid of Jose. 309 00:14:28,911 --> 00:14:31,041 And also, Jose Gonzalez had just lost 310 00:14:31,087 --> 00:14:32,867 his 3-year-old daughter. 311 00:14:32,915 --> 00:14:34,915 She died in a swimming pool accident, 312 00:14:34,961 --> 00:14:37,921 she drowned, about 3 months earlier. 313 00:14:37,964 --> 00:14:40,884 Now, his job is being threatened and 314 00:14:40,923 --> 00:14:43,323 he doesn't like Brody in the first place. 315 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:45,930 So, you add all those ingredients, 316 00:14:45,972 --> 00:14:48,282 it's like fire and gasoline. 317 00:14:48,322 --> 00:14:50,762 An explosion was gonna happen, and it did. 318 00:14:54,850 --> 00:14:56,980 Ah... Can I please tell the story? 319 00:14:57,026 --> 00:14:59,026 I beg you, 'cause I want to tell it. 320 00:14:59,072 --> 00:15:01,032 Okay. - I want to tell the story. 321 00:15:01,074 --> 00:15:03,554 - I... See... Okay, okay, okay. 322 00:15:03,598 --> 00:15:05,688 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because, I've been-- 323 00:15:05,730 --> 00:15:08,730 For two days, I've been talking about everything but Brody, 324 00:15:08,777 --> 00:15:12,037 and I want to tell this story so bad I'm ready to explode. 325 00:15:12,085 --> 00:15:16,255 I've been carrying this story around in my chest for... 326 00:15:16,306 --> 00:15:18,126 how many years now? 327 00:15:18,178 --> 00:15:21,008 This is how me and Brody started our day. 328 00:15:21,050 --> 00:15:22,880 Yeah? - Yeah, yeah. 329 00:15:22,922 --> 00:15:24,272 We were working out at the gym that morning, 330 00:15:24,314 --> 00:15:25,974 the same routine we did. 331 00:15:26,012 --> 00:15:29,842 You know, his last day here on earth. 332 00:15:29,885 --> 00:15:32,535 I go to the gym every morning anyway, and so, 333 00:15:32,583 --> 00:15:34,063 me and him, we worked out together, 334 00:15:34,107 --> 00:15:35,887 and he said, "Tony, want to go get something to eat?" 335 00:15:35,935 --> 00:15:37,975 So I say, "Oh sure, I'll go get something to eat." 336 00:15:38,024 --> 00:15:40,644 And then he turned to me at breakfast and he said, 337 00:15:40,678 --> 00:15:45,418 "I waited a long time to get in down here." 338 00:15:45,466 --> 00:15:47,726 So I just got the impression that maybe, 339 00:15:47,772 --> 00:15:51,252 just maybe, that he bought in the company. 340 00:15:51,298 --> 00:15:54,428 And he said, "You are gonna see a lot of changes." 341 00:15:56,868 --> 00:16:01,438 We was at the hotel, and Bruiser Brody and Dutch Mantell 342 00:16:01,482 --> 00:16:05,572 was sitting on the steps outside in the front of the building. 343 00:16:05,616 --> 00:16:08,746 And I said, "Brody, I figured you'd be gone by now." 344 00:16:08,793 --> 00:16:11,713 He said, "I'm waiting on Jose Gonzalez. 345 00:16:11,753 --> 00:16:13,623 He's supposed to pick me up." 346 00:16:13,668 --> 00:16:16,578 And I'm-- Right then I said, "Well, that's unusual." 347 00:16:16,627 --> 00:16:21,587 Why would Jose, the booker, leave his main eventer? 348 00:16:21,632 --> 00:16:23,852 And I said, "You can ride with us if you like." 349 00:16:23,895 --> 00:16:28,335 So we went to the show and traffic was horrible leading 350 00:16:28,378 --> 00:16:31,028 into the stadium 'cause the cars were lined up, 351 00:16:31,077 --> 00:16:33,037 so you know it was gonna be a sell-out. 352 00:16:33,079 --> 00:16:36,209 And, we hopped out and we took our bags 353 00:16:36,256 --> 00:16:39,216 to where the dressing rooms were. 354 00:16:39,259 --> 00:16:41,439 Now, looking back on it, it was kind of strange, 355 00:16:41,478 --> 00:16:42,868 'cause when I walked in that room, 356 00:16:42,914 --> 00:16:45,834 I got a strange feeling. But Jose was sitting there. 357 00:16:45,874 --> 00:16:47,144 I said, "He's here." 358 00:16:47,180 --> 00:16:48,660 As soon as I come to the door, 359 00:16:48,703 --> 00:16:52,363 I saw the 3 of them sitting there, 360 00:16:52,402 --> 00:16:56,322 Jose, Carlos Colon, and Victor, 361 00:16:56,363 --> 00:16:57,933 they were sitting in a football huddle. 362 00:16:57,973 --> 00:17:00,503 Yeah, it kind of seemed a little strange... 363 00:17:00,541 --> 00:17:03,891 'Cause I, I've never really seen 'em together like that. 364 00:17:03,935 --> 00:17:06,365 And it didn't look like they were in conversation. 365 00:17:06,416 --> 00:17:08,066 They were just sitting there, 366 00:17:08,114 --> 00:17:11,074 which was even more strange. 367 00:17:11,117 --> 00:17:14,077 Gonzalez gets up from his seat, 368 00:17:14,120 --> 00:17:18,170 looked me straight in the face, and left. 369 00:17:18,211 --> 00:17:20,871 Never looked at Brody, never looked at Dutch, 370 00:17:20,909 --> 00:17:23,299 and he walked out of the dressing room. 371 00:17:23,346 --> 00:17:25,436 And Brody sat down right beside me, 372 00:17:25,479 --> 00:17:28,479 and I sat there maybe 5 minutes... 373 00:17:28,525 --> 00:17:31,745 And that feeling of tension, 374 00:17:31,789 --> 00:17:33,879 it just got stronger. 375 00:17:33,922 --> 00:17:35,712 So I said, "I gotta get out of here. 376 00:17:35,750 --> 00:17:37,710 I gotta move. I gotta-- Something's... 377 00:17:37,752 --> 00:17:39,932 Maybe if I move around it'll go away." 378 00:17:39,971 --> 00:17:43,111 So, I get up and walk out, I go and I sit in the dugout, 379 00:17:43,149 --> 00:17:45,589 and I'm watching the crowd come in. 380 00:17:45,629 --> 00:17:48,459 So, I have my art pad. I set my bag down. 381 00:17:48,502 --> 00:17:50,982 I sat in my chair and I started sketching. 382 00:17:51,026 --> 00:17:53,676 Brody came over and he looked at it. 383 00:17:53,724 --> 00:17:55,684 He said, "That is frickin' fantastic." 384 00:17:55,726 --> 00:17:56,806 He's getting all excited, 385 00:17:56,858 --> 00:17:58,638 big smile is on his face and everything. 386 00:17:58,686 --> 00:18:01,776 And he said, "I wonder if you could do one for me," 387 00:18:01,819 --> 00:18:05,259 so he opened up his little pouch, reached in, 388 00:18:05,301 --> 00:18:07,351 and pulled out a picture of his son. 389 00:18:07,390 --> 00:18:10,350 Jose came back into the dressing room. 390 00:18:10,393 --> 00:18:13,833 I looked up, and Jose was standing there... 391 00:18:13,875 --> 00:18:18,265 And he had a towel over his hand. 392 00:18:18,314 --> 00:18:20,234 "Brody, can I talk to you for a minute, please?" 393 00:18:20,273 --> 00:18:21,453 Just like that. 394 00:18:21,491 --> 00:18:23,801 "Can I talk to you for a minute, please?" 395 00:18:23,841 --> 00:18:28,021 And Brody said, "Yeah," and he walked in there. 396 00:18:28,063 --> 00:18:30,333 And that's where it happened. 397 00:18:30,370 --> 00:18:33,330 It's not unusual to discuss match plans privately, 398 00:18:33,373 --> 00:18:35,683 but on this evening, the conversation between 399 00:18:35,723 --> 00:18:38,383 Brody and Gonzalez would descend into 400 00:18:38,421 --> 00:18:45,911 an unthinkable nightmare. 401 00:18:45,950 --> 00:18:47,690 In Puerto Rico, before his match, 402 00:18:47,735 --> 00:18:50,475 Bruiser Brody is summoned to a private meeting with 403 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:52,960 talent booker Jose Gonzalez. 404 00:18:53,001 --> 00:18:56,051 There was a history of bad blood between Brody and Gonzalez, 405 00:18:56,091 --> 00:19:00,661 and wrestler Tony Atlas was witness to the growing tension. 406 00:19:00,704 --> 00:19:02,794 He had a bag in his hand, 407 00:19:02,837 --> 00:19:05,707 a picture of his son in this hand. 408 00:19:05,753 --> 00:19:07,363 And when he turned away with the picture, 409 00:19:07,407 --> 00:19:09,967 that's when I noticed Carlos staring at me. 410 00:19:10,018 --> 00:19:14,278 As I'm looking at Carlos, I hear this sound... 411 00:19:14,327 --> 00:19:17,067 "Aaah!" 412 00:19:17,112 --> 00:19:18,682 So I looked up. 413 00:19:18,722 --> 00:19:20,902 Brody was halfway hunched over. 414 00:19:20,942 --> 00:19:24,032 I thought Jose punched him in the stomach; 415 00:19:24,075 --> 00:19:25,375 that's what I thought. 416 00:19:25,425 --> 00:19:26,895 That's the first thought that came to my mind, 417 00:19:26,948 --> 00:19:28,378 "Damn, he hit Brody." 418 00:19:28,428 --> 00:19:31,078 I said, "Oh, this is gonna be a fight." 419 00:19:31,126 --> 00:19:34,476 So, then he hollers again, "Aah!" 420 00:19:34,521 --> 00:19:40,791 I looked at Jose's face and his eyes was bloodshot red. 421 00:19:40,831 --> 00:19:43,271 Then I saw the knife. 422 00:19:43,312 --> 00:19:45,232 The knife went in the air like this, 423 00:19:45,271 --> 00:19:47,231 with blood dripping off of it. 424 00:19:47,273 --> 00:19:50,013 I sprung up out of my chair, wrapped my arm around 425 00:19:50,058 --> 00:19:51,838 Brody's waist, just like this. 426 00:19:51,886 --> 00:19:54,366 I yank him back just in the nick of time to keep from 427 00:19:54,410 --> 00:19:56,670 his throat getting cut. 428 00:19:56,717 --> 00:19:59,107 And because I pull him back, the knife came down and 429 00:19:59,154 --> 00:20:01,554 cut his ponytail off. 430 00:20:01,591 --> 00:20:03,641 That's how sharp that knife was. 431 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:07,160 Carlos shoot right by me, and he grabbed Jose and 432 00:20:07,206 --> 00:20:08,766 pushed him up against the wall and said, 433 00:20:08,816 --> 00:20:10,636 "No, Jose. No, Jose." 434 00:20:10,687 --> 00:20:13,557 And Carlos was keeping people away from Jose, 435 00:20:13,603 --> 00:20:15,823 telling the wrestlers, "Y'all stay back. Stay back." 436 00:20:15,866 --> 00:20:18,866 So I take Brody, and I take him and 437 00:20:18,913 --> 00:20:21,393 I lay him down on the ground. 438 00:20:21,437 --> 00:20:25,307 I felt his intestines and blood all over this arm here. 439 00:20:25,354 --> 00:20:27,184 This whole arm was drenched in blood. 440 00:20:27,226 --> 00:20:28,786 And he looked up at me, he said, 441 00:20:28,836 --> 00:20:31,836 "Brother, don't let 'em hurt me no more. 442 00:20:31,882 --> 00:20:33,622 Please, brother. Don't let 'em hurt me no more." 443 00:20:33,667 --> 00:20:38,017 He said, "Don't let THEM!" Not "him," "them"! 444 00:20:38,062 --> 00:20:40,372 That's why I didn't know who the hell he was talking about. 445 00:20:40,413 --> 00:20:42,853 Who else is involved in this, I'm thinking? 446 00:20:42,893 --> 00:20:45,903 I said, "Ain't no fucking body gonna do anything to you." 447 00:20:45,940 --> 00:20:50,290 Carlos tried to approach Brody after I laid him down. 448 00:20:50,336 --> 00:20:53,466 I told Carlos, I said, "Don't bring your ass over here. 449 00:20:53,513 --> 00:20:56,603 I will knock your motherfucking head right off the shoulder." 450 00:20:56,646 --> 00:20:59,556 He said, "Tony, calm down." I said, "Fuck calming down." 451 00:20:59,606 --> 00:21:00,956 I said, "Y'all just stabbed this guy." 452 00:21:00,998 --> 00:21:02,168 "I had nothing to do with it." 453 00:21:02,217 --> 00:21:03,907 I said, "You're a Goddamn liar" I said, 454 00:21:03,958 --> 00:21:05,348 "Y'all work together." 455 00:21:05,394 --> 00:21:08,314 So then, Brody tugged at my leg, 456 00:21:08,354 --> 00:21:10,974 and he said, "Let him over." 457 00:21:11,008 --> 00:21:12,838 So as I make my way back to the tunnel, 458 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:14,360 I could hear the noise. 459 00:21:14,403 --> 00:21:15,933 And it was kind of dark in there, 460 00:21:15,970 --> 00:21:17,410 but I could see the lights in the... 461 00:21:17,450 --> 00:21:20,100 in the dressing room. Something was going on, 462 00:21:20,148 --> 00:21:22,108 and that's when I asked Mark Youngblood what happened. 463 00:21:22,150 --> 00:21:26,150 He said, "Invader! Invader stabbed Brody!" 464 00:21:26,197 --> 00:21:28,067 The dressing room is in a panic, 465 00:21:28,112 --> 00:21:31,732 and I see Brody laying, laying in front of me. 466 00:21:31,768 --> 00:21:35,338 And Carlos is leaning over him, talking to him. 467 00:21:35,381 --> 00:21:37,691 He said, "Brody, is there anything I can do for you?" 468 00:21:37,731 --> 00:21:39,561 That's what Carlos asked Brody. 469 00:21:39,602 --> 00:21:42,432 Brody said, "Just take care of my family." 470 00:21:42,475 --> 00:21:43,995 And I don't know what Carlos was saying, 471 00:21:44,041 --> 00:21:45,481 but I'm sure he was saying, "Hang on there, man. 472 00:21:45,521 --> 00:21:47,391 We're gonna get you help. We're gonna get you help." 473 00:21:47,436 --> 00:21:50,696 But I do remember Brody looking up at Carlos and 474 00:21:50,744 --> 00:21:53,364 telling Carlos, "Tell my wife I love her." 475 00:21:53,399 --> 00:21:55,359 That's the only thing I heard him say. 476 00:21:55,401 --> 00:21:58,751 So that right there tells me that he doesn't have 477 00:21:58,795 --> 00:22:01,835 a lot of faith in his own survival. 478 00:22:01,885 --> 00:22:04,575 The shower had a door on it that wasn't clear. 479 00:22:04,627 --> 00:22:07,057 It was translucent that you could see 480 00:22:07,108 --> 00:22:09,148 light behind it and figures. 481 00:22:09,197 --> 00:22:10,937 Invader never came out of that shower. 482 00:22:10,981 --> 00:22:12,421 He never came out. 483 00:22:12,461 --> 00:22:14,511 And he was in there with Jovica who was 484 00:22:14,550 --> 00:22:16,510 part owner of the company, 485 00:22:16,552 --> 00:22:18,212 and they were screaming at each other. 486 00:22:18,249 --> 00:22:23,119 There's nothing I can really do just, but watch. 487 00:22:23,167 --> 00:22:26,907 He walked out of the shower, walked around Brody's feet, 488 00:22:26,954 --> 00:22:30,744 went to his bag, got his keys, and he left. 489 00:22:30,784 --> 00:22:34,354 And his shirt, they said, was torn... 490 00:22:34,396 --> 00:22:37,006 Which tells me that whatever happened in that shower, 491 00:22:37,051 --> 00:22:39,401 that it was a physical confrontation 492 00:22:39,445 --> 00:22:42,395 with Brody ripping the shirt. 493 00:22:42,448 --> 00:22:46,018 It took at least 35 to 45 minutes 494 00:22:46,060 --> 00:22:47,630 for the ambulance to get there. 495 00:22:47,670 --> 00:22:49,670 They tried to put Brody on the gurney. 496 00:22:49,716 --> 00:22:51,016 They couldn't lift him. 497 00:22:51,065 --> 00:22:52,675 Brody was about 300-something pounds. 498 00:22:52,719 --> 00:22:53,849 He was too heavy. 499 00:22:53,894 --> 00:22:55,554 So, I got down into a squat position, 500 00:22:55,591 --> 00:22:58,461 squatted all the way down, and slid my arms underneath him. 501 00:22:58,507 --> 00:23:00,157 And he looked up at me and said, 502 00:23:00,204 --> 00:23:01,954 "Don't you drop me," and I said, 503 00:23:01,989 --> 00:23:04,769 "Don't worry, brother, I curl more than what you weigh." 504 00:23:04,818 --> 00:23:08,388 So I pulled him gently and laid him on the gurney. 505 00:23:08,430 --> 00:23:12,130 The old man walked back to the back of the ambulance 506 00:23:12,173 --> 00:23:14,443 to shut and lock the door. He said, 507 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:17,610 "Before I shut the door, is there anybody here that 508 00:23:17,657 --> 00:23:20,697 want to go with him to keep his company?" 509 00:23:20,747 --> 00:23:24,787 So I said, "I'll go," and I jump, got on the ambulance 510 00:23:24,838 --> 00:23:26,798 and I remember guys looking at me like, 511 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:28,760 "What in the fuck is wrong with Tony? 512 00:23:28,798 --> 00:23:30,228 He should stay out of this." 513 00:23:30,278 --> 00:23:32,238 You could almost feel they're thinking this. 514 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:34,460 Nobody was saying nothing, but you could almost feel 515 00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:36,590 they were thinking, "What is wrong with him?" 516 00:23:36,632 --> 00:23:38,592 Like I've said before, I'm not a religious person. 517 00:23:38,634 --> 00:23:41,644 Never had been. Probably never will be. 518 00:23:41,681 --> 00:23:44,031 But I did go and say a lot of prayers for Brody, 519 00:23:44,074 --> 00:23:48,124 whatever worth it could be, if it could help him, fine. 520 00:23:48,165 --> 00:23:49,985 It couldn't hurt. 521 00:23:50,037 --> 00:23:51,817 As we were sitting in the ambulance, 522 00:23:51,865 --> 00:23:55,605 Brody was laying there, and I started crying again. 523 00:23:55,651 --> 00:23:57,391 I mean, I couldn't hold back the tears. 524 00:23:57,436 --> 00:23:59,086 And I, and I sung this song, 525 00:23:59,133 --> 00:24:01,793 "If heaven ain't a lot like Dixie, 526 00:24:01,831 --> 00:24:04,271 I don't want to go." 527 00:24:04,312 --> 00:24:06,922 My voice got choked up and everything got choked up. 528 00:24:06,967 --> 00:24:08,837 I just told him, I said, "You're gonna be alright, brother," 529 00:24:08,882 --> 00:24:11,152 I said, "I'm gonna stay with you, man." 530 00:24:11,188 --> 00:24:13,888 I said, I'm with you, man. I'm with you." 531 00:24:13,930 --> 00:24:16,630 There's an old saying in 532 00:24:16,672 --> 00:24:18,852 "Consider yourself lucky if you make it out 533 00:24:18,892 --> 00:24:20,942 with one true friend." 534 00:24:20,981 --> 00:24:25,161 On this night, Brody had that true friend in Tony Atlas, 535 00:24:25,202 --> 00:24:34,912 but he would need more than that to make it out alive. 536 00:24:34,951 --> 00:24:37,481 Tony Atlas finally made it to the hospital with 537 00:24:37,519 --> 00:24:39,779 Bruiser Brody in critical condition. 538 00:24:39,826 --> 00:24:42,696 Although Atlas's struggle to save Brody's life 539 00:24:42,742 --> 00:24:44,572 was far from over. 540 00:24:44,613 --> 00:24:46,353 We get to the hospital and he laid there for 541 00:24:46,397 --> 00:24:48,227 probably about 15 or 20 minutes. 542 00:24:48,269 --> 00:24:51,049 I got frickin' tired of waiting on a doctor, 543 00:24:51,098 --> 00:24:54,838 so I finally got one doctor that spoke a little bit of English. 544 00:24:54,884 --> 00:24:58,584 And I said, "I've been telling people my friend's been stabbed. 545 00:24:58,627 --> 00:25:00,757 How come nobody's going to see him?" 546 00:25:00,803 --> 00:25:02,113 He told me, he said, 547 00:25:02,152 --> 00:25:05,852 "A stabbing here is like a cold in the US. 548 00:25:05,895 --> 00:25:07,235 It's no big deal." 549 00:25:07,288 --> 00:25:09,328 He said, "Well, I will get to him when I can," 550 00:25:09,377 --> 00:25:11,547 and turned to walk away from me. 551 00:25:11,597 --> 00:25:13,337 I grabbed him around the waist, 552 00:25:13,381 --> 00:25:17,391 yanked him up all the way up on my shoulder just like this, 553 00:25:17,428 --> 00:25:21,298 and I carried the man to Brody. 554 00:25:21,345 --> 00:25:23,345 So finally, he looked at Brody. 555 00:25:23,391 --> 00:25:25,921 He lifted Brody's hand up and it was like this 556 00:25:25,959 --> 00:25:27,999 the whole time, just like this. 557 00:25:28,048 --> 00:25:29,918 At the same time he lifts his hand up, 558 00:25:29,963 --> 00:25:32,403 I remember I was taking his shoes off. 559 00:25:32,443 --> 00:25:37,013 When I saw his feet, and it was blue... 560 00:25:37,057 --> 00:25:39,927 oh no, no, no, no, no! 561 00:25:39,973 --> 00:25:41,633 'Cause I knew this is real bad. 562 00:25:41,670 --> 00:25:43,590 So, I said, "Doctor, please, get him in now. Now. 563 00:25:43,629 --> 00:25:44,979 You gotta go now. You got--" 564 00:25:45,021 --> 00:25:47,071 He started calling on people, "Come on, come on. 565 00:25:47,110 --> 00:25:49,500 We need some help here. We need some help here." 566 00:25:49,548 --> 00:25:51,898 I got so fricking mad when I saw that, 567 00:25:51,941 --> 00:25:53,511 that I punched the wall. 568 00:25:53,552 --> 00:25:55,552 I buried my fist probably about up to my elbow in that wall; 569 00:25:55,597 --> 00:25:57,637 that's how hard I hit that wall. 570 00:25:57,686 --> 00:26:00,166 While chaos and confusion erupted at the scene of 571 00:26:00,210 --> 00:26:03,610 Bruiser Brody's stabbing, rumors began to fly and 572 00:26:03,649 --> 00:26:06,829 word reached across the stadium to Abdullah the Butcher 573 00:26:06,869 --> 00:26:09,569 in a second dressing room. 574 00:26:09,611 --> 00:26:13,481 The doctor came and says, ah... 575 00:26:13,528 --> 00:26:16,308 Brody was cut, or stabbed, or whatever. 576 00:26:16,357 --> 00:26:19,527 I said, "Come on," you know, I thought it was a joke. 577 00:26:19,578 --> 00:26:23,968 In my opinion, I thought... he was working an angle. 578 00:26:24,017 --> 00:26:26,927 But when the doctor told me... 579 00:26:26,976 --> 00:26:30,456 Then I says, "Holy shit," 580 00:26:30,501 --> 00:26:32,371 'cause the doctor wouldn't be lying. 581 00:26:32,416 --> 00:26:33,676 And that was it. 582 00:26:33,722 --> 00:26:37,992 Brody was... He'd already been taken out. 583 00:26:38,031 --> 00:26:40,771 But the police walked in and thinking, well, 584 00:26:40,816 --> 00:26:44,386 "It's just another crazy wild wrestling brawl." 585 00:26:44,428 --> 00:26:46,078 They didn't think it was real. 586 00:26:46,126 --> 00:26:48,606 I was banging on the operating room door, talking about, 587 00:26:48,650 --> 00:26:50,170 "What the fuck is going on in there? 588 00:26:50,217 --> 00:26:51,437 What's going on in there?" 589 00:26:51,479 --> 00:26:54,129 And the doctor came out, and he said, 590 00:26:54,177 --> 00:26:57,747 "Tony, he had two 8-inch cuts." 591 00:26:57,790 --> 00:27:01,970 He said, "We got his intestines back together." 592 00:27:02,011 --> 00:27:03,751 He said, "The only problem we're having now 593 00:27:03,796 --> 00:27:06,486 is that his liver was sliced." 594 00:27:06,537 --> 00:27:07,797 He told me he was going to be okay. 595 00:27:07,843 --> 00:27:09,453 He said, "He's stable." 596 00:27:09,497 --> 00:27:10,927 He said, "But what you need to do is, 597 00:27:10,977 --> 00:27:13,717 you need to go home because everybody in here 598 00:27:13,762 --> 00:27:16,372 is more afraid of you." 599 00:27:16,417 --> 00:27:19,157 I wanted to be as far away from that 600 00:27:19,202 --> 00:27:21,942 fucking dressing room as I could be. 601 00:27:21,988 --> 00:27:26,078 Then I saw Invader walk in, and he had on a different shirt. 602 00:27:26,122 --> 00:27:29,132 He continued business like nothing had happened. 603 00:27:29,169 --> 00:27:31,389 I don't know why he came back. 604 00:27:31,432 --> 00:27:32,962 I really don't. 605 00:27:32,999 --> 00:27:35,609 I'm thinking, man, what fucking balls this guy's got. 606 00:27:35,654 --> 00:27:40,704 The thing that was so horrible... 607 00:27:40,746 --> 00:27:45,706 was when I got back to the dressing room. 608 00:27:45,751 --> 00:27:48,141 It was more horrible than the stabbing. 609 00:27:48,188 --> 00:27:51,888 It was more horrible than him laying on that table. 610 00:27:51,931 --> 00:27:55,671 The most horrible thing that happened on that night 611 00:27:55,717 --> 00:27:58,017 was going back to that dressing room 612 00:27:58,067 --> 00:28:02,327 and hearing laughter. 613 00:28:02,376 --> 00:28:04,506 First, I couldn't believe they didn't cancel the show; 614 00:28:04,552 --> 00:28:06,732 that was the first thing. 615 00:28:06,772 --> 00:28:08,992 And opening up the door, 616 00:28:09,035 --> 00:28:13,255 and the blood on the floor ain't even dry yet, 617 00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:15,220 and they in the dressing room laughing, 618 00:28:15,258 --> 00:28:17,738 and joking, and patting each other on the back 619 00:28:17,783 --> 00:28:19,353 talking about how great the matches was and 620 00:28:19,393 --> 00:28:21,403 what a wonderful show it is. 621 00:28:21,438 --> 00:28:23,918 I took the freaking chair and I threw it across 622 00:28:23,963 --> 00:28:25,663 the damn hallway. 623 00:28:27,706 --> 00:28:28,916 There was a policeman that said, 624 00:28:28,968 --> 00:28:31,188 "Hey, hey, hey. Calm down. Calm, calm down." 625 00:28:31,231 --> 00:28:33,281 He said, "Did you see what happened?" 626 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:35,240 I said, "Hell, yeah! I saw what happened!" 627 00:28:35,278 --> 00:28:36,758 He said, "Did you get a look? 628 00:28:36,802 --> 00:28:41,022 Did you get a look at the fan that stabbed him?" 629 00:28:41,067 --> 00:28:42,717 I said, "What were you told?" 630 00:28:42,764 --> 00:28:46,514 He said, "Everybody in here said that Brody was stabbed 631 00:28:46,550 --> 00:28:48,290 before he got in the dressing room, 632 00:28:48,335 --> 00:28:51,245 that a wrestling fan stabbed him in the hallway and 633 00:28:51,294 --> 00:28:52,774 he stumbled into the dressing room." 634 00:28:52,818 --> 00:28:54,428 I said, "That's a damn lie." 635 00:28:54,471 --> 00:28:56,261 I said, "That son of a bitch sitting right there 636 00:28:56,299 --> 00:28:58,079 is the one that stabbed him." 637 00:28:58,127 --> 00:29:00,297 He said, "You mean, Vader?" I said, "Yes, I mean Vader. 638 00:29:00,347 --> 00:29:03,047 That sucker right there. That's who stabbed Bruiser Brody," 639 00:29:03,089 --> 00:29:04,479 and I said, "Ask everybody in the dressing room." 640 00:29:04,525 --> 00:29:05,785 He said, "They're all telling different stories." 641 00:29:05,831 --> 00:29:07,791 I said, "Oh, they're all fucking liars." 642 00:29:07,833 --> 00:29:09,973 I said, "He's the son of a bitch that stabbed him." 643 00:29:10,009 --> 00:29:12,139 He was telling the cops, "Hey, hey, 644 00:29:12,185 --> 00:29:14,355 that's the guy you need to fucking arrest right there," 645 00:29:14,404 --> 00:29:17,064 and he pointed to Jose Gonzalez. 646 00:29:17,103 --> 00:29:18,803 I remember he was sitting right in the chair, right there. 647 00:29:18,844 --> 00:29:21,024 He was putting his wrestling gear in his bag 648 00:29:21,063 --> 00:29:22,633 like nothing happened; that's the part that 649 00:29:22,673 --> 00:29:24,073 messed with my head so much. 650 00:29:24,110 --> 00:29:26,680 It was like nothing happened. 651 00:29:26,721 --> 00:29:29,901 If you're a policeman and you come into 652 00:29:29,942 --> 00:29:32,992 a situation that you think could be staged... 653 00:29:33,032 --> 00:29:34,512 They didn't think it was real. 654 00:29:34,555 --> 00:29:36,945 Tony knew it was real, so they were actually 655 00:29:36,992 --> 00:29:39,822 engaging each other from different perspectives; 656 00:29:39,865 --> 00:29:42,815 that's why the disconnect. 657 00:29:42,868 --> 00:29:45,648 In professional wrestling, the line between 658 00:29:45,696 --> 00:29:48,956 fiction and reality is intentionally blurred. 659 00:29:49,004 --> 00:29:52,014 As the night's events continued to unfold, 660 00:29:52,051 --> 00:29:54,311 it would be nearly impossible for anyone to 661 00:29:54,357 --> 00:30:02,017 tell the difference, or to know the truth. 662 00:30:04,759 --> 00:30:08,069 While Bruiser Brody was fighting for his life at the hospital, 663 00:30:08,110 --> 00:30:10,850 Tony Atlas' eye witness account of the stabbing 664 00:30:10,896 --> 00:30:12,246 was making the rounds. 665 00:30:14,290 --> 00:30:16,550 Carlos Colon, your time is over. 666 00:30:16,597 --> 00:30:18,247 That night, I wrestled Iron Sheik, 667 00:30:18,294 --> 00:30:20,124 the night of the murder. I just went and did it. 668 00:30:20,166 --> 00:30:21,856 I, I just went in the match. 669 00:30:21,907 --> 00:30:24,387 He locked up with me, he said, "How's Brody?" 670 00:30:24,431 --> 00:30:26,521 Ah, "The doctor said he's gonna be okay." 671 00:30:26,563 --> 00:30:29,743 And he said, "These fucking wrestling fans, 672 00:30:29,784 --> 00:30:31,834 they told me that they're dangerous." 673 00:30:31,873 --> 00:30:35,013 I said, "Jose Gonzalez did it, right there." 674 00:30:35,050 --> 00:30:37,310 The Sheik just straightened right up, 675 00:30:37,357 --> 00:30:43,227 just like that, "That fucking motherfucking Jose Gonzalez 676 00:30:43,276 --> 00:30:47,056 Vader motherfucker killed the King Kong of the Brody?" 677 00:30:47,106 --> 00:30:49,056 He rolled right out of the ring and went 678 00:30:49,108 --> 00:30:50,938 straight back to his locker room. 679 00:30:50,979 --> 00:30:53,679 We only wrestled for maybe one or two minutes. 680 00:30:53,721 --> 00:30:57,681 I go to my room, and a guy named Savio Vega, 681 00:30:57,725 --> 00:31:02,245 they called him TNT, he said, "Tony, I got your bag. 682 00:31:02,295 --> 00:31:04,815 I went to your room and got your bag for you." 683 00:31:04,863 --> 00:31:06,303 I said, "For what?" 684 00:31:06,342 --> 00:31:08,042 He said, "Don't go to your room. 685 00:31:08,083 --> 00:31:11,833 They are looking for you because you talking." 686 00:31:11,870 --> 00:31:16,400 So, I took my bag, and I went down to the beach, 687 00:31:16,439 --> 00:31:19,139 and I walked the beach the whole night. 688 00:31:19,181 --> 00:31:20,881 I tried to lay down and get some sleep, 689 00:31:20,922 --> 00:31:22,882 but kept waking up every time I hear something. 690 00:31:22,924 --> 00:31:25,494 I'd do, go-- Kept look-- 691 00:31:25,535 --> 00:31:27,095 I'm paranoid as hell, now. 692 00:31:27,146 --> 00:31:31,586 I go back to that hotel, walk to the front desk and 693 00:31:31,628 --> 00:31:33,888 I told the girl and I said, "Listen, 694 00:31:33,935 --> 00:31:36,495 if Brody gets any calls to his room, 695 00:31:36,546 --> 00:31:38,286 please put 'em through to my room." 696 00:31:39,462 --> 00:31:40,862 They said, "Okay." 697 00:31:40,899 --> 00:31:44,249 The phone started ringing about midnight, 698 00:31:44,293 --> 00:31:46,863 kept ringing, ringing, ringing. 699 00:31:46,905 --> 00:31:48,515 By this time, it's 1 o'clock in the morning, 700 00:31:48,558 --> 00:31:51,778 I said, "Ah, I'm gonna answer and give them 701 00:31:51,822 --> 00:31:53,692 a piece of my mind." 702 00:31:53,737 --> 00:31:57,517 So, I picked up the phone and there was this woman. 703 00:31:57,567 --> 00:32:00,787 And she said, "This is Nancy Colon." 704 00:32:00,831 --> 00:32:04,101 Well, Nancy Colon is Carlos Colon's wife. 705 00:32:04,139 --> 00:32:08,269 "I'm calling to let you know there's been an accident and 706 00:32:08,317 --> 00:32:10,707 I think you better come to Puerto Rico." 707 00:32:10,754 --> 00:32:14,154 So, I call the hotel and they put me through to Dutch. 708 00:32:14,193 --> 00:32:15,463 She said, "Who is this?" 709 00:32:15,498 --> 00:32:17,538 I said, "Well, this is, this is Dutch." 710 00:32:17,587 --> 00:32:19,497 And she said, "Well, what happened, Dutch?" 711 00:32:19,546 --> 00:32:22,896 And I knew it was pretty serious, but I was saying, 712 00:32:22,941 --> 00:32:26,811 "Well, we-- Brody had an accident and, 713 00:32:26,857 --> 00:32:28,727 and it's pretty serious." 714 00:32:28,772 --> 00:32:32,082 And that, "maybe you should come to Puerto Rico." 715 00:32:32,124 --> 00:32:33,604 He didn't have any details. 716 00:32:33,647 --> 00:32:36,387 After I got the call, I tried to go to sleep. 717 00:32:36,432 --> 00:32:37,612 I couldn't sleep. 718 00:32:37,651 --> 00:32:39,311 Like I said, the adrenaline was flowing. 719 00:32:39,348 --> 00:32:41,088 About 8 o'clock, I get up. 720 00:32:41,133 --> 00:32:44,313 I go downstairs to the front desk. 721 00:32:44,353 --> 00:32:45,883 I said, "Can you do me a favor?" 722 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:47,100 She said, "Yeah, what do you need?" 723 00:32:47,139 --> 00:32:49,139 I said, "Can you call the hospital that 724 00:32:49,184 --> 00:32:52,804 my friend Brody is in?" She said, "Yeah." 725 00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:55,760 So, she calls out there and she's speaking in Spanish. 726 00:32:55,799 --> 00:33:00,369 And I, I hear, "luchador," I hear, "wrestler," 727 00:33:00,413 --> 00:33:03,423 and then she starts crying. 728 00:33:03,459 --> 00:33:05,589 And I look at her, and she said, 729 00:33:05,635 --> 00:33:09,595 "I'm sorry. Your friend didn't make it." 730 00:33:09,639 --> 00:33:11,639 I said, "What?" 731 00:33:11,685 --> 00:33:13,985 She said, "No, he, he died last night." 732 00:33:23,914 --> 00:33:25,614 Abdullah told me at the meeting. 733 00:33:25,655 --> 00:33:27,605 I slept on the beach the whole night. 734 00:33:27,657 --> 00:33:29,567 So now, I'm going back to the hotel. 735 00:33:29,616 --> 00:33:34,226 I saw Abdullah and some of the wrestlers in the lobby. 736 00:33:34,273 --> 00:33:36,673 And they said, "Tony, we're having a meeting," and 737 00:33:36,710 --> 00:33:39,450 they're waiting on you to tell them what happened. 738 00:33:44,413 --> 00:33:47,243 Hotel? Hell, no. No. 739 00:33:47,286 --> 00:33:48,896 No, sir. No. 740 00:33:51,768 --> 00:33:53,068 He lying. 741 00:33:53,118 --> 00:33:58,078 Maybe they did, but not me. You understand? 742 00:33:58,123 --> 00:34:00,653 He lied to you, if that's what he told you. 743 00:34:00,690 --> 00:34:02,170 I'm telling you what happened. 744 00:34:02,214 --> 00:34:06,094 I had 5% of the business. You see what I mean? 745 00:34:06,131 --> 00:34:08,311 In a way that people did not want to talk to me. 746 00:34:10,613 --> 00:34:13,533 Well, if you own some of the territory, right, 747 00:34:13,573 --> 00:34:16,713 who's gonna come and say, "Oh, this happened" or, 748 00:34:16,750 --> 00:34:18,580 "This guy done this, this guy done that"? 749 00:34:18,621 --> 00:34:22,191 They were... in their own little bunch. 750 00:34:22,234 --> 00:34:25,064 So, why, why would they come and talk to me? 751 00:34:25,106 --> 00:34:27,406 Brody was a friend and I didn't want to... 752 00:34:27,456 --> 00:34:30,806 be in all the, the "gossip," what they were talking about. 753 00:34:30,851 --> 00:34:32,901 Nobody heard me say shit. 754 00:34:32,940 --> 00:34:34,250 That's a shame. 755 00:34:34,289 --> 00:34:36,119 That's a damn shame that he done that. 756 00:34:36,161 --> 00:34:40,821 Dutch Mantell, ask him. He was there in the meeting. 757 00:34:40,861 --> 00:34:44,301 I think we all met... 758 00:34:44,343 --> 00:34:47,613 in somebody's room. 759 00:34:47,650 --> 00:34:49,480 And somebody said, "Man, are they investigating this 760 00:34:49,522 --> 00:34:54,142 or what?" I mean, "A man died. What's going on here?" 761 00:34:54,179 --> 00:35:01,799 I just started thinking, in this territory this happened? 762 00:35:01,838 --> 00:35:03,578 That's why I left. 763 00:35:03,623 --> 00:35:05,843 I said, "Well, I saw it." 764 00:35:05,886 --> 00:35:07,926 So I go down and I make my report 765 00:35:07,975 --> 00:35:10,145 to the police department. He said, 766 00:35:10,195 --> 00:35:13,195 "Your story is different than everybody else's." 767 00:35:13,241 --> 00:35:18,811 He said, "We will be contacting you for a court date." 768 00:35:18,855 --> 00:35:21,415 He said, "Now that we got a witness to it, 769 00:35:21,467 --> 00:35:24,027 we're going to arrest him." 770 00:35:24,078 --> 00:35:26,248 And they took me and I gave my statement, 771 00:35:26,298 --> 00:35:27,688 and then, all through the night they took statements 772 00:35:27,734 --> 00:35:29,824 from the, from the wrestlers. 773 00:35:29,866 --> 00:35:31,296 He did say, he said, 774 00:35:31,346 --> 00:35:34,436 "You tell Carlos Colon we run this island, not him." 775 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,180 I think they asked did I see a weapon. 776 00:35:37,222 --> 00:35:39,922 I did not see a weapon. As a matter of fact, 777 00:35:39,963 --> 00:35:41,573 no weapon was ever recovered. 778 00:35:41,617 --> 00:35:43,047 That weapon, whatever was used - 779 00:35:43,097 --> 00:35:46,797 what knife was used - has never been recovered. 780 00:35:46,840 --> 00:35:50,890 I got my bag, I went to the airport... 781 00:35:50,931 --> 00:35:52,721 and I left. 782 00:35:52,759 --> 00:35:55,109 Then I made arrangements. 783 00:35:55,153 --> 00:35:57,203 I said, "I gotta go to the airport." 784 00:35:57,242 --> 00:36:00,292 Got on the plane with Geoff. Get off the plane, 785 00:36:00,332 --> 00:36:03,552 waiting to see if anybody was going to pick me up. 786 00:36:03,596 --> 00:36:06,726 So, I looked around and here's Aby. 787 00:36:06,773 --> 00:36:09,603 I was going, and this lady and this little boy walked up, 788 00:36:09,645 --> 00:36:11,255 and she said, "Oh, Abdullah, 789 00:36:11,299 --> 00:36:14,479 you don't know me, but I'm Frank's wife." 790 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:21,350 She says, "How's he doing?" I said, "What?" 791 00:36:21,396 --> 00:36:22,916 She said, "Well, how's he doing?" 792 00:36:22,963 --> 00:36:24,443 I said, "They didn't tell you?" 793 00:36:24,486 --> 00:36:28,526 "Tell me what?" I says, "He's gone." 794 00:36:28,577 --> 00:36:30,317 And she grabbed me. 795 00:36:32,407 --> 00:36:34,627 And she says, "Oh, no." 796 00:36:34,670 --> 00:36:36,720 All you thinking about is surviving. 797 00:36:36,759 --> 00:36:39,849 All I thought about was I saw a man get stabbed to death, 798 00:36:39,893 --> 00:36:43,513 holding on and dying with a picture of his son in his hand. 799 00:36:43,549 --> 00:36:45,899 He never took that picture down, brother. 800 00:36:45,942 --> 00:36:47,422 When I put him on the ambulance, 801 00:36:47,466 --> 00:36:49,376 he had the picture in his hand. 802 00:36:49,424 --> 00:36:53,784 He laying on the floor, he's still holding that picture. 803 00:36:53,820 --> 00:36:55,390 He go in the operating room, he's still-- 804 00:36:55,430 --> 00:36:57,650 He never put that picture down, brother. 805 00:36:57,693 --> 00:36:59,613 Never! 806 00:36:59,652 --> 00:37:03,572 The irony of Brody's greatest nemesis delivering this news 807 00:37:03,612 --> 00:37:06,882 was only the beginning of the unthinkable events 808 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:13,360 that would follow. 809 00:37:13,405 --> 00:37:15,535 Alone with her son in a foreign land, 810 00:37:15,581 --> 00:37:17,451 and dealing with the shocking circumstances of 811 00:37:17,496 --> 00:37:20,016 her husband's death, Barbara Goodish 812 00:37:20,063 --> 00:37:23,203 found the strength to make the necessary arrangements. 813 00:37:23,241 --> 00:37:26,461 Nancy was Carlos Colon's wife. 814 00:37:26,505 --> 00:37:28,115 She took me to the morgue, and of course, 815 00:37:28,158 --> 00:37:30,598 everybody is speaking Spanish. 816 00:37:30,639 --> 00:37:32,549 They took me to the window, and you could just 817 00:37:32,598 --> 00:37:35,168 see all these bodies in there. 818 00:37:35,209 --> 00:37:37,469 And then, of course, the reality... 819 00:37:37,516 --> 00:37:39,516 Boom. 820 00:37:39,561 --> 00:37:43,481 Just really started to sink in. 821 00:37:43,522 --> 00:37:45,652 Not sure how long it took before it set in. 822 00:37:45,698 --> 00:37:47,438 We were in a hotel room and I just remember crying 823 00:37:47,482 --> 00:37:51,662 just incessantly for hours, hours, and hours, and hours. 824 00:37:51,704 --> 00:37:53,624 Yelling, screaming. 825 00:37:53,662 --> 00:37:55,582 I still didn't realize the magnitude of what happened, 826 00:37:55,621 --> 00:37:57,011 and it probably took... 827 00:37:57,057 --> 00:38:00,147 I don't know how long, 10, 15, 20 years maybe. 828 00:38:00,190 --> 00:38:01,320 When everything happened it was like, 829 00:38:01,366 --> 00:38:02,626 what do I do? 830 00:38:02,671 --> 00:38:06,111 How do I bring him back to the States? 831 00:38:06,153 --> 00:38:08,423 And it was like I heard his voice, 832 00:38:08,460 --> 00:38:10,720 and it was like he was saying, 833 00:38:10,766 --> 00:38:14,806 "Barbara, you know what to do," and in that moment, it was, 834 00:38:14,857 --> 00:38:20,117 I need to cremate him down here and take him home with me. 835 00:38:20,167 --> 00:38:25,217 There was a very simple ceremony in Puerto Rico. 836 00:38:25,259 --> 00:38:26,779 I mean, nobody was there except me and Geoff, 837 00:38:26,826 --> 00:38:28,126 and some of the wrestlers, 838 00:38:28,175 --> 00:38:30,785 and some of the Puerto Ricans and... 839 00:38:30,830 --> 00:38:35,360 Geoff picked out his dad's casket. 840 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:37,490 It was blue. 841 00:38:41,754 --> 00:38:44,374 Start there. - About 3, 4 days later. 842 00:38:44,409 --> 00:38:45,929 From what I hear, he was taken down 843 00:38:45,975 --> 00:38:50,105 to a local precinct, never was put in the cell. 844 00:38:50,153 --> 00:38:51,893 Bail was made for him immediately by 845 00:38:51,938 --> 00:38:54,108 some big businessman there, 846 00:38:54,157 --> 00:38:55,677 and he walked back home, same day. 847 00:39:00,599 --> 00:39:03,429 I know that the... 848 00:39:03,471 --> 00:39:04,861 I'm not even gonna say his name. 849 00:39:04,907 --> 00:39:07,817 I know that the attacker did it. 850 00:39:07,867 --> 00:39:09,777 From all I can hear from everybody, 851 00:39:09,825 --> 00:39:11,605 the whole court case was a sham. 852 00:39:11,653 --> 00:39:13,533 I mean, do you think there was a cover up? 853 00:39:13,568 --> 00:39:16,348 No, we-- Not-- The only guys that could have covered 854 00:39:16,397 --> 00:39:19,097 was Jovica and I, and we didn't do that. 855 00:39:19,139 --> 00:39:22,399 You know, we told the judge in the court room, 856 00:39:22,447 --> 00:39:24,797 we said what really... what we saw. 857 00:39:24,840 --> 00:39:26,710 We didn't really-- 'Cause I didn't see any stabbing. 858 00:39:26,755 --> 00:39:29,315 I didn't see any weapon. I didn't see anything. 859 00:39:29,367 --> 00:39:31,797 A guy named Tony Rumble, the Boston Badboy, 860 00:39:31,847 --> 00:39:33,147 banging on the door, said, "Tony, Tony, 861 00:39:33,196 --> 00:39:35,066 put your channel-- Put the TV on..." 862 00:39:35,111 --> 00:39:36,371 certain, certain channel. 863 00:39:36,417 --> 00:39:37,847 "They're talking about the Puerto Rico thing." 864 00:39:37,897 --> 00:39:41,197 I flip the TV on, I see Jose on TV, 865 00:39:41,248 --> 00:39:45,338 coming out of the court house. 866 00:39:45,383 --> 00:39:46,823 I said, "What, they're having a hearing?' 867 00:39:46,862 --> 00:39:47,912 He said, "No, they had a trial. 868 00:39:47,950 --> 00:39:49,650 They let him go for self-defense." 869 00:39:52,955 --> 00:39:55,305 You gotta be kidding me. They never contacted me. 870 00:39:59,353 --> 00:40:03,493 Never. Never did. Never did. 871 00:40:03,531 --> 00:40:07,971 Finally, my subpoena came in the mail for my appearance, 872 00:40:08,014 --> 00:40:10,324 and I already knew the verdict when, 873 00:40:10,364 --> 00:40:13,724 by the time my subpoena arrived at my door. 874 00:40:13,759 --> 00:40:15,059 It was ten days late. 875 00:40:15,108 --> 00:40:17,418 That's why the verdict came back not innocent, 876 00:40:17,458 --> 00:40:18,888 but not guilty. 877 00:40:18,938 --> 00:40:21,238 And Jose never testified, but they believe what 878 00:40:21,288 --> 00:40:23,548 his attorney put out that he was just 879 00:40:23,595 --> 00:40:26,115 merely acting in self-defense. 880 00:40:26,162 --> 00:40:29,472 The Feds in Puerto Rico believed wrestling was real; 881 00:40:29,514 --> 00:40:32,344 that was the major reason that Jose was acquitted, 882 00:40:32,386 --> 00:40:37,436 because they believed Brody was this character, 883 00:40:37,478 --> 00:40:40,958 this wild-looking psychopath, hulking figure. 884 00:40:41,003 --> 00:40:43,053 And his defense was self-defense. 885 00:40:43,092 --> 00:40:44,702 Do you believe it was really self-defense? 886 00:40:44,746 --> 00:40:46,006 I don't know, really. I don't know. 887 00:40:46,052 --> 00:40:49,662 You know, I respect the law. So sad. 888 00:40:49,708 --> 00:40:54,578 I, I really... You know, I... I wouldn't-- 889 00:40:54,626 --> 00:40:57,056 I don't want to talk about this anymore because it 890 00:40:57,106 --> 00:40:58,496 makes me sad. 891 00:41:00,762 --> 00:41:03,032 One month after Bruiser Brody's passing, 892 00:41:03,069 --> 00:41:07,069 All Japan Pro Wrestling hosted a massive tribute show, 893 00:41:07,116 --> 00:41:10,506 inviting both Barbara and her son Geoff to be 894 00:41:10,555 --> 00:41:14,945 honored in front of the 17,000 fans in attendance. 895 00:41:14,994 --> 00:41:17,344 The honor that they respected, 896 00:41:17,387 --> 00:41:21,387 and being in that ring, and hearing that tin bell count, 897 00:41:21,435 --> 00:41:23,785 and hearing everybody chanting, 898 00:41:23,829 --> 00:41:26,399 this whole building chanting his name, 899 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:29,100 "Brody! Brody! Brody!" 900 00:41:29,138 --> 00:41:31,968 And I'm just standing there in the ring with Geoff, 901 00:41:32,011 --> 00:41:34,271 and it was the most, I mean, 902 00:41:34,317 --> 00:41:36,837 just to know how much he was respected. 903 00:41:36,885 --> 00:41:40,145 May peace be with you, Bruiser Brody. 904 00:41:40,193 --> 00:41:42,943 Bruiser Brody was a brawler of mythic proportions and 905 00:41:42,978 --> 00:41:45,288 will always live on as such in the world 906 00:41:45,328 --> 00:41:46,848 of professional wrestling. 907 00:41:46,895 --> 00:41:48,845 I didn't ever guess that I was gonna be 908 00:41:48,897 --> 00:41:50,287 a professional wrestler. 909 00:41:50,333 --> 00:41:53,473 Once I started in professional wrestling, 910 00:41:53,511 --> 00:41:55,861 learned the ropes. 911 00:41:55,904 --> 00:41:57,304 If I had it to do all over again, 912 00:41:57,340 --> 00:42:00,130 I think that I would probably even pass up my 913 00:42:00,169 --> 00:42:02,959 3 years in the NFL and devote them to wrestling 914 00:42:02,998 --> 00:42:04,568 because it has been that good to me. 915 00:42:04,609 --> 00:42:07,699 He was one of its biggest stars in the 1970s and 80s, 916 00:42:07,742 --> 00:42:10,702 and is considered one of the all-time greatest wrestlers 917 00:42:10,745 --> 00:42:12,745 in Japanese wrestling history, 918 00:42:12,791 --> 00:42:17,671 where he is still celebrated today as an icon. 919 00:42:19,449 --> 00:42:21,189 Yeah, justice would be great. 920 00:42:21,234 --> 00:42:24,324 Some personal justice would be more, more, 921 00:42:24,367 --> 00:42:27,277 more gratifying than some legal justice, honestly. 922 00:42:27,327 --> 00:42:29,547 Um... 923 00:42:29,590 --> 00:42:31,770 Mr. Brody. 924 00:42:31,810 --> 00:42:35,420 Every dog has his day. 925 00:42:35,465 --> 00:42:37,765 You cannot kill a legend. 926 00:42:37,816 --> 00:42:39,856 See, legends never die. 927 00:42:39,905 --> 00:42:41,985 So, if that's was Jose's thing, 928 00:42:42,037 --> 00:42:43,737 was to kill a legend... 929 00:42:47,826 --> 00:42:52,346 He failed miserably. 930 00:42:52,395 --> 00:42:54,955 Nobody knows the exact circumstances, 931 00:42:55,007 --> 00:42:56,567 including the words - if any - 932 00:42:56,617 --> 00:42:59,137 exchanged between Frank Goodish and Jose Gonzalez 933 00:42:59,185 --> 00:43:00,925 on the night of Brody's death. 934 00:43:00,969 --> 00:43:03,539 It remains one of wrestling's darkest and 935 00:43:03,581 --> 00:43:05,631 most intriguing mysteries. 936 00:43:18,291 --> 00:43:20,821 Join us next time, as we continue to explore the 937 00:43:20,859 --> 00:43:25,039 untold stories of professional wrestling. 938 00:43:25,080 --> 00:43:28,260 - I wish he was here. Yeah. 939 00:43:28,301 --> 00:43:30,391 I wish he was here. 940 00:43:30,433 --> 00:43:33,313 He dished it out. I dished it out. 941 00:43:33,349 --> 00:43:36,049 And we kept going, and going, and going, and going. 942 00:43:36,091 --> 00:43:37,831 Abdullah the Butcher 943 00:43:37,876 --> 00:43:42,446 knows that Bruiser Brody is the king... 944 00:43:49,365 --> 00:43:53,585 Brody. Ah, shit.