7 Irrepressible "Bad Boys" of pro wrestling
There's no doubt in anyone's mind that when it comes to the entertainment industry, people love bad boys.
A great example is Robert Downey, Jr. Although these days Mr. Downey Jr. walks the straight and narrow, and is one of the biggest and most bankable box office stars of our times, that was not always the case. Drinking, partying, arrests, bad behavior, and unprofessional conduct all nearly derailed his career. If it had not been for his role in Marvel's Iron Man and Avengers franchises he might have simply faded away, but due to his 'bad boy' status anything involving him is instant tabloid fodder.
In some ways, his bad boy behavior may have actually increased his market value, especially playing perennial bad boy billionaire Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man.
And it's nothing new. James Dean was known as the Rebel without a Cause until his untimely death, and even today he is still idolized as one of the top Hollywood stars. Many others, from Hugh Grant to Eddie Murphy, have been caught displaying behavior that is less than appropriate, and yet they still manage to continue their careers.
The phenomenon has also spread to pro wrestling. Bad boy performers always have a certain appeal with some segments of the pro wrestling audience, and perhaps always will. Here are seven irrepressible bad boys from professional wrestling.
#1 Bruiser Brody (Frank Donald Goodish)
A towering, massively muscled man, Bruiser Brody perhaps typifies what many lay people think when they hear the words 'pro wrestling.' From his chiselled physique to his wild 'cave man' hair and beard, Brody looks every bit like the wild man he was.
Brody won over thirty championships during his illustrious, but tragically short, career, including the National Wrestling Alliance's International Heavyweight championship, a title defended primarily in Japan. Brody was said to be a possible opponent for Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania III, but that never came to pass.
What makes him a bad boy: Bruiser Brody was allegedly as crazy as they come both in and out of the ring. His wild partying and sometimes unprofessional demeanor clashed with the fact he was a dedicated and loving family man. He was also something of a bully backstage, so much so that he was murdered for it in Puerto Rico. While no one was ever convicted of the crime, it's generally believed that José Huertas González, aka Invader #1, was likely guilty of the murder.