José Huertas González is a retired Puerto Rican professional wrestler who wrestled around the world, especially in Puerto Rico and USA. He was charged with the murder of Bruiser Brody, but was acquitted during the trial under controversial circumstances.
Career[]
Since his debut in 1966, José Huertas González was a prominent wrester and booker in Puerto Rico. From 1973 he worked for the World Wrestling Council and International Wrestling Association.
He held the WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship twelve times between 1977 and 2001, and the WWC Television Championship five times between 1986 and 1991. He retired in 2006 to enter politics.
In 1972 he joined the World Wide Wrestling Federation. When he returned to Puerto Rico to fight with Capitol Sports Promotions, he took on the masked persona of The Invader so his mother would not know he was a wrestler. He fought on The Invaders tag team with Roberto Soto and Johnny Rivera. The Invaders worked as a mid-card tag team in the WWWF in the early 1980s leaving in 1984. In 2011, he returned to the ring, wrestling as Invader 1. A year later he became the corporative director of the World Wrestling League. In 2015, he was inducted into the Salón de los Inmortales. In 2019, he wrestled at 73 years old. González made an appearance at IWA on March 12, 2022, in Humacao, Puerto Rico with arch enemy Chicky Starr as a guest referees for a tag team match between Savio Vega & Electro against Manny Ferno & Khris Diaz. In April 30, 2022, José, aged 76, won the WWC World Championship in Humacao, Puerto Rico on Juicio Final, with Savio Vega & Chicky Starr as guest referees when he defeated Manny Ferno. His last match was that August.
Murder of Bruiser Brody[]
Internationally, Brody was seen as a legend, especially in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, the Puerto Rican ring would be the last he would ever compete in. On July 16, 1988, Brody was in the locker room before his match with Dan Spivey in Bayamón (a city near San Juan, Puerto Rico), when José Huertas González, a fellow wrestler and booker, asked him to go into the shower to discuss business. Brody entered the shower stall and a few minutes later a scuffle ensued, followed by two groans, loud enough for the entire locker room to hear. Tony Atlas ran to the shower and saw Brody bent over and holding his stomach. Atlas then looked up at González and saw him holding a knife. When the paramedics arrived, Atlas carried Brody downstairs to the waiting ambulance, as, due to Brody's enormous stature, paramedics were unable to lift him. Brody's last words (as told to Atlas) were, "Tell my little son I love him, and tell my wife I love her, too." González, who always maintained his innocence, was initially charged with first-degree murder but was later reduced and tried for involuntary homicide. Dutch Mantell received his subpoena after the trial was over and Tony Atlas, who had given a statement and said he witnessed what happened refused to return to give his version in court and without his testimony the District Attorney had no case. Some wrestlers (the Youngbloods) were scared to death and made no declaration to the police at the time of the events. However, Tony Atlas declared what he saw to the police and came back to Puerto Rico several years later to work with the promotion. In January 1989, González was acquitted on all counts, citing self-defense. Carlos Colón testified against Brody during the trial.
In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- Heart Punch
- Signature moves
- Tag teams and stables
- Los Compadres (as José Gonzales, with Al Madril)
- Los Inhumanos (as Invader #1, with Savio Vega)
- The Invaders (as Invader #1 with Invader #2)
- La Corporación (as Invader #1)
- La Nueva Generación (as Invader #1)
Championships and accomplishments[]
- International Wrestling Association
- IWA World Heavyweight Championship (Puerto Rico) (1 time)
- IWA Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA San Francisco
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (3 times) - with Invader #2 (2) and Don Muraco (1)
- Pacific Northwest Wrestling
- NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Al Madril
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked him #130 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1993 and 1994
- Universal Wrestling Promotions
- UWP Caribbean Tag Team Championship (1 time) - Invader #2
- World Wrestling Council
- WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- WWC Caribbean Heavyweight Championship (5 times)
- WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (12 times)
- WWC North American Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- WWC Television Championship (5 times)
- WWC World Tag Team Championship (15 times) - with José Rivera (3), Invader #3 (3), El Bronco (3), Invader #2 (2), Pierre Martel (1), Carlos Colón (1), Huracán Castillo, Jr. (1), Maelo Huertas (1)
- WWC Caribbean Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Invader #4 (4), Super Gladiator (1) and Invader #3 (1)
- WWC North American Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Super Gladiator (2), Invader #3 (2), Invader #2 (1) and Carlos Colón (1)
- World Wrestling League
- Salón de los Inmortales (class of 2015)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (1989) Babyface push one year after the Bruiser Brody stabbing case
- Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (1990) Stabbing angle with Atsushi Onita
