The Invader's Dilemma

[ABMorales787]

This is an interesting topic worth discussing in my eyes:

July 16, 1988, Puerto Rico, Bruiser Brody was murdered by José González. More commonly known as Invader #1, that day, González asked Brody to discuss business in the showers. González approached Brody with a towel over his arm, concealing a knife, then proceeded to stab Brody in the stomach. Brody was left to die. González was, is, and probably always will be, a huge star in Puerto Rico. Witness subpoenas were lost, or wrestlers were simply intimidated to not testify against González, and he was later found not-guilty by reason of self-defense. OJ Simpson for Puerto Rican wrestling.


Legends of the Ring - Pro Wrestling Fanfests is organization that produces Meet and Greets with a number of pro wrestlers; you’ve probably seen and heard of these events, and maybe even gone to one or two. This company announced that at an upcoming event, González would be appearing to sign autographs and take photos. There is some confusion over whether LOTR booked González, or one of their approved vendors booked González – either way, LOTR is running a show where they will make money off the man who murdered Bruiser Brody.


This has upset a number of wrestling fans. They have gone to the LOTR Facebook fan page and protested, posting negative comments, and asking the quite obvious question, “How can you do this?” Without fail, every negative comment, post, or question has been removed. LOTR is attempting to ignore and/or hide all negativity surrounding this appearance.
I’m well aware that the wrestling business is filled with everything from pedophiles to rapists. None of this excuses in any way the attempt by people to promote for money the murderer of a human being. It’s irrelevant that Brody was a wrestler, or famous, or well-known – González murdered a human being; that is all that matters. He was the Chris Benoit of his day.
“Get your picture taken with a wrestling legend” may be more palatable, but “Get your picture taken with a murderer” is more accurate. González’s main claim to fame these days amongst modern North American wrestling fans will no doubt be as the man who killed Brody. Bringing him in, or permitting him to be brought in, to sign autographs and take pictures with people, as if he is just another wrestler, another past star like any other, is wrong. People do not “remember the wrestler” in the case of González; they remember the murderer.


If LOTR doesn’t care, hopefully everyone else does.

Why is it an interesting topic? Because while it's common knowledge about what he did it did not stop his career at all. The consensus being that Brody really was such a danger in the ring. I'll make it clear right away. I do not approve of Brody's murder or Invader getting off with zero charges. Puerto Rico's legal system is a piece of shit. 21 years living there taught me that. But we also see the culture clash in this situation as Invader hasn't been all that active in the states. Now he is and look at the backlash. Meanwhile back home, his retirement tour (surprise, he came back) drew large (for the company's scale at the time) attendance. He's a celebrated though controversial icon.

But are the people complaining right about how he shouldn't be booked for the show mentioned above because of what he did 25 years ago with not even their peers batting an eye to it?

That very culture clash has left me with no real opinion that would seem right. One side he's built a legacy that people still celebrate to this day. On the other hand, his actions have left a bad taste on people and fellow wrestlers that killed what was once a popular territory for wrestlers to travel to. I know it would be a simple solution to just say "then stay in Puerto Rico", but that wouldn't end the moral dissonance it causes. Not to mention the chance to debate this. Are his fans morally wrong for supporting a murderer? Or is there really such a thing as forgiving someone just because of how well he entertained you?

 

[Rayne]

Saying "he was a murderer in cold blood, sure, but look at his legacy" is morally wrong. There is no ambiguity to that statement. If you are celebrating a performer with the conscious knowledge that he killed another man in premeditated fashion, you are putting your entertainment ahead of your morality.

That's good if you're a child, but I don't think Invader #1's fans are going to be below the age of being responsible for moral decisions. There are a lot of physically grown people who make extremely poor moral decisions, however. We still have people who wish we just wouldn't talk about the whole murder thing with Chris Benoit, because then people might forget how awesome of a wrestler he was. It's OK to look down on these people; you don't have to understand them.