Gorilla Monsoon
| Gorilla Monsoon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Birth name | Robert James Marella |
| Born |
June 4, 1937 Rochester, New York, United States |
| Died | October 6, 1999 (aged 62) Willingboro Township, New Jersey, United States |
| Cause of death | Complications of diabetes |
| Spouse(s) | Maureen Marella (m. 1959; his death 1999) |
| Children | 3, including Joey Marella |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Gino Marella Gorilla Monsoon |
| Billed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Billed weight | 401 lb (182 kg) |
| Billed from |
Manchuria Willingboro, New Jersey |
| Trained by | Stu Hart |
| Debut | 1959 |
| Retired | 1981 |
Robert James "Bob"/"Gino" Marella (June 4, 1937 – October 6, 1999), better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play commentator and booker.
Monsoon is famous for his run as a super heavyweight main eventer, and later as the voice of the World Wrestling Federation, as commentator and backstage manager during the 1980s and 1990s. He also portrayed the on-screen role of WWF President from 1995 to 1997.
In professional wrestling, the staging area just behind the entrance curtain at an event, a position which Marella established and where he could often be found during WWF shows late in his career, is named the "Gorilla Position" in his honor.
Marella attended Jefferson High School in Rochester, New York, becoming a standout athlete in football, amateur wrestling, and track and field. At the time, he weighed over 300 pounds (136 kg), and was affectionately called "Tiny" by his teammates.
Marella was also a standout athlete after high school at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He continued to wrestle, now weighing over 350 pounds, and took second in the 1959 NCAA Wrestling Championships. He also held several school athletic records, including an 18-second wrestling pin, and several track-and-field distinctions. He was inducted into the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973. During the summers he was at Ithaca College, he was a construction worker in Rochester. One of the buildings he helped construct was the Rochester War Memorial Arena. He was inducted into the Section V Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2010 along with longtime childhood friend Frank Marotta who gave a speech on his behalf.
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Wikipedia