[BAGPIPE REPORT] Robert Marella,
known to his fans worldwide as Gorilla Monsoon, passed away
recently at the age of 62. He was a well-respected and beloved
member of our family who will be sorely missed. The World
Wrestling Federation would like to send its deepest sympathies
to his family and friends. [WWF]
He drew little respect from newer
fans, Monsoon's accomplishments in the ring are well
documented. Once a 440 lb monster who's well known for his
battles with Andre The Giant, he moved on to broadcasting
after his ring career ended 20 years ago. The "so
pro-face it's almost ridiculous" Monsoon
"clicked" with the first heel of wrest- ling
commentary, Jesse Ventura, with whom he covered events such as
Wrestlemania 1 through VI, as well as other PPV and television
events. After Ventura left the company, Gorilla also formed a
similar straight man / heel combo with Bobby Heenan, another
solid combination, with Brain producing some of his most
entertaining broadcasts with Gorilla. He took time off from
the company when his son (a WWF referee, Joey Marella) passed
away in a car accident in mid '94. In 1995, Monsoon became the
"President of the WWF", which required less time on
his part. He ultimately left his on-screen role with the WWF
in 1996, and his contribution to the company has definitely
been missed.
GORILLA IN HIS PRIME:
I shed a tear today. The last time I
shed a tear over a man was when my father died in 1973. I shed
a tear today because a memory passed away. Gorilla Monsoon was
a memory that was tied up in many other memories. My father
and I would rush to Madison Square Garden to see Gorilla vs.
Bruno Sammartino. And even though Bruno was by far the face in
the encounter,it was Bruno AND Gorilla that sold the match to
every mark in the audience, and there were plenty. When Wild
Red Berry introduced Gorilla Monsoon as the Manchurian Giant,
everyone believed that he spoke no English and was wilder than
his manager and a hundred times more dangerous. In those early
days,Gorilla was the man who was expected to take the belt
from Bruno. As time went by,we accepted Gorilla as a spokesman
for the feder- ation and I'll never forget when Tom Snyder
asked him how come no one breaks bones every night in matches.
Gorilla held up his huge fist and said to Tom, "My wrist
is 11 inches around. If you can break that, more power to you.
But then I'll break your neck." I do believe that Tom
Snyder believed him. Gorilla would never have hurt him. His
"encounter" with Muhammed Ali in the ring was a
beautiful piece of work as Gorilla picked up Ali on across his
shoulders and spun him around and dumped him unceremoniously
in the mid- dle of the ring. That was in preparation for Ali's
"match" against Antonio Inoki. Some found his
announcing to be "obnoxious" but, I believe, these
were in a minority. His use of the term "occipital
protuberence" to refer to the back of the head was
priceless. His antics with, first, Lou Albano then Bobby
Heenan were gems never to be forgotten. I shed a tear today
for a giant of a man who crossed the border into the land
where no one can go for us...and I thanked him for being him
and thanked God for sending him to us. Bill Calderon
