Gorilla Monsoon

b. 1937. A professional wrestler whose prime was in the mid-1960's (back when it was underground). Monsoon's career spanned two decades with approximately 8,000 bouts. He weighed in at 401 lbs and was called "the heaviest of all," so of course he was widely feared - but in real life he was Robert Marella, a college-educated, former high school teacher. "We were more serious," said Marella about stone-age wrestling. "People really thought I was the Devil incarnate. Now it's all a joke."

Gorilla Monsoon, former WWF president, passed away at the age of 62 on October 5, 1999 after complications from a heart attack on September 19. He had himself taken off of dialysis.

I believe it was he that invented the "Medial Collateral Lateral Ligament". It was the one that gets damaged in the spinning toe hold and the figure four leglock.

Ahhh. I remember the good old days, with Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes.

He was called "a very astute, very intelligent" man by none other than George "The Animal" Steele. Need one say more?

Sadly, his son Joey Marella passed away in 1994 in a car accident. The same accident injured WWF manager Harvey Whippleman.

Robert Marella was married to Maureen Marella.