Gorilla Monsoon

Robert James Marella, known in the ring as Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play commentator and booker, born on June 4, 1937 and died on October 6, 1999. A standout in football, amateur wrestling and track and field in Rochester, New York, he went on to Ithaca College, where he placed second at the 1959 NCAA Wrestling Championships before turning professional. He first worked as the Italian American babyface Gino Marella, then reinvented himself with a long beard as a villainous super-heavyweight billed as a giant from Manchuria, using the Manchurian Splash and the Airplane Spin. He became a main eventer for the World Wide Wrestling Federation, later the World Wrestling Federation, and in the 1980s and 1990s was its voice as a commentator and a backstage manager. The staging area behind the entrance curtain, the Gorilla Position, is named in his honor.