5 Things You Didn't Know About Gorilla Monsoon

Bruce Prichard recently took to his Something to Wrestle podcast to co-host Conrad Thompson about late WWE Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon.

Prichard opened up about his late friend, whom he referred to as one of the best guys in the history of the wrestling business.

While wrestling fans may remember Monsoon as a Hall of Fame announcer, he was also a world-class professional wrestler and an even better family man.

Prichard revealed several things about Monsoon that many wrestling fans will find both interesting and surprising.

Join us and enjoy 5 Things You Didn't Know About Gorilla Monsoon.

#5 Gorilla Monsoon Was An All American Athlete

Born Robert Marella, Gorilla Monsoon grew to be a massive man. During his WWE wrestling career, he weighed over 400 pounds.

While he was a Hall of Fame WWE Superstar, it was difficult to imagine that a man of his physique could be an All American athlete, but that is exactly what Monsoon was in his earlier years.

Bruce Prichard elaborated, "He was what you would call a stud back in the day." Monsoon was an All American wrestler and a star collegiate athlete at Ithaca college, where he carved a legacy for himself and became known as one of the great heavyweight collegiate wrestlers in the school's history.

Monsoon excelled at Ithaca and became a stellar student. Marella would make the dean's list and graduate with a degree in physical education.

Monsoon came in 2nd place in the 1959 NCAA collegiate wrestling championships and held an Ithaca school record for the fastest pin ever.

Monsoon pinned his unlucky opponent in a mere 18 seconds. Monsoon was also considered for the 1960 United States Olympic team.

Monsoon left amateur wrestling for the more financially lucrative world of professional wrestling, where his amateur wrestling background earned him the title of 'shooter,' i.e. a wrestler that could legitimately tie an opponent up into a pretzel.