It's no secret that pro wrestling is a business that has historically attracted some of the largest athletes in the world to its ranks. And, of the many 'giants' who have competed in the ring throughout the years, few have been big (or as important) as the monolithic 6'6' 400-pound Robert Morella, who was known worldwide as Gorilla Monsoon.

In terms of his ring technique, Monsoon was a genuine trendsetter who unquestionably helped raise the standard of athleticism expected of a 'big man'. However, behind the scenes, as a minority owner of the World Wide Wrestling Federation (as well as the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico) and a promoter of many cities within the WWWF's multi-state territory, the respected Monsoon was perhaps even more influential than he was in the ring.

Later in his career, he served as the WWF's lead play-by-play man, and, in many ways, Monsoon became the 'voice' of the WWF for much of the eighties. For many years, The Gorilla also served as the promotion's lead road agent, a booker and as one of the chief television production supervisors. Indeed, for more than twenty years, Monsoon had his hands on virtually every aspect of the WWF's live events during some of the Federation's most successful and prosperous years. It's safe to say, outside of his business partners Vince McMahon Sr. and later Vince McMahon, Jr., that Gorilla Monsoon was one of the most important figures in the history of the WWF and, by extension, pro wrestling itself...

Robert Morella began his career as a pro wrestler during the early sixties after graduating from Ithica College, where he lettered not only in wrestling, but also track and football. Morella was an expectionally impresive athlete who possessed incredible speed and stamina for a man of his considerable height and weight.

Almost immediately, the huge, bearded Gorilla (who was originally billed as hailing from Manchuria) became a box office attraction throughout the Northeast and he quickly established himself as one of the most hated men in the sport.

That position was cemented when Monsoon formed a lethal team with the even more reviled Killer Kowalski. The two gigantic heels, both of whom stood well over six and a half feet tall and tipped the scales at a combined weight of nearly eight hundred pounds, were one of the most devastating and feared teams of their era. They were, not surprisingly, also one of the most succesful, and together Monsoon & Kowalski captured the prized WWWF United States Tag title on November 14, 1963 by defeating the team of Skull Murphy & Brute Bernard.

What separated Gorilla Monsoon from the majority of the other big men who had competed in the pro ranks was his speed and agility, which was quite extraordinary for the times. Additionally, Monsoon had a very solid grasp of wrestling fundamentals, going back to his college days when he had lettered in the sport. When you combined his speed and grappling knowledge with the overwhelming power possessed by the 400-pounder, it becomes clear why Monsoon stood out amongst his plodding, methodic contemporaries.

Although he had been a major star in the World Wide Wrestling Federation for several years, Monsoon's notoriety reached a peak during the years that he was one of WWWF World champion Bruno Sammartino's primary opponents.

In the 6'6' Monsoon, fans saw a legitimate threat to Sammartino's (pictured) World title, and their many battles resulted in sold-out crowds in major arenas all along the east coast. Despite Bruno's legendary strength, the overwhelming size advantage of his challenger was almost too much for 'The Living Legend' to handle, and therein can be found the source of the box-office success of the Sammartino vs. Monsoon feud...

While his success in the tag team ranks was impressive, Monsoon was also a very capable singles performer who was seen as a legitmate main-event caliber wrestler by the fanbase of the day. That perception was perpetuated by important victories such as Monsoon's win over Spiros Arion for the IWA World Heavyweight title on February 16, 1968. By capturing the Australian-based International Wrestling Alliance's World Heavyweight championship, Monsoon once again set himself apart as one of the best 'big men' in the business.

Eventually, after high-profile runs in several different promotions throughout the world, Monsoon (pictured, with Sammartino protégé' Tony Marino) returned 'home' to the East Coast and the WWWF. Once again, the agile giant proved himself to be a major drawing card for the promotion, and eventually the 'hated' Monsoon's popularity and level of respect amongst the fans grew to the point where the only logical step was to turn him 'babyface'. The decision proved to be very wise, and once the switch had been made, wrestling fans of the day rallied behind the gigantic new 'good guy'.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes and away from the television cameras, Monsoon's power within the WWWF's management structure greatly increased as well. Robert Morella became a minority owner in the successful northeastern group, and he also began exclusively promoting several small and mid-sized cities within the WWWF's multi-state territory, primarily in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.