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Remembering Gorilla Monsoon-19 Years On

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Gorilla Monsoon, the voice of my generation, passed away 19 years ago today. I wasn’t born when Monsoon was an active wrestler, but I always remember hearing Monsoon’s voice on commentary throughout the ’80s and ’90s.

1976 – The famous confrontation between Gorilla Monsoon and Muhammad Ali

Gorilla Monsoon made the transition from the ring to the announce booth in the early 1980s.  Monsoon was the premier voice for the WWE, providing play by play commentary for programmes such as Prime Time Wrestling (the predecessor to Monday Night Raw) and Wrestling Challenge; both shows he had hosted with Bobby Heenan.  The Monsoon/Heenan duo is regarded as the best wrestling announce team. In addition to being the play-by-play voice for weekly TV shows, Monsoon was also the lead announcer for the early ‘big 4’ pay-per-views, WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and the Survivor Series.

Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan, WrestleMania VIII

I believe Gorilla Monsoon was an underrated commentator and is rarely acknowledged for his abilities and contributions to the art form.  Monsoon was one of the first to make the move to commentating, as well as being the only wrestler to master both play by play and colour roles.  Monsoon showed his versatility by blending well with different announcers for specific purposes, as he demonstrated by being entertaining alongside Heenan, and technical with Jesse Ventura.

Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura, WrestleMania III

When new commentators arrived in the WWE, they would be paired with Gorilla. This was a strategy to help the new arrivals adapt to WWE’s announcing style. Such people included Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross and Michael Cole.

Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Ross

In 1995, Monsoon stepped away from his announcing role to take up the position of the WWE President. This new responsibility reduced Monsoon’s presence on television as he would only appear for special occasions.

I remember hearing Monsoon’s voice again in 1998 when he returned to commentary on WWE’s international shows. Although he was no longer the authority figure, Monsoon was still referred to as Mr President by his fellow commentators.

Gorilla Monsoon’s final public appearance, WrestleMania XV

Monsoon made his last public appearance in 1999 at WrestleMania XV serving as one of the judges for the Brawl 4 All match.  Gorilla Monsoon died later that year on October 6 due to heart failure, brought on by complications with diabetes.

In my opinion, Gorilla Monsoon was the greatest wrestling announcer. He adapted with ease and perfected the play by play and colour roles.  Monsoon also displayed his ability to work with a diverse group of announcers. When I think of Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat,  or Bret Hart vs. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, I also think of Gorilla Monsoon for the soundtrack that he provided for these great memories.

RIP Gorilla Monsoon, 19 Years On


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Opinion

Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?

Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…

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Brock Lesnar WWE WrestleMania 42 Retirement

Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…

At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania. 

While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania. 

‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman? 

I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!

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Opinion

Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!

With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!

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Penta WWE Intercontinental Championship WrestleMania 42

With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!

This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month. 

Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while. 

The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev. 

All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet. 

As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!

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