Gorilla Monsoon

[8.0] "Gorilla Monsoon had one of THE best voices for wrestling. He and Jesse Ventura are unmatched in that category. They were also amazing at making the matches feel real with their reactions. The only problem with Gorilla is he had a tendency to almost bury people in his criticisms of their moves."

[8.0] "Possibly the greatest color commentator to take on the role of straight man ever! Monsoon was retired long after I started watching as a kid but Monsoons wrestling knowledge brought a level of realism to the sport and what you were watching feel like a legitimate sport. It could be a crappy c show between two going no wheres and Monsoon would still talk up the two guys and paint a story on their backgrounds. It's a style that's been lost for probably close to 25-30 years now. Jim Ross was probably one of the last guys who did commentary like that. Now it's straight up trash as the commentators blab on about stuff that has nothing to do with what is going on in the ring. I would almost go for a perfect 10 for Monsoon, but by 1994, he was becoming a bit repetitive with age when he called matches with Stane Lane and stuff, but that 1985-1993 era with Ventura and then Bobby Heenan was still some of the best stuff produced."

[7.0] "For the most part I will be basing my Wrestler ratings on five criteria four of which are based on in-ring ability and the last on charisma. I believe these five criteria are pro wrestling's version of Tommy Lasorda's criteria of "five points" in baseball. For pro wrestling those five criteria are power, speed, technical ability, hardcore & charisma. Gorilla Monsoon's scores: Power: 8 Speed: 6 Technical: 5 Hardcore: 7 Charisma: 9 for a total of 35 and an average of 7."

[10.0] "Sometimes he would say things that were so obviously untrue or blatantly incorrect, that they breached the point where hyperbole transcended into the unfortunate territory of: "oh come the f#ck on, now you're just treating us like we're morons" (SD Jones for example was NEVER close to 300 pounds). However, I will say no one mastered hyperbole quite the way Gorilla did. Sometimes he (as mentioned) would undercut some talent and it could get appalling but he also had a knack for setting up his commentary partner to do well, even if they naturally sucked at the gig. He had a chemistry with Bobby Heenan that honestly rivals ANY comedic duo over the centuries, can you name me one better? In the end, cringe moments included, Primetime Wrestling was probably my all time favorite television show and the nostalgia is overwhelming. 9.5 rounded up. (ps: "They're hanging from the rafters", "The Terry Garvin school of self defense", "Holy Maceral" & "WILL YOU STOP! ")"

[9.0] "In terms of calling the action in the ring, Gorilla wasn't up there with guys like Gordon Solie or JR, but he was a good storyteller, had great babyface charisma, and above all had AMAZING chemistry with both Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura."

[9.0] "Monsoon was a fine wrestler. He wasn't anything special, but the size of him and the length of his career made him stand out. But when his wrestling career came to an end, Monsoon became the legend we know him as today. He was the first play-by-play guy that many long time wrestling fans would have heard. He wasn't as witty as the Brain, but his 25 years of wrestling gave him the knowledge to intelligently call a match. Both his somewhat rivalries with Ventura and Heenan were very funny, mainly because of how exasperated he would get. And while certainly not the highlight of his career, with two year stint as commissioner were alright. The moment where he stared down a rampaging Vader in the Royal Rumble will go down in history. An absolute legend, RIP."

[7.0] "In the ring, I found Gorilla to be pretty poor. He was very limited, overweight, lumbering, & extremely basic even for the time. As a commentator, I think he's one of the best ever. Worked magnificently against Jessie & Bobby... those teams really lit the path for future heel/face teams that would come in the future. I liked Monsoon's GM role & thought the angle they cut with Vader was really well done & believable."

[10.0] "Underrated wrestler for sure. Great wrestler and especially for his size. His feuds with Sammartino were amazing. His career did not go to far with major championships except two time WWC and IWA Champion. Also he was a great announcer along with Jesse Ventrua."

[7.0] "As an announcer, Gorilla was not without his faults. He'd regularly kill submissions dead and undercut wrestlers for no reason. But when he wasn't doing those things, Gorilla wasn't that bad until around 1990, when it seemed like he stopped caring about his work."

[10.0] "A real heat magnet as a wrestler and one of my all time favorite commentators. Whether he was paired with Ventura or Heenan he was fantastic. (Obviously not trying to discredit Ventura and Heenan either. ) Jim Ross is the only commentator since him that I think is anywhere near as good."

[9.0] "Great wrestler, even better commentator. One of the best of all time. He had size, charisma, ability. He was everything the best at his time were in the ring. And as a commentator he is top 3 of all time. An unarguable great."

[9.0] "A great wrestler, commentator and person in general. My favorite memory of him was when he body slammed Muhammed Ali. The look of shock when Gorilla did that to him was priceless."

[10.0] "To me the best man on the Mic to call a match, together with Ventura or Heenan simply PERFECT So sad that we lost him so early"

[10.0] "Gorilla's commentary wasn't fully appreciated in his lifetime. The man was the perfect WWF/E commentator: insightful, authoritative, witty, full of great stories, and, above all, championed the faces and booed the heels. Hard to believe he achieved his wrestling fame as a "giant savage" character, considering how articulate and colorful he was as a speaker. His chemistry with Bobby Heenan was great-funny, entertaining, and always enhancing the matches rather than taking anything away. The current crop of WWE commentators may have learned a lot from Jim Ross, but they could learn even more listening to Gorilla. A great man in and out of the ring, sorely missed but never forgotten."