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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2014 12:40:46 GMT -5
Oh gosh, thinking of Gorilla as part of the Corporation (and not even as a Stooge) would've broken my heart. His image was that of a greatly admired and respected face.
Hell, I'd like to think Vince must've thought to keep Gorilla as far away from the Attitude Era as possible so as not to tarnish his image.
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Post by lildude8218 on Feb 17, 2014 14:12:05 GMT -5
There used to be on youtube a battle royal from 1998 with monsoon doing very subtle heel commentary When the WWF moved Superstars from syndication to USA Network in Sept. 1996, they started producing two very different versions of the shows. The North American version was hosted by Jim Ross and Jim Cornette, who called the show as if were actually happening on Sunday morning (with lots of plugs/mentions of USA and the next night's Raw), and the international version was hosted by Kevin Kelly and Gorilla, who was still WWF President at the time. Here's a video of Kevin and Gorilla calling an Undertaker/Goon match. It's a little awkward as Ross and Cornette appear on-screen during the segment. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQxCfiU9qfgUndertaker vs Carrot Top should have been on Wrestlemania
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Post by fuzzywarble, squat cobbler on Feb 17, 2014 14:30:15 GMT -5
He wouldn't have fit into the Attitude Era. He was a throwback to the times where he would actually try to build up a wrestling match as if it were an athletic competition. The days of 'the loser's share of the purse' were long gone.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2014 15:01:18 GMT -5
Here's a video of Kevin and Gorilla calling an Undertaker/Goon match. It's a little awkward as Ross and Cornette appear on-screen during the segment. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQxCfiU9qfgI seem to recall this was a thing that happened A LOT. Even into the days of Heat/Velocity - you'd see certain people (or sometimes none at all!) at the ringside table and yet hear different voices on commentary.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2014 16:12:01 GMT -5
I loved Monsoon, but he basically has one optimum application: playing off Brain with serious wrestling as a backdrop. He wouldn't have fit well at all, I don't think. I could maybe see him as a positive counter authority figure to Vince as has been suggested, but that's about it.
Could you imagine him trying to seriously call some of that goofy crap?
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Post by Famous Rocking Chimes on Feb 28, 2014 20:52:49 GMT -5
I loved Monsoon, but he basically has one optimum application: playing off Brain with serious wrestling as a backdrop. He wouldn't have fit well at all, I don't think. I could maybe see him as a positive counter authority figure to Vince as has been suggested, but that's about it. Could you imagine him trying to seriously call some of that goofy crap? "Boy King! This Ho Train is a happening!"
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Post by Kevin Hamilton on Feb 28, 2014 21:03:45 GMT -5
It was for the best that he was gone by the time Attitude really kicked off. Gorilla's thing was that he was always the voice of calm and sanity -- no one ever really got the better of him. In the era of Russo storylines, he almost certainly would have been turned into a fuddyduddy, ruining everything people loved about him. It would have been uncomfortable. I would not have enjoyed watching DX telling him to suck it, or hearing him try to analyze Terri Runnels' fake pregnancy and miscarriage or talk about the Ho Train. Agreed, they woulda played him as the out of touch old man. Probably come up with some ala Oklahoma for JR. Better that he wasn't involved in that.
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Post by willywonka666 on Feb 28, 2014 21:07:07 GMT -5
Sometime around 93 when he did on and off broadcasting appearences he was absolutely atrocious doing commentary. He shilled the product like JBL does now, it was unbearable. Wow really? Gorilla was always my favorite. I wanted him to be my neighbor, like I could go to him for advice. I hated when he was taken off of Primetime-that along with Hogan being phased out, led me to stop watching regularly for years
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Post by Apricots And A Pear Tree on Feb 28, 2014 21:30:16 GMT -5
"PUPPIES!!!!!" "Will you stop!?!"
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Post by RowdyRobbyPiper on Mar 1, 2014 1:52:34 GMT -5
You guys are forgetting that Gorilla's initial fame in wrestling was as a monster heel. Had he stayed healthy, I think it would have been cool to see him alongside Patterson and Brisco as a Stooge.
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Post by celticjobber on Mar 1, 2014 3:42:28 GMT -5
He would've been another corporate heel/stooge like Brisco, Patterson, and Slaughter. During his last few times as an onscreen character, Gorilla was already clashing with Stone Cold. I remember it was somewhat shocking to hear Monsoon say "ass" when he was chastising Austin once.
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Post by Hassan bin Sober on Mar 1, 2014 17:47:15 GMT -5
I remember seeing a clip of him doing commentary for some match with a wrestler that had a grunge gimmick and JR trying to explain to him what grunge music was.
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jagilki
Patti Mayonnaise
Nobody notices him; No, we noticed him
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Post by jagilki on Mar 1, 2014 18:08:59 GMT -5
For some odd reason first seeing the thread, I thought of the Forum poster, not the commentator.
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Boo!
Dennis Stamp
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Post by Boo! on Mar 1, 2014 18:11:55 GMT -5
Gorilla wouldn't have taken any bull. Vince respected him too much to make him do anything degrading on TV. He called him "one of the greatest men" he'd ever known on his tribute package. I think Monsoon was perhaps a bit of a father figure to Vince after he'd lost his.
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Post by RowdyRobbyPiper on Mar 1, 2014 22:48:46 GMT -5
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Post by The IWC WORLD Champion on Mar 2, 2014 2:27:51 GMT -5
Honestly not much (even if his health wasn't failing at time) as judging by his commentary on superstars it was obvious that he really didn't give a shit anymore. According to Heenan, once Joey died Gorilla lost all his passion. Joey?
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Post by RowdyRobbyPiper on Mar 2, 2014 2:42:45 GMT -5
According to Heenan, once Joey died Gorilla lost all his passion. Joey? Joey Marella, Gorilla's son. Joey was a referee (he was the ref during Hogan/Andre at WM 3) for many years before dying in a car wreck after a show.
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Post by The IWC WORLD Champion on Mar 2, 2014 2:43:34 GMT -5
Ahh i see. Not surprising then.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2014 19:10:15 GMT -5
I remember seeing a clip of him doing commentary for some match with a wrestler that had a grunge gimmick and JR trying to explain to him what grunge music was. That was Rad Radford (Louis Spicolli), and I remember that commentary and cringed like a so-and-so when I heard it. 1995-6 Gorilla commentary (which was fill-in at most) was pretty scary. As said before, Bobby's leaving and Joey's death really ended his greatness on the mic.
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CM Dazz
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Post by CM Dazz on Mar 2, 2014 19:39:15 GMT -5
He'd be an interesting Higher Power. I've never even considered that, but I really like that idea! Definitely would've been unexpected.
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