The legendary career of Jim Ross may not have reached the heights it did if not for a legendary name in wrestling, according to JR himself.
On a recent edition of his “Grilling JR” podcast, Ross spoke about Gorilla Monsoon and the immense influence he had on Ross’ career and life. He said,
“The passing of Gorilla was just heartbreaking. I would not have had the career I had in WWE if it had not been for Gorilla Monsoon. I’d be down in the dumps, and he’d pull me out of it… I just loved him. I can’t think of anybody that I worked with in pro wrestling in my 50 years now in the business that I had more respect for and more love for than Gorilla Monsoon.”
Ross and Monsoon worked together on the short-lived “Radio WWF” during which the pair would provide alternative commentary at pay-per-view events.
In addition to commentary, Monsoon was a prolific wrestler in his day and also served as an authority figure on-screen when his wrestling days were over.
Monsoon’s last appearance for WWE was in 1999 as a judge for WrestleMania 15’s “Brawl for All” match before he passed that same year at 62.
These days, wrestling promotions have a ‘Gorilla Position’ behind the entrance ramp, named after the legendary wrestling personality.
