Monsoon wins a Battle Royal to face Billy Graham in a title match. It was beautiful.ĭecember 26th, 1977 – Nassau Coliseum. The pop that Gorilla Monsoon got when he brought "Superstar" Billy Graham Graham back was unforgettably loud, like a primeval roar of pure bloodlust. The match was stopped at 14:05 due to "excessive blood." Suddenly, Monsoon carried Graham over his shoulder, tossed him into the ring, where Bruno pounced on him like a wild beast. Heading backstage, Monsoon ran after him, the crowd assuming the wild brawl was over. After a pounding, Graham fled the ring and waved his hand in disgust as if to say, "I quit." Bruno Sammartino with guest referee Gorilla Monsoon, August 1st, 1977 – Madison Square Garden. It was beautiful." Superstar Billy Graham vs. "The pop that Gorilla Monsoon got was unforgettably loud, like a primeval roar of pure bloodlust. And yes, it was oh so brief because you just didn’t mess with Andre and Gorilla back then. 40,000 witnessed the brief skirmish between the two camps. Out of the other corner came the Giant’s cornermen, including the ominous Gorilla Monsoon. In a moment, Wepner’s cornerman, with Al Braverman and Paddy Flood leading the charge, dashed across the ring and tried to get their fallen boxer back within the 20-second time limit. ![]() Wepner dangled for a moment as his foot got caught between two strands of rope, and the 7-foot-5 Giant daintily released him and let him tumble into the clay. "Leering like a monster kewpie doll, Andre the Giant picked Chuck Wepner up and tossed him gently toward second base… I will never forget them on their knees, chopping each other across the chest, selling like crazy, and feigning imminent collapse. Both men were incredibly large for those pre-steroid wrestling monster days. I was unable to track down photos from that night. Two behemoths going at it pre-steroid era. These are but a few: Giant Baba faces off against Gorilla Monsoon in October 1972. But when I heard about his death, I also recalled some of the great moments of seeing him live. A special gift from us awaits after signing up! "The Manchurian Giant" Gorilla MonsoonĪ common discussion on wrestling pages is: "Who was your first favorite wrestler?" For me, it was "The Manchurian Giant," ironically out of New York, Gorilla Monsoon.Īlthough he certainly deserved that one last pop from the crowd back in March of ’99, I selfishly didn’t want to remember him that way. Sign up to receive our five most popular pro wrestling stories, plus subscriber-exclusive content each week. We have hundreds of great Pro Wrestling Stories, but of course, you can’t read them all today. This is the first time this article is available in digital form. This piece was originally published in the 1999 edition of Evan Ginzburg’s now-defunct ‘Wrestling- Then & Now’ annual. He would pass away less than five months after this appearance. Gorilla Monsoon in his final television appearance at WrestleMania 15, March 28th, 1999. You didn’t need a medical degree to know it was the end. "The Manchurian Giant," by way of Rochester, New York, had wasted away to almost nothing. Tire Clearance - 27.5 x 2.When Gorilla Monsoon appeared on WWF TV for the very last time at WrestleMania 15 in March of 1999, I didn’t react well. Material - Steel (All-City 612 Select tubing)įrame Spacing - Front 12x100mm, Rear 12x142mm Thru Axle Seatpost - 27.2mm (with internal 'stealth,' dropper post routing) ![]() Gorilla Monsoon is the rigid 90's mtb revival of your dreams! This bike absolutely hauls! If backroad exploration, wide-tire/all season commuting, and 'underbiking' down your local singletrack sounds like your cup of tea, you should be looking STRONGLY at the Gorilla. A steeper head tube angle, higher bottom bracket, and shorter chainstay than your average hardtail, means that Gorilla is lively, punchy through the corners, and that it climbs well. ![]() We think this distinction is important. With drop bar mountain bikes now on the scene it's important to note what sets Gorilla Monsoon apart from it's wide tire family. ![]() While Monsoon comes stock with 27.5 x 2.4" tires - certainly in the mountain spectrum, it maintains a surprisingly cross-like geometry. At Kissing Crows Cyclery we usually describe the All-City Gorilla Monsoon as a hyper-wide-tire cross/gravel bike.
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