Author Brian Solomon’s new biography of Gorilla Monsoon, “Irresistible Force,” not only chronicles the Hall of Famer’s public career but also delves into his personal life, aiming to set the record straight on long-standing rumors and uncover details of his closely guarded private world. In a recent interview on the “Our Vantage Point Retro Wrestling Podcast,” Solomon discussed some of these findings.
One of the most persistent urban legends in wrestling history is the rumor that promoter Victor Quiñones was the illegitimate son of Gorilla Monsoon (Robert Marella). Solomon confirmed that he addressed this rumor directly with the Marella family.
“I felt like I had to,” Solomon said. “I finally brought it up, and they were just laughing… They were like, ‘No, no, no, he was not.'” He traces the origin of the rumor to a “sloppy” New York Times obituary for Quiñones. “I’m hoping that this book will help to dispel that urban legend,” he stated. Solomon also provided a key piece of evidence: “When Victor Quiñones was born, Bob Marella was a junior at Ithaca College in upstate New York… It is highly unlikely.”
While dispelling that rumor, Solomon’s research confirmed that Monsoon’s life was largely free of major scandals. “Valerie [Monsoon’s daughter] said to me… ‘Look, I’m going to tell you this right now. You’re not going to find anything,'” Solomon recalled. “She was 100% right.”
The one area of Monsoon’s life that remained mysterious was his first marriage, which occurred before he met his wife, Maureen. “The most mysterious thing about his life is definitely that first marriage,” Solomon admitted. “I even tracked down members of this woman’s family… What I could put together was she was a college sweetheart… it was just a very ill-advised marriage. He married her the minute he got back from his national AAU tour in the summer of ’59… and what broke the marriage up was the wrestling stuff. She was just not on board.”
The book does, however, address Monsoon’s role as a company executive during the scandals of the 1980s and ’90s, particularly the ring boy scandal. Solomon says that while Monsoon was privately disgusted by what was happening, he ultimately did not take a public stand.
“He definitely looked the other way,” Solomon said. “There’s no question he knew what was going on… wrestling was like the most ‘mafia’ job. You kept your head down, you kept your mouth shut, or you found yourself out in the cold… He was a man of his time, as I said in the book.”
Book Information
Brian Solomon’s book is titled “Irresistible Force: The Life and Times of Gorilla Monsoon.” The official release date is September 30. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be available wherever books are sold. Solomon also noted that some copies have already been spotted for sale in physical Barnes & Noble locations. Click here for details on how to get the book.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Our Vantage Point Retro Wrestling podcast with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
