4. Marella Was A Tribute To Gorilla Monsoon
YouTubeWhen Santino first debuted on Raw in 2007 he announced his name proudly: Santino Marella. As soon as fans heard the "Marella" part they should have recognized it because it was the real last name of a famous WWE figure: Gorilla Monsoon. Gorilla was on WWE TV for many years as a wrestler, commentator and on screen President. They didn't mention his last name, but his son was referee Joey Marella, so if you watched wrestling in the 1980s then you know the name. It was never really acknowledge by WWE that they gave him the name in tribute to Gorilla. They're not related. It was just something WWE did in honor of one of their most popular talents ever.