Angelo Mosca (born February 13, 1937) is a former Canadian Football League player and professional wrestler. He is also known by the wrestling nicknames King Kong Mosca and The Mighty Hercules. Mosca has a son, Angelo Jr., who also wrestled.
Angelo played in 9 Grey Cup games, more than any other player in CFL history, tied with his teammate John Barrow. Mosca's teams won 5 Grey Cup games, one with the Ottawa Rough Riders and four with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is infamous for the 51st Grey Cup game out-of-bounds and late hit on B.C. Lions star running back Willie Fleming. With Fleming out of the game, the Tiger-Cats went on to win the Grey Cup and Mosca's reputation as being the meanest CFL player grew. It was a reputation he later promoted as the notorious professional wrestler "King Kong" Mosca.[1]
Wrestling career[]
Mosca was brought into wrestling by Montreal promoter Eddie Quinn. He began wrestling in the off-season, and became a full-time wrestler after his retirement from football. He wrestled all across North America, always at or near the top of the card, and almost always as a heel, even in Toronto until the late 1970s, then he became a face, and in the early 1980s, the lead face. He often used a sleeper as his finisher in later years.
Mosca retired from wrestling in the mid-1980s and was the colour commentator for the WWF TV tapings in Ontario from August 1984 until January 1985. After being fired by the WWF, Mosca promoted the NWA in Ontario in 1985-87. He and Milt Avruskin hosted a TV show featuring compilations of NWA matches. Mosca organized an NWA card in Hamilton in February 1986 called "Moscamania" that drew an excellent house of 12,000 but the follow-up a year later drew only 3,200.
Mosca's son, Angelo Mosca Jr., had a brief but successful wrestling career, and he left the broadcast booth to manage his son's career.
Personal life[]
Mosca has lived in and around Hamilton for many years, and currently lives in St. Catharines, Ontario with his wife, Helen, a real estate agent. He authored a book with Steve Milton called Tell Me To My Face, published by Lulu Canada Inc. The book was released in September 2011.
Mosca appeared on several Canadian TV commercials in the 1970s and 1980s. Mosca still makes PR appearances for the league and the Ticats and for other businesses. He was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
