Professional wrestling’s history is littered with stories of tragedy and stars taken too soon.
From the passing of Owen Hart during a live pay per view event at the age of just 34, to the loss of Bray Wyatt at just two years older in age, it’s a story sadly told too often.
But while the deaths of Hart, Wyatt and even the iconic Eddie Guererro – who died at 38 in 2005 – are widely known and mourned by fans around the world, others are less well known.
It’s a sad and tragic truth that far too many wrestling performers and personalities have died before their time – countless numbers even before their 40th birthday.
While not as known as prominently on screen, one such figure with every bit as rich history in the business as Hart and Wyatt is Joey Marella.
A WWE technician and referee, Marella was the son of the legendary Gorilla ‘Gino’ Monsoon, a wrestler and commentator who battled as mammoth in-ring performer across the 1960s and 1970s.
Joey followed his father into the business, joining WWE in 1983 as a ring technician – charged with setting up rings at wrestling events – before making his mark as a referee.
Charged with taking control of some of the biggest bouts in history, he was the proverbial man in the middle for the unforgettable WrestleMania III clash between Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant, credited with launching Hogan’s megastar career.
He was the referee in the main event of SummerSlam 1992, too, as Bret Hart and The British Bulldog squared off in front of over 80,000 at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Sadly, however, his life and career were tragically cut short in 1994 when Marella was killed in an horrific car accident.
Travelling overnight after a WWE event, he journeyed with villainous on-screen manager Bruno Lauer – known to WWE fans as Harvey Whippleman – and offered to drive noting Lauer looked tired.
It was a decision that had tragic consequences. At around 3am on July 4, Marella fell asleep at the wheel, the vehicle careering into a traffic barrier, hitting a tree and coming to a stop some way down a hill at the roadside.
Recalling the horror of that night, veteran Lauer was spared seeing the terrible scene after losing his glasses in the impact, but knew instantly his friend and colleague had not survived.
He explained in an interview: “I can’t see without my glasses and god saw fit to take my glasses off of me in the crash, obviously it was a traumatic accident, so obviously I didn’t get to see Joey.
“I’m routing around trying to find my suitcase, evidently it was thrown away from the vehicle.
“I’ll never forget this, I said: ‘Joey, you’re dead ain’t ya?’ and he didn’t answer.
“I hear the traffic on the highway, but nobody can see because we’re so far down the ditch, down that hill [so] I crawled up the hill and was waving my arms.”
A passing truck driver saw the frantic Laurer and was able to summon help – though the well-liked referee was, heartbreakingly, beyond aid.
The 59-year-old added: “The boy – I say boy, he was only 31 at the time – the boy died practically in my arms.
“He was driving, I was asleep and, unfortunately, so was he.
“I have the accident report at home [and] unfortunately it was just blunt force trauma to the head. He was gone, right there. He didn’t suffer at least.”
Lauer is at peace with the incident, knowing it was a tragic accident.
One of Marella’s most well-known refereeing colleagues, however, has had a harder time reconciling with the events of that night more than 30 years ago.
Earl Hebner, himself a WWE official for almost 20 years, has revealed he was set to referee the final match of the night at the event the two had been working, before Marella offered to replace him.
Knowing his journey after the show was shorter than the one Hebner was facing, the New Jersey native insisted he leave early and allow him to fill in at the end of the show.
The veteran took his friend up on the offer has often thought about what happened next.
He added: “I left the building and, the next morning, I heard the bad news.
“I’ve always thought: ‘Would it have been different had I stayed, and he left?’
“I always think of that. Maybe it wouldn’t have, maybe it would’ve. He such a great kid, such a great guy…”
Marella was just 31 at the time of his untimely death, partly attributed to having not worn a seatbelt while driving on the night.
The loss was felt no more keenly than by his father – Monsoon himself died just five years later at the age of 62.
Many figures have spoken of their feeling the iconic commentator never got over his son’s death, though the measure of Monsoon himself was evident in the fact he held no ill will towards Lauer following the tragic incident.
“I have the letter at home that Gino wrote me,” Lauer explained.
“He said that apparently god needed a right hander (referee) and not a manager at this time, so that meant a lot to me.”
