Angelo Mosca passes away at 84 years old

Former WWF star and CFL Hall of Famer Angelo Mosca has passed away.

Mosca’s wife, Helen, announced his passing via a statement on her Facebook page.

“It is with great sadness that the family of Angelo Mosca announce his passing on November 6, 2021, after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s,” the statement reads. “Angelo was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather as well as friend to so many. Angelo was 84 years old. We ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time. More details will be shared when arrangements have been made.”

Before entering professional wrestling, Mosca was a football player. Despite being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1959, Mosca instead chose to play for the Canadian Football League, playing for the Hamilton Tiger Cats and later the Ottawa Rough Riders.  He would win five Grey Cup games through 1972, when he retired from football. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

Mosca began wrestling in Montreal, wrestling during the football off-season, and would later wrestle across Toronto and all of North America, including Stampede Wrestling. In the World Wrestling Federation, he was known as a heel that would be one of the top challengers to Bob Backlund during Backlund’s first reign as WWF Champion, and also feuded with Pat Patterson. He would eventually become a commentator for the WWF, doing color commentary for tapings in Ontario in 1984 and 1985. He left the WWF and later retired from wrestling in 1986.