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Maurice Tillet: The Real-Life Shrek Who Became a Wrestling Champion · Gil I Am

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  Speaker 1: Maurice Tillet, the real-life Shrek? The tragic story of wrestling's
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  Speaker 1: French angel pro-wrestling history revealed. Ten-minute birthday special, 00 to
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  Speaker 1: 10 Zoo. The man the world called a monster. Mysterious
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  Speaker 1: orchestral introduction. What if I told you that long before
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  Speaker 1: the world ever heard of Shrek, there was a real
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  Speaker 1: man whose face looked remarkably similar to that famous green ogre?
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  Speaker 1: A man with an enormous head, a massive jaw, frightening strength,
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  Speaker 1: and a face unlike almost anything people had ever seen.
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  Speaker 1: Newspapers described him as a freak. Promoters advertised him as
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  Speaker 1: a monster. But what if I told you this so-called
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  Speaker 1: monster was an educated gentleman who loved poetry, dreamed of
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  Speaker 1: practicing law, served in the French Navy, and became one
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  Speaker 1: of the biggest attractions in professional wrestling? And what if
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  Speaker 1: I told you that his story would end with one
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  Speaker 1: of the most heartbreaking coincidences in wrestling history? On October 23, 1903,
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  Speaker 1: a boy was born who would become one of the
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  Speaker 1: most recognizable faces of his generation. He would travel the world,
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  Speaker 1: become a heavyweight wrestling champion, and leave behind a mystery
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  Speaker 1: that would resurface decades after his death. His name was
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  Speaker 1: Maurice Tillet, and this is his remarkable story. I'm Gil,
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  Speaker 1: and welcome to Pro Wrestling History Revealed, A Child Called
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  Speaker 1: the Angel. Our story begins in 1903 in the Russian Empire.
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  Speaker 1: Maurice Tillet was born to French parents. His father worked
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  Speaker 1: as a railroad engineer, and his mother was a teacher.
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  Speaker 1: As a little boy, Maurice looked like any other child.
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  Speaker 1: He had blonde hair, a pleasant appearance, and an innocent-looking face.
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  Speaker 1: In fact, according to accounts of his childhood, people called
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  Speaker 1: him the angel. Imagine that. The same man who would
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  Speaker 1: later frighten wrestling audiences was once known for his angelic appearance.
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  Speaker 1: But history was about to change his life. In 1917,
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  Speaker 1: the Russian Revolution threw the country into turmoil. Maurice and
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  Speaker 1: his mother relocated to France, eventually settling in Reims. He
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  Speaker 1: grew up intelligent, curious, and interested in education. He reportedly
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  Speaker 1: developed a love of languages, literature, and poetry. And he
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  Speaker 1: had a dream. He wanted to become a lawyer. Think
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  Speaker 1: about that for a moment. A young man with an education, ambition,
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  Speaker 1: and a promising future. But something was happening inside his body.
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  Speaker 1: Something neither determination nor intelligence could stop. And it would
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  Speaker 1: transform his entire life. 215 to 335. The medical condition
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  Speaker 1: that changed everything. During his late teenage years and early adulthood,
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  Speaker 1: Maurice began noticing disturbing physical changes. His hands were getting larger,
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  Speaker 1: his feet were expanding, his jaw became more pronounced, his
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  Speaker 1: brow thickened, his facial features enlarged, and even his voice changed.
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  Speaker 1: Doctors diagnosed him with a rare hormonal disorder known as acromegaly. Now,
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  Speaker 1: for those unfamiliar with that word, acromegaly usually occurs when
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  Speaker 1: a tumor in the pituitary gland causes the body to
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  Speaker 1: produce excessive growth hormones. It can cause bones and tissues
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  Speaker 1: to enlarge, changing a person's appearance dramatically. And here's something interesting.
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  Speaker 1: This is the same condition associated with another legendary professional wrestler,
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  Speaker 1: Andre the Giant. But unlike Andre, whose enormous height became
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  Speaker 1: his trademark, Maurice experienced tremendous enlargement of his features without
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  Speaker 1: becoming exceptionally tall. He stood roughly 5 feet 7 inches
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  Speaker 1: and was billed at approximately 270 pounds. Think about that.
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  Speaker 1: Not a 7-foot giant. a relatively short man with the
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  Speaker 1: immense frame and strength of a heavyweight. But the physical
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  Speaker 1: changes came with an emotional cost. People stared at him.
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  Speaker 1: Some mocked him. Society treated his appearance as something frightening,
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  Speaker 1: and his dream of entering the legal profession gradually faded.
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  Speaker 1: But instead of giving up, Maurice found another direction, and
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  Speaker 1: that direction would eventually lead him to the squared circle,
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  Speaker 1: 335 to 445, from the French Navy to professional wrestling.
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  Speaker 1: Before becoming a professional wrestler, Maurice served approximately five years
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  Speaker 1: in the French Navy, working as an engineer. Here was
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  Speaker 1: a man whom strangers judged by his face, yet he
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  Speaker 1: was capable of demanding technical work. He was also athletic.
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  Speaker 1: He had played sports, including rugby, and possessed considerable physical strength.
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  Speaker 1: But it was a chance encounter in 1937 that would
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  Speaker 1: alter his future. While in Singapore, according to the most
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  Speaker 1: frequently told account, Maurice met a professional wrestler named Carl Poggello.
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  Speaker 1: Pagela was a Lithuanian-born wrestling veteran who had traveled internationally,
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  Speaker 1: and when Carl saw Maurice, he recognized something unusual. Not
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  Speaker 1: simply a man with extraordinary physical features, he saw a
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  Speaker 1: potential wrestling attraction. Now, remember, professional wrestling in the 1930s
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  Speaker 1: was built around larger-than-life personalities. Promoters wanted athletes who stood out.
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  Speaker 1: They wanted characters audiences would pay money to see. And
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  Speaker 1: Maurice Tillet? Brother, you couldn't miss him if you tried.
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  Speaker 1: Pogelo convinced Maurice to enter professional wrestling. They traveled to Europe,
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  Speaker 1: where Maurice trained and began wrestling in France and England.
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  Speaker 1: His original childhood nickname became part of his professional identity.
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  Speaker 1: He was the Angel, and eventually he would become known
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  Speaker 1: around the world as the French Angel. But neither man
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  Speaker 1: could have anticipated just how popular he would become. 445
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  Speaker 1: to 615, the French Angel takes America. Old-fashioned arena crowd cheering.
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  Speaker 1: By 1939, war was again changing the world. Maurice and
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  Speaker 1: Carl traveled to the United States, and in 1940, the
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  Speaker 1: wrestling business discovered a phenomenon. Boston promoter Paul Bowser recognized
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  Speaker 1: Maurice's drawing power and began presenting him as a major attraction.
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  Speaker 1: Imagine being a wrestling fan in 1940. There is no
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  Speaker 1: Monday Night Raw, no WrestleMania, no social media. You learn
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  Speaker 1: about wrestling through newspapers, radio, posters, and word of mouth.
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  Speaker 1: And suddenly you hear about a man called the French Angel,
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  Speaker 1: a heavyweight with an enormous head, powerful body, and an
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  Speaker 1: appearance people had never seen before. Would you buy a ticket?
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  Speaker 1: Thousands of people did. Maurice quickly became a major box
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  Speaker 1: office attraction. His opponents included famous wrestlers such as Ed
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  Speaker 1: Strangler Lewis, Man Mountain Dean, Joe Savoldi, and the legendary
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  Speaker 1: Lou Thez. And here's where his story becomes especially impressive.
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  Speaker 1: Maurice wasn't simply somebody promoters brought out for a few laughs.
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  Speaker 1: He was presented as a serious main event wrestler. Promoters
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  Speaker 1: built him into an unstoppable attraction. reportedly keeping him undefeated
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  Speaker 1: for approximately 19 months. Then came his biggest championship achievement.
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  Speaker 1: In May 1940, Maurice Tillet became the world heavyweight champion
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  Speaker 1: recognized by the Boston-based American Wrestling Association. He held that
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  Speaker 1: version of the championship until May 1942 and enjoyed another
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  Speaker 1: brief reign in 1944. He also held the Montreal version
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  Speaker 1: of the world heavyweight title in 1942. Now, understand something
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  Speaker 1: about professional wrestling history. there were different promotions recognizing different
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  Speaker 1: world champions. This was the old Boston AWA, not the
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  Speaker 1: later organization made famous by Vern Gagne. But make no mistake,
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  Speaker 1: Maurice Tillet was a recognized world heavyweight champion, a major attraction,
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  Speaker 1: and one of professional wrestling's biggest stars. The little boy
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  Speaker 1: once called the Angel had become a wrestling sensation. 6'15
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  Speaker 1: to 7'25, the man behind the face. But this is
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  Speaker 1: where the story becomes even more fascinating. because the Maurice
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  Speaker 1: Tillet that promoters sold to the public was not necessarily
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  Speaker 1: the Maurice Tillet his friends knew. Newspapers often used cruel
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  Speaker 1: descriptions of his appearance. They advertised him with language intended
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  Speaker 1: to frighten people. Yet behind that appearance was an intelligent,
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  Speaker 1: thoughtful man. In 1940, researchers associated with Harvard examined Maurice
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  Speaker 1: and studied his unusual physical development. The findings attracted national attention.
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  Speaker 1: Time magazine reported on the examination. But beyond the medical measurements,
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  Speaker 1: the researchers discovered something else. Maurice was personable, polite, and gentle.
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  Speaker 1: Here's a man who could frighten an arena full of
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  Speaker 1: wrestling fans just by stepping through the ropes. Yet away
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  Speaker 1: from the ring, he enjoyed intellectual conversation and the quieter
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  Speaker 1: pleasures of life. And that contrast helped define his remarkable career.
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  Speaker 1: Professional wrestling has always understood something Hollywood understands today. The
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  Speaker 1: most memorable characters are not always the biggest. They're the
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  Speaker 1: ones you cannot forget. Look at Andre the Giant. Look
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  Speaker 1: at Abdullah the Butcher. Look at George the Animal Steel.
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  Speaker 1: Their physical presence helped make them stars. And long before
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  Speaker 1: many of those legendary names became household attractions, Maurice Tillet
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  Speaker 1: was showing promoters how unusual appearances could become box office gold.
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  Speaker 1: His popularity became so great that other promoters introduced wrestlers
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  Speaker 1: with similar angel gimmicks. There was a Swedish angel, a
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  Speaker 1: Russian angel, a Polish angel, even a super Swedish angel.
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  Speaker 1: But there was only one original French angel. and Maurice
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  Speaker 1: Tillet had already established his place in professional wrestling history.
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  Speaker 1: 725 to 825. Was Maurice Tillet really Shrek? Mysterious, playful. Now,
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  Speaker 1: let's talk about the question everybody wants answered. Was Maurice
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  Speaker 1: Tillet the inspiration for Shrek? In 2001, DreamWorks released the
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  Speaker 1: animated movie Shrek. The story featured a large green ogre
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  Speaker 1: with a broad jaw, an oversized head, and distinctive facial features.
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  Speaker 1: Decades after Maurice's death, people began comparing his photographs to
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  Speaker 1: that animated character, and the similarities are striking. The rounded head,
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  Speaker 1: the pronounced facial structure, the broad neck and powerful frame,
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  Speaker 1: even some of the expressions. Side by side, you can
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  Speaker 1: understand why the theory became popular. But here's the important distinction.
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  Speaker 1: There is no verified public confirmation that DreamWorks based Shrek's
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  Speaker 1: appearance on Maurice Tillet. It's a fascinating theory, not an
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  Speaker 1: established historical fact. And perhaps that's the most interesting part.
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  Speaker 1: A man who was once ridiculed for his appearance is
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  Speaker 1: now compared to one of the most beloved animated characters
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  Speaker 1: in movie history. Whether or not Maurice inspired Shrek, the
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  Speaker 1: resemblance brought renewed attention to a wrestler many modern fans
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  Speaker 1: had never heard of. But Maurice's real-life story contains something
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  Speaker 1: far more emotional than a Hollywood mystery. And that story
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  Speaker 1: begins with his closest friend. 825 to 935. Two friends,
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  Speaker 1: one tragic day. Mused awaiting, by the late 1940s, Maurice's
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  Speaker 1: health was declining. His medical condition was taking a serious toll.
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  Speaker 1: He could no longer perform at the level that had
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  Speaker 1: made him an attraction earlier in the decade. He continued
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  Speaker 1: wrestling for several more years. His final recorded match took
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  Speaker 1: place on February 14, 1953, against Bert Aserati in Singapore,
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  Speaker 1: the same city where his wrestling journey with Carl Poggello
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  Speaker 1: had begun. And then came September 4th, 1954. Maurice was
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  Speaker 1: living in Chicago. His longtime friend, manager, and trainer, Carl Pagelo,
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  Speaker 1: had been suffering from lung cancer. On September 4th, Carl died.
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  Speaker 1: When Maurice learned of his friend's passing, he became seriously ill.
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  Speaker 1: He was taken to the hospital. And approximately 13 hours
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  Speaker 1: after Carl's death, Maurice Tillette also passed away. He was
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  Speaker 1: just 50 years old. The reported medical cause involved heart disease.
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  Speaker 1: but people who knew the two men saw something beyond
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  Speaker 1: the medical explanation. Some believed Maurice had died of a
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  Speaker 1: broken heart. Now, we cannot medically prove that grief caused
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  Speaker 1: his death, but the extraordinary timing remains part of wrestling history.
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  Speaker 1: And here's the detail that makes the story even more moving.
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  Speaker 1: Maurice and Carl were buried side by side at the
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  Speaker 1: Lithuanian National Cemetery in Justice, Illinois. Their shared memorial includes
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  Speaker 1: words remembering friends whom death could not separate. The two
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  Speaker 1: men who had traveled the world together who had helped
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  Speaker 1: build a wrestling phenomenon, who had shared so many years
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  Speaker 1: of their lives, would remain together in death. The rest
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  Speaker 1: of his story, inspirational conclusion. In 2012, Maurice Tillet was
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  Speaker 1: inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in the
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  Speaker 1: Pioneer Era category, recognition for a man whose accomplishments had
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  Speaker 1: been overshadowed by his appearance. And here's what I want
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  Speaker 1: you to remember. Maurice Tillet was not a cartoon character.
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  Speaker 1: He wasn't a monster. He was a human being, an
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  Speaker 1: educated man, a sailor, an athlete, a world heavyweight wrestling champion,
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  Speaker 1: and a person who built an extraordinary career despite living
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  Speaker 1: with a serious medical condition. People may remember his face,
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  Speaker 1: they may argue about whether he inspired Shrek, but wrestling
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  Speaker 1: history should remember his accomplishments, because sometimes the most extraordinary
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  Speaker 1: story isn't about what a person looks like, it's about
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  Speaker 1: what that person accomplishes. On this October 23rd, we remember
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  Speaker 1: the birthday of Maurice Tillet, the original French angel. a
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  Speaker 1: man who became a wrestling legend more than 60 years
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  Speaker 1: before Shrek arrived in movie theaters, and a reminder that
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  Speaker 1: the real story behind an unforgettable face is often far
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  Speaker 1: more remarkable than fiction. I'm Gil, and this has been
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  Speaker 1: Pro Wrestling History Revealed. If you enjoyed this forgotten chapter
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  Speaker 1: of wrestling history, please like, subscribe, share, and comment. And
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  Speaker 1: I have one question for you. Do you believe Maurice
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  Speaker 1: Tillet inspired Shrek, or is it simply one of the
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  Speaker 1: greatest coincidences in wrestling history? Let me know below. Because
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  Speaker 1: wrestling's greatest stories don't always happen inside the ring. Sometimes,
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  Speaker 1: they're the stories history almost forgot.