In his younger days, he dropped out of eight grade to support his mother and grandmother. I wish Monsoon were here, he tearfully said. [7] This impressed promoter Sam Muchnick, who typically hated wrestling managers, and Heenan is believed to be the only heel manager to work in Muchnick's St. Louis Wrestling Club. [12] Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 (WWF changed its name to WWE in 2002) by Blackjack Lanza. The disease took away his ability to speak, but what he'd . Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 - September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, wrestler, and comedian. Bobby Heenan managed Andre the Giant in WWE, but that wasnt the only time they spent working together. Dennis Miller gave us a taste of that on his talk show in 2004. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan is widely considered the best manager in the history of professional wrestling. Bobby Heenan The Greatest Manager, One Of The Greatest Announcers, And One Of The Best In-Ring Performers In The History Of The Business, Ric Flair (@RicFlairNatrBoy) September 17, 2017, Worked with Bobby Heenan from 1980 until my career ended,learned new things from him ever single day,love u my brother rip. [15] Heenan and the Heenan Family had a feud with Hulk Hogan in the 1980s, and Heenan managed two WrestleMania challengers to Hogan's title. [8] During his time in WWA, he managed Angelo Poffo and Chris Markoff, the Assassins (Guy Mitchell and Joe Tomasso), The Valiant Brothers and The Blackjacks. They ran into a problem with the USA network because they wanted 2 hours of wrestling, not 30 minutes of comedy and 90 minutes of wrestling. Fooling everybody is pretty funny, but really his own reaction to the prank that makes this so priceless. One of the more subdued promos in Heenan's career saw him calmly rattle off a number of choice insults. For brief moment in between stints with the AWA and WWE, Heenan took his considerable talents down south to Georgia Championship Wrestling. Is there a commentator who could get that reaction other than "The Brain"? Feel free to add your own jokes about how much better off he'd be had he been serious about leaving WCW. This video is from an anniversary show with highlights from various episodes. Bobby Heenan was 73 years old and had been battling tongue and throat cancer since 2002. One of Heenans staple achievements in his over four decades in the industry was forming the Heenan Family, a group whose name was derived from their strength of alliance. 5th December 2020 by Scott Keith. Smith was specifically an enemy of Heenan since his strength was more powerful than Dynamite and it led to the manager feeling real pain after their spots together. As time went on, Heenan also began managing King Kong Bundy, who challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 2. Heenan had praised Race numerous times for having great memories together when managing the legend. [3], In 2004, he joined former WCW commentators Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko in providing commentary for the video game Showdown: Legends of Wrestling. Race was praised for being one of the toughest men in wrestling by Heenan. Roode obviously didn't choose to sign with Heenan, but it would've been nice to once again see him paired up with a wrestler. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan with Andre the Giant in 1987. Mini Bio (1) Bobby Heenan was born on November 1, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. When WCW Monday Nitro premiered in September 1995, Heenan left Saturday Night to work on the new show full-time and joined former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Steve McMichael as an analyst alongside play-by-play man Eric Bischoff. Bobby Heenan is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time. Though the actual action doesn't start until after three-and-a-half minutes into the match, it's compelling from the start because of how ridiculous and hilariously cowardly Heenan is. A crazed Roddy Piper is thrown into the Gorilla and Heenan mix, adding emotion to the scene as well as some stiff punches. Heenan left WWE in 1993 with thoughts of retirement. In particular, Heenan was credited with making Blackjack Lanza one of the top wrestling villains in the country. WWE would try to recreate the moment years later with Heenan and the Ultimate Warrior, but the AWA version did it better. Videos by OutKick. Sarcasm and smoothness on the mic were on full display here. David Dennis, Jr. May 22, 2015. More ACTION on WWE NETWORK : bit.ly/MobQRl Subscribe to WWE on YouTube: bit.ly/1i64OdT Visit the all-new WWE.com: bit.ly/visitwwe. One of Bobby Heenans last televised appearances actually wasnt for his home in WWE. Brought in to be a commentator, Heenan made his debut with the company in January 1994 and replaced Jesse Ventura on WCW Saturday Night, also serving as lead color man for pay-per-views. [6] In 2004, he feuded with fellow manager Jim Cornette in Ring of Honor. When WWE Hall of Fame manager Bobby "The . [6], His first memoir, Bobby The Brain: Wrestling's Bad Boy Tells All, was released by Triumph Books on September 1, 2002, with a foreword from Hulk Hogan. A loving couple walked over and asked him to take their picture. One year later, in what many still consider the biggest and most important storyline and match in WWE history, Heenan helped Andre the Giant turn heel to face Hogan at WrestleMania 3, an event attended by more than 93,000 people. Evidently, McMahon instructed Heenan to create said havoc. He was also one of the many managers that came out of the woodwork trying to broker a deal with Bobby Roode. Best Brain line: "You even did a column in here. ", Before Jannetty's feet even fall to the floor, Heenan announces, "I knew that was going to happen. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Right out there and back.". Would love your thoughts, please comment. Having worked in TV and radio for several years, Mean Gene Okerlund was a prime choice to be the voice of The AWA. "The Brain," passed away at age 73. Professional wrestling was his calling. On September 17, 2017, Bobby Heenan passed away at the age of 72 due to organ failure which his daughter said was brought on by complications of his throat cancer, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times. Seeing Heenan go down in flames in the process made it that much more rewarding. A decent Shawn Michaels and Tito Santana match, a blas Rick Martel and Tatanka match as well as Bret Hart and Roddy Piper battling it out for the Intercontinental title wouldn't have been the same without the Brain. Like many WWE stars of the '80s, Bobby Heenan started out in Verne Gagne's AWA. according to WWE. Related: The Blindfold Match & 9 Other Gimmick Matches That Made No Sense. With a career spanning more. She was the Brain's comedic muse, inspiring some of his best one-liners. Ray Stevens breaks Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's trophy, December 25, 1976. Bobby Heenan was lovingly dubbed "The Brain" and "The Weasel." WWE photo As a constant foil to Hogan, Heenan also was an important ingredient in the early success of the transformation of. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. "[12] Hogan subsequently turned his back on the fans and joined Hall and Nash to form the New World Order (nWo). In 2004, however, the same year in which he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Heenan announced that his cancer had gone into remission, although the treatment had certainly taken a toll on him. Other wrestlers felt that Ole was a bully and showed little respect to his peers in real life. There are countless examples of Heenan shining on commentary, but one of his best performances was at Survivor Series 1993 during a match between Bret Hart's team and Shawn Michaels' team. The king of the one-liner and the king of the ad-lib made us laugh for decades. I don't know if McMahon told him before the show to just let loose or if he got carried away. Flair has spoken glowingly about Heenan throughout the years and made it clear that he was the best manager of all time. On SpikeTV", "Pro wrestling icon Bobby Heenan dies at 72", "GameSpy: Showdown: Legends of Wrestling", "Pro wrestling commentator Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan dead at 73", "Bobby Heenan, legendary pro wrestling manager, dead at 73", "Bobby Heenan breaks hip and shoulder, fractures pelvis", "WWE Hall of Famer Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan reportedly hospitalized", "Bobby Heenan: Remembering the greatest and explaining why he is widely regarded as the greatest at what he did", "Mooneyham: Gone but not forgotten, professional wrestling lost memorable names in 2017", "Triple H: Bobby Heenan Wasn't Just a Manager, One of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever", "Jim Ross on Bobby Heenan, Gorilla Monsoon", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bobby_Heenan&oldid=1127575056, Professional wrestling managers and valets, The Four Horsemen (professional wrestling) members, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 December 2022, at 13:57. Von Brandenburg, to Prime Time Wrestling. The next year, on September 17, 2017, Bobby Heenan passed away, surrounded by his family. In 2010, he broke a hip and his shoulder in a fall that also fractured his pelvis. WCW went out of business less than a year after his release. Perfect to Intercontinental Championship success. Heenan's head just about explodes when Luger starts to make his thighs quiver. Heenan doesn't have his usual amount of witty lines here, but his weaseling is enough to make us laugh. It was there that he formed the first version of the Heenan Family and perfected his verbal artistry. Heenan felt that they took liberties with him and tried to hurt him. [36] Heenan made a series of appearances for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in December 2005, culminating at the Turning Point pay-per-view, where he provided commentary for the Six Man Tag Team Basebrawl match between The Diamonds in the Rough and Chris Sabin, Dale Torborg and Sonjay Dutt. Anderson admitted to releasing him but denied promising him indefinite employment. He seems like it might either have a seizure or fall out of his chair from laughing. Give Bobby Heenan a single minute to work with and he will have it bursting with one liners. Best Brain line: "Oh no, they're going to repossess my teeth.". But to have cancer in the throat, to a man who is solely recognized by his mic work, is such a slap in the face. [7] In May 2016, he fell again and broke a hip. Slaughter were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He berated fans by calling them humanoids, one of many amazing phrases he coined throughout his career, and provided so many amazing moments in the booth until he decided to retire in 1993. [43] In December 2007, Heenan had reconstructive surgery on his jaw, after the first surgery was unsuccessful. The news of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's passing today gutted me. She noted that her father had been sick with an unspecified illness, but his death was sudden., Wendy Barlow, Ric Flairs Fiance: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Born November 1, 1944 Died September 17, 2017 (72) Five months later that year in June 1996, Heenan made a one-off return to ringside at The Great American Bash as the manager of two of his former clients, Ric Flair and Arn Anderson, in a tag team match against his broadcast colleague Steve McMichael and then Carolina Panthers linebacker Kevin Greene. He ended up going to WCW, mostly because they offered a lighter schedule and better insurance. Heenan's wearing a tux with a ruffled shirt that looks like it is out of a 70s prom scene. Best Brain line: "I have to go on the road here with Larry Flynt.". Wrestling legend Bobby Heenan passes away. Leave it to Bobby Heenan to take a silly joke like telling kids that Santa Claus isn't real and turn it into a face-reddening spectacle. He was an actor, known for WrestleMania X-Seven (2001), Saturday Night's Main Event (1985) and WCW Bash at the Beach (1996). [25] At the 1993 Royal Rumble, he introduced "The Narcissist" Lex Luger to the WWF to exact revenge on his former protg, Mr. [3], On January 25, 1975, an angry fan fired a gun at Heenan in Chicago's International Amphitheatre after Heenan interfered in one of Bockwinkel's matches. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, a legendary professional wrestling manager who also made a name for himself as a wrestler and color commentator, has died at the age of 73, WWE confirmed on Sunday.. as loud as they'd chant for any wrestler. He also replaced Ventura to team up with Monsoon on the syndicated All-Star Wrestling, which was replaced in the fall of 1986 with Wrestling Challenge. The history of Heenan sees the following wrestlers loved or hated by him. Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) September 17, 2017, The WWE released a statement acknowledging his death, saying it extends its condolences to Heenans family, friends and fans.. WWE WWE Hall of Famer Bobby "The Brain" Heenan died on Sunday, the WWE confirmed, at the age of 73. "[6][29], Heenan, still suffering from the broken neck he received ten years earlier and unable to cope with the long working hours, decided to leave the WWF at the end of 1993. [30][6], On January 27, 1994, Heenan made his debut in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He instantly became the top interviewer for the promotion and in a lot of . [12] Instead, Heenan managed Big John Studd (whom Heenan was best friends with in the AWA) in his feud against Andr the Giant. Best Brain line: "When a man gets on the plane at seven in the morning and he's 7'5'' and he weighs 550 and he's tanked, don't give him tools.". [3] Shortly thereafter, he led the Brain Busters to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship. Bobby Heenan, a.k.a. "[48] Author Brian Shields notes that many consider him "one of the most significant figures in professional wrestling history". They had a different level of commitment for the business and approached life in very different ways. Perfect. Bobby the Brain unleashes the life story of Bobby Heenan, better known as "The Brain" in wrestling circles. While he was certainly one of the most well-known stars of the AWA, once he came to the WWE, he was thrust into absolute Superstardom. The year after that, he suffered a fall, breaking his hip and shoulder and fracturing his pelvis. He was an actor, known for WrestleMania X-Seven (2001), Saturday Night's Main Event (1985) and WCW Bash at the Beach (1996). Powered by. Thank you for all the support. [19] Heenan had a parody talk show known as The Bobby Heenan Show, which was broadcast in four segments during the second half of WWF's regular weekly program Prime Time Wrestling. The Islanders (w/ Bobby Heenan) defeated Jim Powers & Paul Roma in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0, at 15:05; fall #1: Roma was counted out at 7:54 and appeared to sustain a legit injury after Haku caused him to fall to the floor, with Roma landing awkwardly; after the commercial break, Craig DeGeorge conducted a podium interview with Ted . Yes, I do have throat cancer, but I plan on beating this too. [13], On the January 23, 1996 episode of Clash of the Champions XXXII, during a match between Eddie Guerrero and Brian Pillman, Pillman left the ring and grabbed Heenan, (who had a history of neck problems,) by the collar, causing him to blurt out: "What the fuck are you doing?" Heenan's speech at the 2004 WWE Hall of Fame was perfect Bobby. He died on September 17, 2017 in Largo, Florida, USA. Heenan continued to commentate on Thunder along with Mike Tenay, and later Schiavone, until he was replaced by Stevie Ray beginning in July 2000. [26], In 1984, WWF owner Vince McMahon took full advantage of his microphone and comedic skills and Heenan became a color commentator in addition to his managing duties. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan was one of the best to ever do it. [4][5][1] His father Robert Heenan was a railroad worker, and his mother Mildred Bernadette Kambrz was a hotel manager. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. He was paired with numerous wrestlers, including Nick Bockwinkel, whom he led to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, and he became an integral figure in the 1980s professional wrestling boom by managing King Kong Bundy and Andr the Giant in WWF main event matches with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 2 and WrestleMania III respectively. Ross praised Heenan's ability as a color commentator, stating: He was naturally funny and enhanced every single talent, including the heroes, even though Bobby did not support the fan favorites as the bad guy announcer. When Heenan left the company, the friends spent the night shedding tears in a hotel room because it was truly the end of an era. Multiple wrestling commentators have described him as the greatest professional wrestling manager of all time. It'd be easy to fill this entire list with Gorilla Monsoon and Heenan moments. Sept. 18, 2017 Bobby Heenan, a professional wrestler who found greater success managing other wrestlers and working as a quick-witted commentator, becoming one of the most colorful figures in a. He's had tons of funnier moments, but few times has he so effortlessly shown off his ad lib skills. He went off on everybody, but handed out dig after dig on Stu Hart. [20] At WrestleMania IV, he teamed with The Islanders to defeat The British Bulldogs and Koko B. TIL Bobby Heenan used to smoke pot to calm down after seeing some of Vince's creative decisions back in the day As told on the new JR podcast with Conrad, Bobby would get so irate at having to put over characters like Repo Man on commentary, he and JR used to smoke the weeds after or during TV tapings. Numerous wrestling. They were as close as family. Patera was one of the few wrestlers who didnt make a big leap when having Heenan as his manager. "The Brain" joined WCW for six years before returning to WWE at WrestleMania 17 to call the Gimmick Battle Royal. He has to hold back laughter several times. In a funny Prime Time Wrestling segment, Bobby Heenan tries to buy a horse from a shady character at the Kentucky Derby Museum. [Photo: June 25th, 1988] Bobby Heenan and Ultimate Warrior had a disdain for one another. [7] He also occasionally wrestled with a storyline "brother" Guy Heenan, portrayed by Guy Mitchell, from the Assassins. 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