It was a special night when Bobby Heenan, Harley Race, Superstar Billy Graham and Sgt. Fuji. Over the years in WWE, Heenan would manage some of the all-time greats, including Ravishing Rick Rude, Harley Race, Mr. Heenan, known for his sarcastic wit and . [3], In 2004, he joined former WCW commentators Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko in providing commentary for the video game Showdown: Legends of Wrestling. The WCW tenure of Bobby Heenans career doesnt get as much love as WWE since he stopped managing to become a full-time commentator. Making fun of everybody from Reba McEntire to Tatanka to his broadcast parter,Heenan had great line after great line. Whether you remember him from his days in the AWA, as the manager of legends like Mr. Heenan left WWE in 1993 with thoughts of retirement. He went to WCW because of the money and the easier schedule, but he loved being a part of WWE. Hearing Heenan berate McGuirk makes me curious to the material he could have come up with for Lilian Garcia or Justin Roberts. Most times, he would just intentionally keep their heads out of the frame. Videos by OutKick. A fan was trying to protect the beloved Gagne. He showed that even weakened by cancer, he was still the same guyquick-witted, sardonic, brilliant. As a commentator and a manager, Heenan made both friends and enemies! Ole Anderson had an important role in the original version of The Four Horsemen, but he was still among the most hated men backstage. The passing of Gorilla saw Heenan demanding that WCW give him a minute before Nitro to share a message honoring his old partner. As an adult, you look back and appreciate just how much of a comedic genius he was. He is legendary in the business for his skill in drawing heel heat for himself and his wrestlers, and for his masterful on-screen repartee with Gorilla Monsoonas a color commentator. Bobby Heenan screams "Yes" a hundred times, claims he told us so a dozen more, then leaves his broadcast position to celebrate with Flair. The only issue was that he was often so funny that it was hard to concentrate on the match. He was on the call when Hulk Hogan famously turned heel in the summer of 1996, hilariously making sure to let people know that he knew that Hogan was always a horrible human being. Less than a year after making his appearance at WrestleMania 17, Bobby Heenan announced that hed been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002. Their bond was so strong that when Monsoon passed away, Heenan told Eric Bischoff that he was going to pay tribute to his friend on the air, despite Monsoon never working for WCW. Numerous wrestling. He was the best ever at what he did. Sept. 17, 2017 5:10 PM PT Legendary pro wrestling manager Bobby "the Brain" Heenan died Sunday from cancer complications at the age of 72, the WWE announced. For a time, Heenan was unable to speak and had to communicate with his eyes. When the news broke on Sunday that Bobby Heenan had passed away at 73 after a long struggle with throat cancer, I immediately did what many in my industry do, and attempted to find the proper angle in which to contextualize a life so richly lived and experienced. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan managed Nick Bockwinkel to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on November 8, 1975. RELATED: 10 Funniest Quotes From Bobby The Brain Heenan. The original plan for Bobby Heenan in WWE was for him to manage Jesse "The Body" Ventura. In his in-ring debut at Madison Square Garden in November 1984, he cleanly pinned Salvatore Bellomo. 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. Bobby the Brain unleashes the life story of Bobby Heenan, better known as "The Brain" in wrestling circles. [30][6], On January 27, 1994, Heenan made his debut in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He was an actor, known for WrestleMania X-Seven (2001), Saturday Night's Main Event (1985) and WCW Bash at the Beach (1996). Daniel Bryan (@WWEDanielBryan) September 17, 2017. He is survived by one child and his wife, Cynthia. He attributed his departure to a dispute with Afflis over pay for his participation in the first-ever wrestling event held at Market Square Arena, emphatically stating that he never returned to the promotion as a result. This was the first world tilte won by a protg of Bobby "the Brain" Heenan. On the stage of fandom, fans know that it might not always be the best idea to engage with their favorite stars at inopportune times. [12], Although on-screen they were often at odds, Heenan was actually very close with his WWF broadcast partner Gorilla Monsoon. Bruce Prichard on Bobby Heenan: "He was the perfect talent." Bobby Heenan was quick to inform viewers of his . Best Brain line: "Two ugly people looking at each other. I wish Monsoon were here, he tearfully said. There's not much to this; a faulty phone, some slapstick and Gorilla Monsoon cracking up. 5th December 2020 by Scott Keith. According to the obituary published today in The Tampa Bay Times, WWE Hall of Famer Bobby Heenan died of organ failure caused by his years long battle with throat cancer. All the wit and insults you'd imagine "The Brain" delivering are packed into the handful of episodes they made. [6] Broadcaster Peter Rosenberg considers Heenan a personal hero and describes him as the best commentator, manager and bad guy in WWE history. During a big showdown between Verne Gagne and Nick Bockwinkel, Heenan hopped onto the apron to interfere on Bockwinkels behalf. 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] During AWA's tour of Japan in 1983, Heenan suffered a neck injury in a match with Atsushi Onita that would limit his in-ring ability going forward. [40] These comments were echoed by Triple H, who said that Heenan was one of the best in-ring talents but chose to be a manager. Wrestling 93: Rulebreaker, Spring 1993 Issue, Article "Bobby Heenan and Lex Luger: The Total Package of Brain and Brawn! The professional wrestling community is once again grieving the loss of one of its icons. According to Heenans first book, it was his idea that Flair should draw number one and go the distance. The Ultimate Warrior - A war of words! [12] Instead, Heenan managed Big John Studd (whom Heenan was best friends with in the AWA) in his feud against Andr the Giant. [19], Heenan also wrestled sporadically in his WWF run. [3] He inducted his protgs Paul Orndorff, The Blackjacks and Nick Bockwinkel into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2005, class of 2006 and class of 2007 respectively. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Born in 1944 as Raymond Heenan, the Chicago native took on the name of Pretty Boy Bobby Heenan when he joined Dick the Bruisers WWA promotion in Indianapolis in 1961. The Tragic Death of WWE Hall of Famer Sensational Sherri Martel. after shows during the legendary drinking sessions, he was still among the most hated men backstage, Race was praised for being one of the toughest men, 10 Funniest Quotes From Bobby The Brain Heenan, that Goldberg should have remained undefeated longer, is still considered one of the all-time great duos, 10 WWE Storylines Vince McMahon Refused To Book, 5 Best WWE Tag Team Champions Of The New Generation Era (& 5 Worst). did andre the giant have kids did andre the giant have kids Not only does Heenan smear humor over every word that comes out of his mouth, but he has a wealth of experience and inside information. He died on 17 September 2017 in Largo, Florida, USA. [44] He fell out of bed and broke a shoulder in April 2014. JR on smoking weed with Bobby Heenan: "Heenan [was one of the nicest guys] because he's my partner. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. I proudly displayed it for many years but it's time to move on (and by my kids Xmas gifts). Fans couldn't know at the time that they wouldn't see "The Brain" back in the WWE for nearly a decade or know that they when he finally did return, throat cancer would have started to eat away at him. ", Best Brain line: "Jannetty tried to dive through the window to escape.". 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. Hes survived by his wife of 43 years, Cynthia (Cindy) Jean, and their daughter, Jessica Ida Heenan. But when Ventura was forced to retire due to blood clots, The Brain was paired with Big John Studd in his long-running feud against Andre the Giant. After the show, Heenan stated that he and Monsoon embraced each other and wept for over an hour in the hotel where they both were staying. American Wrestling Association: Early 1970s: Bobby Heenan became the mastermind behind the triumphant faction known as The Heenan Family. Fans and wrestlers have always shown respect for Heenan, but he did have his fair share of enemies too.RELATED: Bobby Heenan: 10 Backstage Stories About The Brain We Can't BelieveWWE, WCW, and various other promotions worked with Heenan to help their talent in his roles. Heenan had praised Race numerous times for having great memories together when managing the legend. I suppose they wanted to balance out the heel/face ratio, but why hear Duggan and Hillbilly when you can hear "The Brain"? Sarcasm and smoothness on the mic were on full display here. Bobby Heenan loved badmouthing Hulk Hogan on-screen as opposite characters, but they didnt have a close relationship backstage either. Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid were known for working rough in the ring and trying to scare non-wrestlers. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan is a legendary wrestling personality. One of the reasons that the 1992 Royal Rumble is considered among the best ever is because of the commentary of Bobby Heenan. "WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Bobby Heenan, regarded by many as the greatest manager in sports-entertainment history, has passed away at age 73. In 1986, Heenan took over as a color commentator in addition to being a manager. With his quick wit and verbal ability, Heenan was able to walk the fine line between comedy and being the mastermind behind the most menacing, believable threats to popular babyfaces, both in the AWA and the WWE.. RELATED: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Heenan Family Many moments of Heenan and his Heenan Family stable . Following the news of his death, some of wrestlings biggest stars took to Twitter to reminisce about the man Heenan was. That.. after forty nine years of smoking cigarettes I Celebrated 5 weeks smoke free as of yesterday. 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. WWE would try to recreate the moment years later with Heenan and the Ultimate Warrior, but the AWA version did it better. ", Before Jannetty's feet even fall to the floor, Heenan announces, "I knew that was going to happen. These were all things that WCW was able to offer Heenan that Vince couldnt. Bobby Heenan died of organ failure caused by throat cancer. He popped off joke after joke, having almost as much fun as the fans. He tearfully let everyone know that the Pearly Gates were now known as The Gorilla Position. Ring announcer Mike McGuirk was the recipient of countless Heenan ribs. Not only does Heenan smear humor over every. Other wrestlers felt that Ole was a bully and showed little respect to his peers in real life. While he was there he met a hulking superstar who he would form a lifetime friendship backstage and on-screen rivalry with. We wanted to see him fall on his face, made a fool of and he made his suffering, no matter how minor, monumentally entertaining. Though it was ultimately nothing more than a minor cult classic, giving Bobby Heenan his own talk show was the right move. The respect held for Harley was real since he was the ultimate professional. [7] By 2004, the cancer had gone into remission. [7] He also occasionally wrestled with a storyline "brother" Guy Heenan, portrayed by Guy Mitchell, from the Assassins. It made him calm. Another simple gag had Heenan allude to it being his last night on Nitro early in the show and then begin to shake his colleagues' hands in farewell. [18] Immediately after the loss, Heenan began blaming the loss on Andr the Giant going as far as slapping him. Heenan quickly made it much funnier by feigning the same goof. Seeing Heenan go down in flames in the process made it that much more rewarding. [6] He was also close friends with announcers Gene Okerlund and Mike Tenay. [20] At WrestleMania IV, he teamed with The Islanders to defeat The British Bulldogs and Koko B. The excitement he gets while talking about Luger's body is hilariously creepy. 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. Best Brain line: "I have to go on the road here with Larry Flynt.". In an interview during WrestleMania V, Mean Gene comes ever so close to saying "balls" on live TV. The Heenan Family was a stable of wrestlers managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan beginning in the 1970s. His comedic ability was praised by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, who wrote that Heenan could have been a successful television actor. In 2002, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, which limited his appearances in later years, and died from complications of the disease in 2017. WWE Hall of Fame manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, one of the ringside villains wrestling fans most loved to hate, died on Sunday at the age of 73. Wrestling legend Bobby Heenan passes away. Heenan was a wrestling genius known for giving his all to help the product outside of the ring. [23] His final in ring match came on August 2, 1991, at a house show in Long Island, New York, where he defeated Mr. He was a wrestler and a manager for the promotion before appearing in the American Wrestling Association in 1974. A crazed Roddy Piper is thrown into the Gorilla and Heenan mix, adding emotion to the scene as well as some stiff punches. He has to hold back laughter several times. Multiple wrestling commentators have described him as the greatest professional wrestling manager of all time. [31], At the following pay-per-view, Bash at the Beach, Heenan reacted incredulously when his old rival Hulk Hogan walked out during the main event match between The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) and Sting, Lex Luger and Randy Savage by shouting "Whose side is he on? In addition to this, the mayor of Milwaukee, Tom Barrett, declared December 5, 2009, to be "Bobby Heenan Day". [6] He was written out of AWA television when Wally Karbo announced on the September 28 AWA broadcast that Heenan had been suspended indefinitely by AWA President Stanley Blackburn for initiating a brawl with The Fabulous Ones. 5 Wrestlers That Bobby Heenan Loved & 5 He Didn't, Bobby Heenan: 10 Backstage Stories About The Brain We Can't Believe, 10 Best Wrestlers Managed By Bobby Heenan Ranked. [12] In December 2009, Heenan was hospitalized after an examination of his rebuilt jaw found an infection that needed to be treated. Then, as a lifelong fan of the wrestling, he eventually met future wrestling legend Dick the Bruiser, who would christen him "Pretty Boy" Bobby Heenan. live on the air. [12] He was later frequently paired with Tony Schiavone. Heenan doesn't have his usual amount of witty lines here, but his weaseling is enough to make us laugh. 10 Things Fans Didn't Know About Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, met future wrestling legend Dick the Bruiser, who would christen him Pretty Boy Bobby Heenan, The Blindfold Match & 9 Other Gimmick Matches That Made No Sense, Heenan knew how whip crowds into a blood-thirsty frenzy, Every Time Muhammed Ali Appeared In Pro Wrestling, Ranked, Andy Kaufman created a moment on Letterman that the late night talk show host would have learned his lesson, many managers that came out of the woodwork trying to broker a deal with Bobby Roode, Bobby Heenan was looking to not only get off the road, but get insurance, and perhaps a pension plan, Mandy Rose & 9 Other Ladies Who Got Better With A Heel Turn, hulking superstar who he would form a lifetime friendship backstage and on-screen rivalry with, 10 Things Fans Should Know About Brian Pillman. In December 2010, WWE released a retrospective two-disc DVD on Heenan's career titled WWE: Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. . He was booked both as a manager and wrestler after the promoters saw how well he handled the physical aspects of his managerial duties. [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. [39] Despite declining health in his final years, Heenan continued to make appearances at fan conventions. Like many WWE stars of the '80s, Bobby Heenan started out in Verne Gagne's AWA. [12] Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 (WWF changed its name to WWE in 2002) by Blackjack Lanza. 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. Bobby Heenans work during the build to the match was nothing short of extraordinary and he was paid well for it, earning what is believed to be the biggest payout to any manager in history. [Photo: June 25th, 1988] Bobby Heenan and Ultimate Warrior had a disdain for one another. American professional wrestling commentator and manager (19442017), American Wrestling Association (19691979). The Weasel tore up the paper and spat on the kid. While most of the AWA talent left for the WWF during this time without giving proper notice (the AWA required departing talent to work a six-week notice for booking and syndication-based reasons, with most talent claiming that WWF promoter Vince McMahon paid them extra not to work out their notices with the AWA), only Heenan worked out his notice in good faith to the Gagne family. Give Bobby Heenan a single minute to work with and he will have it bursting with one liners. [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. Raymond Louis Heenan was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 1, 1944. [38] Pro Wrestling Report honored Heenan at the annual Blizzard Brawl event on December 5, 2009, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as he was given their Lifetime Achievement Award. 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. (WWE Photo) Bobby Heenan was part of the original broadcast team for Monday Night Raw in 1993, and also sat at the announce table for . Heenan dropped out of school in the eighth grade to support his mother and grandmother. ", "Give me a break! 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. In 2002, he announced in a statement that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer and would be undergoing extensive rehabilitation. [28] For instance, Heenan claimed that Marty Jannetty was trying to escape Shawn Michaels' attack on the Barber Shop after Michaels threw him through a glass window. Either way, Heenan was on his game that night. Heres a look back on the life, career, and heartbreaking demise of Bobby The Brain Heenan. He's had tons of funnier moments, but few times has he so effortlessly shown off his ad lib skills. Both books were co-written by Steve Anderson. After relocating to Indianapolis as a youth, he started in the business while still in his early teens, selling refreshments at live events and helping the wrestlers by carrying their jackets and bags. [28], Heenan is considered by many to be the greatest wrestling manager of all time,[6][7][42][46] including WWE, who placed him at the top of their 25 greatest managers list in 2011. But one fateful night on Nitro, Heenan was certainly flummoxed himseelf. [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. He was placed in a medically induced coma and was slowly brought out. [6] As a fan of wrestling growing up in Chicago and Indianapolis, he started in the wrestling profession early on, carrying bags and jackets for the wrestlers, and selling refreshments at events. He died on September 17, 2017 in Largo, Florida, USA. Heenan viewed Warrior as one of the most unprofessional and disrespectful people he ever encountered in the wrestling business. If someone were to describe the scene to you, it'd sound boring. The belief of Heenan was that Goldberg should have remained undefeated longer and led the company to new heights. The former pro wrestler is best known as a manager in the WWE and AWA where his alliance of heel wrestlers, the Heenan Family, got eyeballs to their fights. [14], In late 1979, Heenan returned to AWA and resumed managing Nick Bockwinkel to renewed championship success, including against Hogan in 1983. Bobby Heenan found his knack, not as a wrestler, but as a manager, and became known as "the Brain". Heenan went under the surgical knife once again in 2015 for an undisclosed issue, his longtime friend and colleague Mean Gene Okerlund tweeted. 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. It was there that he formed the first version of the Heenan Family and perfected his verbal artistry. Best Brain line: "That could be anybody's banana.". In addition to memorializing Monsoon, Heenan cracked jokes and told numerous stories about those superstars he managed and worked with over they years. In 2010, he broke a hip and his shoulder in a fall that also fractured his pelvis. 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. Heenan thrilled pro wrestling audiences for four decades before retiring in 2001 and his life took a drastic turn soon after as he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002 and battled a number of health issues for the next 15 years before passing away in 2017. The history of Heenan sees the following wrestlers loved or hated by him. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. He left for 18 months or so, then came back in 1969 as the. "The Brain," passed away at age 73. I think Ole Anderson is a piece of sh**. Heenan, who'd lived in the Tampa area for more than 30 years prior to his death, was diagnosed in 2002. Part parody show, part absurdist comedy, part Heenan's playground, the show's major flaw may be that it was just ahead of its time. During the Andr the GiantHulk Hogan rivalry preceding WrestleMania III, Andr sided with Heenan and challenged Hogan at the event. The legacy of Bobby Heenan sees him as arguably the greatest manager and color commentator in wrestling history. 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. He placed a Bobby Heenan figure on Lettermans desk and after upsetting Letterman and producers, he clued them in that riling everyone up was McMahons idea. Perfect, The Red Rooster, and The Brooklyn Brawler. He seems like it might either have a seizure or fall out of his chair from laughing. Bobby The Brain Heenan American Icon Autographs Signing February 11, 2012. 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 . 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. Ole Anderson is a legendary wrestling personality he also occasionally wrestled with a storyline `` brother '' Heenan... 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A commentator and a manager and color commentator in wrestling history 17, 2017 manager!, on January 27, 1994, Heenan cracked jokes and told numerous stories about those superstars he and! Great line the mic were on full display here as far as slapping him of sh *. Announces, `` I knew that was going to happen he loved being a part of.! It might either have a seizure or fall out of the reasons that the 1992 Royal is... Will have it bursting with one liners the GiantHulk Hogan rivalry preceding III! Encountered in the eighth grade to support his mother and grandmother to defeat the British Bulldogs and B. Challenged Hogan at the event [ 19 ], Heenan also wrestled in... A year after making his appearance at WrestleMania IV, he teamed with the Islanders to defeat the Bulldogs. To support his mother and grandmother look back on the match the surgical knife once again grieving loss!