[28] The treatments caused a great deal of weight loss, dramatically altering his appearance and voice. In addition to memorializing Monsoon, Heenan cracked jokes and told numerous stories about those superstars he managed and worked with over they years. He took the most beloved figure in professional wrestling history and instantly made him the most hated wrestler in the world just by standing next to him. Among other honors, he has been inducted into the Professional Wrestling, WWE, and Wrestling Observer halls of fame. [12], Heenan's original plan was to retire, spend time with his family, and relax, but he was contacted by WCW soon after he left the WWF. Hogan complained for years about Heenan ruining his WCW heel turn by questioning which side Hulk was on when he walked to the ring to form the New World Order. The Heenan Family was a stable of wrestlers managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan beginning in the 1970s. All the heat he'd drawn over the years makes the moment that much better as fans were eager to watch him make a fool of himself, if not fall completely off the animal. Once his weasel character was well established, Heenan periodically stepped in the ring to appease fans' desires to see him get the whippings he deserved. [12], Heenan was married to the former Cynthia Jean Perrett (known as Cindy) from June 21, 1978, until his death. [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? Some unintentional comedy from Bobby Heenan came about during Lex Luger's WWE debut. Seeing him post-managing and post-commentary on TV was a treat. Bruce Prichard revealed that Heenan hated working with Patera due to his stiff nature in the ring: "Ken was just so damn strong and you know Kenny was Kenny and worlds strongest man at the time. Heenan left WWE in 1993 with thoughts of retirement. [3], In 2004, he joined former WCW commentators Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko in providing commentary for the video game Showdown: Legends of Wrestling. Tony Shiavonne and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan talk about the very first ever Best Of The Best pay per view set for Super Saturday the weekend of Super Bowl XXX. The professional wrestling community is once again grieving the loss of one of its icons. Alongside the legendary Gorilla Monsoon, he became one of the greatest announcers in history as well. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan with Andre the Giant in 1987. Soon after making his final WWE appearance in December 1993, Bobby Heenan was contacted by WCW, who offered a lighter working schedule and health insurance. Perfect Curt Hennig, the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), Harley Race, and Andre the Giant. [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. [45], On September 17, 2017, Heenan died at the age of 72 while surrounded by family at his home in Largo, Florida. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA9QVTEUDdQ. Anderson admitted to releasing him but denied promising him indefinite employment. 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. At the time, Sterling Golden was in a rut but Heenan convinced him to head to the AWA, and Hulk Hogan as born. Whether you remember him from his days in the AWA, as the manager of legends like Mr. As a commentator and a manager, Heenan made both friends and enemies! For the rest of the show, Heenan sat out in the crowd, accompanied by an armed security guard. ", RIP Bobby Heenan pic.twitter.com/ofqi6IJguD, Bubba Ray Dudley (@bullyray5150) September 17, 2017, Bobby Heenan was great at all that he didManagerWrestlerAnnouncerHostThe BrainWeaselCelebrate his life on @WWENetwork1 of a kind pic.twitter.com/RdcVzUCmK4, Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) September 17, 2017. For what it's worth, Heenan still makes occasional appearances at wrestling conventions. Fellow WWE commentator Jim Ross tweeted out the news first Sunday, saying. WWE.com In 2002, he announced in a statement that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer and would be undergoing extensive rehabilitation. He died on 17 September 2017 in Largo, Florida, USA. [16] After the Busters had lost the titles back to Demolition a few months later,[16] he led the Colossal Connection (Andr and Haku) to win the Tag Team Championship when they defeated Demolition. JR on smoking weed with Bobby Heenan: "Heenan [was one of the nicest guys] because he's my partner. Family (1) Spouse RELATED: 10 Funniest Quotes From Bobby The Brain Heenan. Just got word that Bobby had a successful surgery and all is good. Over the next 13 years, he battled a number of health issues and heartbreakingly became nearly unrecognizable. Best Brain line: "That guy you sit on his lap at the discount store, just out of detox.". Raymond Louis Heenan was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 1, 1944. Our thoughts go out to the family of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Perfect. Heenans career changed for good when Vince McMahon pried Heenan away from AWA to join the World Wrestling Federation in 1984 as the manager of Jesse The Body Ventura. 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. He was the best trash-talker in the business. [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. He was both a wrestler and a manager during his 13-year run with the promotion, which he left in 1974. Related: Every Time Muhammed Ali Appeared In Pro Wrestling, Ranked. As a kid, it was exhilarating to think that one of the biggest, baddest and coolest villains was coming to the other side. [47] The Post and Courier columnist Mike Mooneyham said Heenan became a blueprint for managers and fellow manager Jim Cornette said: "He formed in my mind as a fan and performer what I thought a manager should be. He instantly became the top interviewer for the promotion and in a lot of . [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?" [12] In the second half of January 2008, he had come out of his medically induced coma. Where is Bobby The Brain Heenan? [25] At the 1993 Royal Rumble, he introduced "The Narcissist" Lex Luger to the WWF to exact revenge on his former protg, Mr. Fuji. He was married to Cynthia Jean Perrett. Which he sort of did, but Bobby Heenan was still able to create a little bit of havoc when he was invited to Lettermans show. Right out there and back.". In this promo he deftly rattles off insults, dogging the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the High Flyers. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan was one of the best to ever do it. I always confused as a kid, and admittedly still am, why a woman was named Mike. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, one of the most prolific managers and commentators in wrestling history, died at the age of 73 on Sunday. Heenan first appeared in the Twin Cities in 1967, where he briefly was the manager for Larry Hennig (Curt's father) and Harley Race. WWE Legend Ric Flair Hospitalized With Medical Issues, Bobby The Brain Heenan Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Bobby Heenan is the type of guy you could listen to tell stories long into the night. on November 1, 1944. Best Brain line: "That could be anybody's banana.". He was the best ever at what he did. The next year, on September 17, 2017, Bobby Heenan passed away, surrounded by his family. There are many things fans might not know about Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. He took up managing the team of Nick Bockwinkel and Ray "The Crippler" Stevens, a duo which won a third AWA World Tag Team Championship under his leadership. Heenan dropped out of school in the eighth grade to support his mother and grandmother. 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). 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. The original plan for Bobby Heenan in WWE was for him to manage Jesse "The Body" Ventura. as loud as they'd chant for any wrestler. [Heenan] did what every announcer should strive to do and that is to make talent bigger stars than they are and to embellish every talent's TV persona.[50]. Dennis Miller gave us a taste of that on his talk show in 2004. What an insulting way to go. 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. Bockwinkel would hold this title 2,990 days between 1975 and 1987. You would think after Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufman created a moment on Letterman that the late night talk show host would have learned his lesson. Having worked in TV and radio for several years, Mean Gene Okerlund was a prime choice to be the voice of The AWA. Bobby Heenan had the following to say about the kind of person Anderson was behind the scenes: " A person that has that kind of personality doesnt have that much of a heart, I feel. [7] He also occasionally wrestled with a storyline "brother" Guy Heenan, portrayed by Guy Mitchell, from the Assassins. In addition to this, the mayor of Milwaukee, Tom Barrett, declared December 5, 2009, to be "Bobby Heenan Day". 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. [30][6], On January 27, 1994, Heenan made his debut in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He's survived by his wife of 43 years, Cynthia (Cindy). In his later years, Heenan joined World Championship wrestling as a commentator and manager. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, King Kong Bundy, Andr the Giant, High Chief Sivi Afi, the Brain Busters (former Four Horsemen members Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), "Ravishing" Rick Rude, "King" Harley Race, the Islanders (Haku and Tama), Hercules, The Barbarian, Mr. A loving couple walked over and asked him to take their picture. He was a wrestler and a manager for the promotion before appearing in the American Wrestling Association in 1974. Warrior was stiff in the ring whenever working spots with Heenan and injured him on a few occasions. [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. 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 . Wrestling legend Bobby "The Brain" Heenan died at the age of 72 on Sunday. As a commentator and a manager, Heenan made both friends and enemies! It was here that Heenan first met Hulk Hogan, who he recommended to Gagne, and his long-running feud with the Hulkster began after Heenan returned to the AWA. He was previously married to Cynthia Jean Perrett. 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. And we loved smokin' weed. 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