Fuji. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan is a legendary wrestling personality. Perfect or Andre the Giant or as a broadcast journalist with Gorilla Monsoon, Heenan surely entertained you like no other. Heenan's head just about explodes when Luger starts to make his thighs quiver. 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. Ray Stevens breaks Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's trophy, December 25, 1976. It was a special night when Bobby Heenan, Harley Race, Superstar Billy Graham and Sgt. His cause of death was organ failure due to complications from the throat cancer that had been in remission since 2004. Studd challenged Andr to a US$15,000 bodyslam match at the first WrestleMania, with the stipulation being that Andr would have to retire had he lost. [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. According to sports journalist Woody Paige, he and Heenan were hanging out when a fan approached the heel manager for an autograph. Over the years in WWE, Heenan would manage some of the all-time greats, including Ravishing Rick Rude, Harley Race, Mr. 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. Bobby Heenan had no problem messing with anyone, including unsuspecting bystanders. 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. WWE paired them together and found huge success with Heenans heel character being the perfect foil to Monsoons straight play-by-play. When the WWF signed Ric Flair, Heenan spent several weeks talking Flair up as "The Real World's Heavyweight Champion", appearing onscreen with Flair's Big Gold Belt. Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid were known for working rough in the ring and trying to scare non-wrestlers. Heres what you need to know about the life and death of Heenan: Bobby "The Brain" Heenan dies at age 73- When It Was Cool article- #BobbyHeenan https://t.co/dyzDGRJVFd pic.twitter.com/WcOmdAE7i5, WhenItWasCool.com (@WIWCool) September 17, 2017, According to Pro Wrestling Sheets Ryan Satin, Heenans daughter told his close friends on Facebook that he was surrounded by family members as he passed. Their banter and comic chemistry is sorely missed. At the heartbreaking passing of WWE Hall of Famer Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Cathy Kelley pays a touching tribute to the legendary manager and looks back on his career in this very special edition of WWE Now. Wrestling legend Bobby "The Brain" Heenan died at the age of 72 on Sunday. The Ultimate Warrior - A war of words! Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 - September 17, 2017 ), better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (or derisively as Bobby "The Weasel" Heenan ), was an American professional wrestling manager, wrestler, comedian and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Rosenberg stated that Heenan "operated on multiple levels", adding: "If you were a little kid, he was the foil to your hero. But is that funnier than the fact that Heenan could never correctly pronounce "narcissist?". Heres a look back on the life, career, and heartbreaking demise of Bobby The Brain Heenan. Seeing Heenan go down in flames in the process made it that much more rewarding. Whether you remember him from his days in the AWA, as the manager of legends like Mr. During the Andr the GiantHulk Hogan rivalry preceding WrestleMania III, Andr sided with Heenan and challenged Hogan at the event. American professional wrestling commentator and manager (19442017), American Wrestling Association (19691979). Few wrestlers received as many public insults from Bobby Heenan as the Ultimate Warrior did. according to WWE. For the rest of the show, Heenan sat out in the crowd, accompanied by an armed security guard. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Best known for his legendary run in WWE, Heenan also had plenty of success in promotions such as the AWA and WCW and was one of the key pieces to the wrestling boom of the 1980s. Heenan also cited the short driving distance between WCW's home base of Atlanta and his daughter's school in Alabama. Related: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Brian Pillman. 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. [12] Instead, Heenan managed Big John Studd (whom Heenan was best friends with in the AWA) in his feud against Andr the Giant. Another moment between the pair often occurred when Heenan would go on a long rant supporting the villainous wrestlers, until an exasperated Monsoon would say either: "Will you stop? The Undertakers Return: When Will the WWE Legend Return to TV? [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. Just got word that Bobby had a successful surgery and all is good. [42], In January 2002, Heenan announced that he had throat cancer. American Wrestling Association: Early 1970s: Bobby Heenan became the mastermind behind the triumphant faction known as The Heenan Family. Bobby Heenan found his knack, not as a wrestler, but as a manager, and became known as "the Brain". Professional wrestling was his calling. For brief moment in between stints with the AWA and WWE, Heenan took his considerable talents down south to Georgia Championship Wrestling. [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. Bobby Heenan just passed away a few hours ago. His presence made any wrestler, any gimmick seem more important. Bobby "The Brains" Heenan. Born November 1, 1944 Died September 17, 2017 (72) It made him calm. Bobby Heenan was born Raymond Louis Heenan in Chicago, IL. Heenan shared a funny story about a stewardess bringing Andre a screwdriver tool on a plane when he asked for it. [23] His final in ring match came on August 2, 1991, at a house show in Long Island, New York, where he defeated Mr. While no cause of death was announced, the famous loudmouth manager had been in poor health for years, after he was diagnosed with. 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. Vince liked the idea and tweaked it, making Royal Rumble history. The Heenan Family was a stable of wrestlers managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan beginning in the 1970s. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon started poaching just about every single promotions top stars to bring to WWE and Bobby Heenan made the jump in 1984. 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. There are many things fans might not know about Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Heenan finally managed his first champion in the WWF when "Ravishing" Rick Rude upset The Ultimate Warrior for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, a match Heenan ensured Rude would win by holding Warrior's leg down so he could not break the pin. Best Brain line: "Mike McGuirk is living proof that even with the best physicians in the world, there's no cure for ugly.". And we loved smokin' weed. Like many WWE stars of the '80s, Bobby Heenan started out in Verne Gagne's AWA. He showed that even weakened by cancer, he was still the same guyquick-witted, sardonic, brilliant. Bobby Heenan is the type of guy you could listen to tell stories long into the night. Evidently, McMahon instructed Heenan to create said havoc. The professional wrestling community is once again grieving the loss of one of its icons. Heenan went under the surgical knife once again in 2015 for an undisclosed issue, his longtime friend and colleague Mean Gene Okerlund tweeted. Sarcasm and smoothness on the mic were on full display here. I suppose they wanted to balance out the heel/face ratio, but why hear Duggan and Hillbilly when you can hear "The Brain"? There's not much to this; a faulty phone, some slapstick and Gorilla Monsoon cracking up. He was survived by his wife of 40 years, Cindy, his daughter, Jessica, and two grandchildren. In 2002, he announced in a statement that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer and would be undergoing extensive rehabilitation. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan managed Nick Bockwinkel to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship on November 8, 1975. WWE WWE Hall of Famer Bobby "The Brain" Heenan died on Sunday, the WWE confirmed, at the age of 73. From there, Heenan managed some of wrestlings biggest stars and appeared on the TV screen with legends such as Andre the Giant. 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. [33], On April 1, 2001, Heenan returned to the WWF and provided commentary to the Gimmick Battle Royal match at WrestleMania X-Seven alongside "Mean" Gene Okerlund. The more people who are exposed to him, the better. His last WWE appearance ever was on the June 11, 2007 episode of Monday Night RAW on McMahon Appreciation Night., Kurt Angle & Jason Jordan: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, "I don't look at myself as a hero or smart person. He was eventually brought out the coma slowly by doctors after a few months, but he was unable to speak. If the late, great Gorilla Monsoon couldnt shut me up, cancer isnt going to either.. Heenan made a recovery from the throat cancer, but lost large amounts of weight, and his voice and appearance changed dramatically. Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, wrestler, and comedian. [3] Shortly thereafter, he led the Brain Busters to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship. Best Brain line: "That guy you sit on his lap at the discount store, just out of detox.". He was an actor, known for WrestleMania X-Seven (2001), Saturday Night's Main Event (1985) and WCW Bash at the Beach (1996). I never understood why Heenan had to share the spotlight at these roundtable segments with Hillbilly Jim and Hacksaw Jim Duggan. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. He stayed with the company until 2000 before leaving and making sporadic appearances with the WWE. Bobby Heenan reminded everyone how entertaining he was by sharing details of his career, including thanking Harley Race for their time working together. 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. In addition to memorializing Monsoon, Heenan cracked jokes and told numerous stories about those superstars he managed and worked with over they years. Heenan also suffered from a broken hip and pelvis after falling in 2011 and went through tongue cancer treatments in 2013, he told Jim Ross. On a recent episode of What Happened When Mondays, Tony Schiavone spoke about why Bobby Heenan held such resentment toward him for so long. 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. Heenan quickly made it much funnier by feigning the same goof. He left for 18 months or so, then came back in 1969 as the. During a time when idealistic hero worship was the norm, Heenan viewed things in a way that would shape the industry decades later. When WWE Hall of Fame manager Bobby "The . 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. Nobody made weaseling as entertaining as Bobby Heenan. After managing in the company for nearly 5 years, Rick Rude finally brought the very fir Ware. During his time with WWA, Heenan also appeared in a number of other promotions in the Midwest, one of them being Verne Gagnes American Wrestling Association (AWA) in Minnesota, which is where he first used The Brain nickname in 1969. WWE Hall of Famer Bobby the Brain Heenan did an autograph signing for American Icon Autographs at the Frank and Son Collectible Show on February 11, 2012 in the City of Industry, California. Fed up with Heenan's constant insults, Monsoon threw him and his belongings out of the arena and onto the street. But when one fan met Heenan, he wound up with the experience and memory of a lifetime. Heenan revealed that he didnt always enjoy the methods of Hogan as a worker during a Ring of Honor shoot interview. [3] Heenan met a young Hulk Hogan while in Georgia and later told AWA promoter Verne Gagne that he should hire him. ", 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. He died on September 17, 2017 in Largo, Florida, USA. Bobby Heenan is the type of guy you could listen to tell stories long into the night. [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. Would love your thoughts, please comment. [23], Heenan, calling himself a "broadcast journalist",[27] bashed fan favorites and cheered for their opponents while they cheated or did something under-handed. 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. In December 2007, he underwent reconstructive jaw surgery and had to be placed in a medically induced coma. WCW went out of business less than a year after his release. However, he was back in the hospital once again in December 2009 after an exam showed that his reconstructed jaw had an infection. 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.. Having spent over fifty years in the wrestling business, Heenan has a lot of stories. [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. Most wrestlers voiced support of Heenan over Warrior who had more than enough reasons to dislike the controversial figure. [19], Heenan also wrestled sporadically in his WWF run. The news of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's passing today gutted me. While Bockwinkel was AWA Champion in 1976, Lanza and Duncum captured the AWA World Tag Team Championship, making Heenan the first manager in history to simultaneously manage both a major promotion's singles and tag team champions. 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. The Bobby Heenan Show- It was Vince's idea. He was the best ever at what he did. Heenan had stints managing Flair in both promotions as two of the greatest heels of all-time formed chemistry together. 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. Wrestling legend Bobby Heenan passes away. Heenan was known for his skill in elevating villainous on-screen talent by drawing negative reactions for himself and his wrestlers from the crowd. [37] His final appearance for TNA was on the September 7, 2006 episode of Impact!, when he appeared to make a bid to manage "free agent" Robert Roode. Joey is a writer with a decade of experience writing about sports, entertainment, and pop culture. "JAKKS, Ringside, someone save us from our prototype hell!" Refs WF - 101 eBay - 330 For what it's worth, Heenan still makes occasional appearances at wrestling conventions. 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. Im just happy the last words I said to him were, "I love you Bobby. 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.. 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. Perfect Curt Hennig, the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), Harley Race, and Andre the Giant. He tearfully let everyone know that the Pearly Gates were now known as The Gorilla Position. The belief of Heenan was that Goldberg should have remained undefeated longer and led the company to new heights. David Dennis, Jr. May 22, 2015. He was inducted into the Hall prior to WrestleMania 20 and paid tribute to Monsoon during his speech. [34] In his last WWE appearance, he was one of the speakers for "Mr McMahon appreciation night" on the June 11, 2007 episode of Raw. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan(born Raymond Louis Heenanon November 1, 1943 - September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling manager and color commentator. "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. [28] The treatments caused a great deal of weight loss, dramatically altering his appearance and voice. Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame, "Bobby Heenan, Professional Wrestling Personality, Dies at 72", "Looking back at the illustrious career of Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan", "Bobby Heenan Passes Away At 72 Years Old", "Column: Remembering the time a fan shot at Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan", "Bobby Heenan: The wrestling manager Chicago loved to hate", "Former wrestling manager Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan dead at 73", "Bobby Heenan, greatest pro wrestling manager of all-time, dead at age 72 after long battle with throat cancer", "RIP: A life look at WWE Hall of Famer Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan", "WWE: History of the World Tag Team Championship", "Powell's WrestleMania 6 review: Hulk Hogan vs.
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