
“(I was) allowed to express myself and bring my comedy into a business I often thought needed a kick in the pants and a couple of smiles rather than a guy blowing his nose and spitting,” said Heenan. Heenan never shied from speaking his mind to get a rise out an opponent, to put down a rival he deemed inferior, and, as he admitted during his 2004 induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, to entertain the WWE Universe in the best way he knew how. sends well wishes to Cindys friends and family in their time of mourning. Heenan returned to the WWE mic at Wrestlemania X-Seven alongside “Mean” Gene Okerlund to provide commentary for the Gimmick Battle Royal.
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He was part of the original broadcast team for Monday Night RAW in 1993, and is the only person to have sat at the announcer’s table for both RAW and WCW Monday Nitro. The self-proclaimed “broadcast journalist” regularly played favorites during matches he called and argued frequently with announcing partner and longtime friend Gorilla Monsoon in a pairing that rivaled the likes of Abbott & Costello for humor and chemistry. Perfect" Curt Hennig, the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), Harley Race, and of course, the first WWE Hall of Famer, Andre the Giant - whom Heenan led to the ring at WrestleMania III before 93,173 Humanoids (Heenan’s nickname for the WWE Universe) at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1987.įor all the bravado Heenan brought to the managerial ranks, he made himself louder and prouder as an announcer. (Heenan also disliked the lowly “stable” description that he felt was “A place where you keep a bunch of fly-infested horses.”) Members of the Heenan Family need no introduction, as they include such legends as AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel, the Blackjacks, Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, "Mr. 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. In his younger days, he dropped out of eight grade to support his mother and grandmother. WWE Superstars under Heenan’s guidance came to be known as the Heenan Family, a moniker meant to show the strength of their alliance over the average stable. Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan was one of the best to ever do it. Heenan plied his trade as their mischievous manager by running his mouth on their behalf with a sarcastic wit considered among the best in the business – and by often weaseling out of facing the inevitable consequences. In a career spanning over four decades, Bobby Heenan was the “The Brain” behind some of the most prolific Superstars in WWE history. We just never listened.You can call Bobby Heenan an evil genius or a broadcast journalist.
BOBBY THEBRAIN HEENEN PROFESSIONAL
Bobby ‘The Brain" Heenan was the savior of not only the WWE but professional wrestling as a whole.

Heenan helped usher in a fresh perspective on storytelling that professional wrestling desperately needed. Bobby The Brain Heenan went on to manage some of the most successful wrestlers in the world, creating The Heenan Family, a stable that existed in several. During a time when idealistic hero worship was the norm, Heenan viewed things in a way that would shape the industry decades later. He passed away in 2017 following an extended battle with throat cancer.īobby "The Brain" Heenan was a breath of fresh air in professional wrestling. Gorilla Mnsoon had warned Heenan about his antics several times, and physically pulled The Brain from his commentary position and threw him out of the arena and into the streets. While Hogan would return to WWF in 2002, Heenan would only return for occasional appearances. Bobby Heenans final night as an announcer on Monday Night Raw came on December 6, 1993.

Both Hogan and Heenan would leave WCW shortly before the promotion closed doors in 2001. The nWo under Hogan's lead would prove to be a devastating force in professional wrestling, leading WCW to a long string of victories in the Monday Night Wars as Heenan continued to deride Hogan on commentary. Wrestling took on a more realistic approach, with the WWF eventually catching up and creating the Attitude Era. Heenan gave the world so many memorable moments that it's impossible to narrow down just five. I knew it should have been done a long time ago.”įorming the New World Order marked a change in Hogan’s once virtuous character that fans had never seen before. Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan died at the age of 73, and he's being immediately remembered in hundreds of tweets and messages across the globe. I never thought I'd see people throwing debris at Hulk Hogan.

“What have I been saying all these years?" Heenan would ask his broadcast colleagues as Hogan talked down to the crowd, "Huh? What have I been saying all these years?.
