The commentary team of Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon is still considered one of the all-time great duos. He was a wrestler and a manager for the promotion before appearing in the American Wrestling Association in 1974. 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. 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. He somehow manages to sell the paper while trashing it. Wrestling legend Bobby Heenan passes away. Throat cancer has tried to take away one of wrestling's great voices, but it can never touch these clips and these memories. Hes survived by his wife of 43 years, Cynthia (Cindy) Jean, and their daughter, Jessica Ida Heenan. Even with how silly this concept is, "The Brain" sells it. according to WWE. He was eventually brought out the coma slowly by doctors after a few months, but he was unable to speak. Outside of wrestling, Heenan authored two books, appeared on numerous television shows, and briefly hosted a parody talk show titled The Bobby Heenan Show on WWF Prime Time Wrestling. I have a seventh-grade education, but I've had a lot of fun. In October 2008, he started to speak again and slowly was able to form sentences. Andre had Heenan roll around in a tub of grapes and Heenan denied that it was indicative of a failing relationship. Bobby Heenan is the type of guy you could listen to tell stories long into the night. Peter Rosenberg recounts a few of Heenan's most memorable contributions, what Heenan meant . 9 Mean Gene Okerlund. Thank you for all the support. In his in-ring debut at Madison Square Garden in November 1984, he cleanly pinned Salvatore Bellomo. Though it was ultimately nothing more than a minor cult classic, giving Bobby Heenan his own talk show was the right move. He was placed in a medically induced coma and was slowly brought out. When Monday Nitro debuted in 1995, Heenan was the lead color commentator there as well, initially alongside Steve McMichael and Eric Bischoff before later being paired up with another former WWE announcer, Tony Schiavone. "JAKKS, Ringside, someone save us from our prototype hell!" Refs WF - 101 eBay - 330 Weasel chants went on to become something crowds many years later would go nuts with. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's life and career left an indelible mark on the world of professional wrestling. He ended up going to WCW, mostly because they offered a lighter schedule and better insurance. [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. Our thoughts go out to the family of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. He was unsure at first, but accepted their offer once he found out that WCW provided lighter work schedules and health insurance. Watching him scrounge around in the dark for his roll of toilet paper and loose socks was equally heart-rending and hilarious. He was an actor, known for WrestleMania X-Seven (2001), Saturday Night's Main Event (1985) and WCW Bash at the Beach (1996). Heenan wouldnt have to do house shows and was able to be closer to his daughter, who was in college at the time. 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. Best Brain line: "That could be anybody's banana.". In December 2007, he underwent reconstructive jaw surgery and had to be placed in a medically induced coma. In December 2007, he had reconstructive surgery to repair his jaw and was placed into a medically-induced coma. [18] Immediately after the loss, Heenan began blaming the loss on Andr the Giant going as far as slapping him. The disease took away his ability to speak, but what he'd . This is really sad to see and we wish "The Brain" all the best. [12] In the second half of January 2008, he had come out of his medically induced coma. 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. The Tragic Death of WWE Hall of Famer Sensational Sherri Martel. 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. In addition to this, the mayor of Milwaukee, Tom Barrett, declared December 5, 2009, to be "Bobby Heenan Day". Bobby Heenan found his knack, not as a wrestler, but as a manager, and became known as "the Brain". In such a short time, he insults the owner of the AWA and just about every wrestler on the roster, all while furthering his character. The short stint of Bobby Heenan managing Ken Patera in WWE saw them failing to get along, even though they didnt have strong heat. [12], Heenan was signed by the WWF in 1984 with the intention of him managing Jesse Ventura, however Ventura's retirement due to blood clots in his lungs prevented this from happening. 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. Related: The Blindfold Match & 9 Other Gimmick Matches That Made No Sense. Luke and Brutus also signed. He was survived by his wife of 40 years, Cindy, his daughter, Jessica, and two grandchildren. [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. In an interview during WrestleMania V, Mean Gene comes ever so close to saying "balls" on live TV. [19] For his work in promoting Andr the Giant's match with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III, often cited as the most famous American professional wrestling match,[7] Heenan received a six-figure payoffarguably the largest pay day in any managerial career. For a time, Heenan was unable to speak and had to communicate with his eyes. In his younger days, he dropped out of eight grade to support his mother and grandmother. 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. HH, Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) September 17, 2017, one of a kind. [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. [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]. "[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. In addition to memorializing Monsoon, Heenan cracked jokes and told numerous stories about those superstars he managed and worked with over they years. As a commentator and a manager, Heenan made both friends and enemies! [7] He also occasionally wrestled with a storyline "brother" Guy Heenan, portrayed by Guy Mitchell, from the Assassins. [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. Goldberg still ended up becoming a favorite of Heenan when calling his matches and interacting backstage. We got to know each other and love each other. Related: Mandy Rose & 9 Other Ladies Who Got Better With A Heel Turn. According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, doctors kept him for an extended stay because of high blood pressure and he was eventually released. Jameson was an actor that Vince had hired. 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 WCW tenure of Bobby Heenans career doesnt get as much love as WWE since he stopped managing to become a full-time commentator. Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 - September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, wrestler, and comedian. Also in 2001, Heenan worked briefly as a "sports agent" in the Xcitement Wrestling Federation with Curt Hennig under his tutelage. The trio had great chemistry with each other which made for some memorable TV. He was the best trash-talker in the business. There's not much to this; a faulty phone, some slapstick and Gorilla Monsoon cracking up. Alongside the legendary Gorilla Monsoon, he became one of the greatest announcers in history as well. Their banter and comic chemistry is sorely missed. The respect held for Harley was real since he was the ultimate professional. He spent several years as a wrestler before heading down the path that made him the greatest manager and color commentator of all time. But with just that, Heenanfound a way to minecomic gold. Some unintentional comedy from Bobby Heenan came about during Lex Luger's WWE debut. I suppose they wanted to balance out the heel/face ratio, but why hear Duggan and Hillbilly when you can hear "The Brain"? 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. [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. Best Brain line: "I have to go on the road here with Larry Flynt.". He seems like it might either have a seizure or fall out of his chair from laughing. [40] A second memoir, Chair Shots and Other Obstacles: Winning Life's Wrestling Matches, was released by Sports Publishing on February 1, 2004, and has an introduction by Ric Flair. Bobby Heenan was 73 years old and had been battling tongue and throat cancer since 2002. Like many WWE stars of the '80s, Bobby Heenan started out in Verne Gagne's AWA. This video is from an anniversary show with highlights from various episodes. 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. Perfect, The Red Rooster, and The Brooklyn Brawler. Heenan, who'd lived in the Tampa area for more than 30 years prior to his death, was diagnosed in 2002. Few people can make getting hurt look so funny. 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. Discussing Verne Gagne's Pro Wrestling Report, Heenan goes into rapid-fire comedy mode. Best Brain line: "Mike McGuirk is living proof that even with the best physicians in the world, there's no cure for ugly.". Daniel Bryan (@WWEDanielBryan) September 17, 2017. 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) At WrestleMania 20, Heenan made a return to the commentators table with Okerlund. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan was one of the biggest wrestling villains of . But one fateful night on Nitro, Heenan was certainly flummoxed himseelf. Monsoon and Heenan developed a bond that was shown in their commentary and grew even stronger behind the scenes. Bruce Prichard tells a story of Heenan in Las Vegas by one of their huge Casino fountains. In 1986, Heenan managed King Kong Bundy in his main event bout at WrestleMania 2. Bobby Heenan was born on November 1, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, USA as Raymond Louis Heenan. And whether it was as the manager or as a wrestler, he could get the crowd going as well as anyone."[13]. Heenan had stints managing Flair in both promotions as two of the greatest heels of all-time formed chemistry together. Professional wrestling was his calling. Ric Flair wins the Royal Rumble. The year after that, he suffered a fall, breaking his hip and shoulder and fracturing his pelvis. The original plan for Bobby Heenan in WWE was for him to manage Jesse "The Body" Ventura. His presence made any wrestler, any gimmick seem more important. "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. Heenans career was remembered during his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004. One of Bobby Heenans last televised appearances actually wasnt for his home in WWE. Over the next 13 years, he battled a number of health issues and heartbreakingly became nearly unrecognizable. WWE.com [3] Shortly thereafter, he led the Brain Busters to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship. No manager or commentator was ever better at entertaining us humanoids. Wonderful Paul Orndorff, the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), and was somewhat of an adviser to Ric Flair in his first run with WWE. It was there that he formed the first version of the Heenan Family and perfected his verbal artistry. Heenan, known for his sarcastic wit and . It'd be easy to fill this entire list with Gorilla Monsoon and Heenan moments. 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 survived by his wife of 40 years, Cindy, his daughter, Jessica, and two grandchildren. Heres a look back on the life, career, and heartbreaking demise of Bobby The Brain Heenan. And this was the kind of influence Bobby Heenan had on people. 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