Bobby Heenan
Bobby Heenan | |
---|---|
Birth name | Raymond Louis Heenan |
Born | [1] Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | November 1, 1944
Died | September 17, 2017 Largo, Florida, U.S. | (aged 72)
Spouse(s) |
Cynthia Jean (m. 1978) |
Children | 1 |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Bobby "The Brain" Heenan |
Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[2] |
Billed weight | 242 lb (110 kg)[2] |
Billed from | Beverly Hills, California[3] |
Debut | 1961 |
Retired | April 1, 2001 |
Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 – September 17, 2017) was an American
Heenan was known for his skill in elevating
Known for his quick wit and comedic ability, Heenan also served as a color commentator and is remembered for his on-screen repartee with
Early life
Heenan was born in
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Association (1965–1974)
In 1965, Heenan became a regular in William Afflis' (known by his in-ring persona
American Wrestling Association (1969–1979)
After leaving WWA, Heenan announced he was now to be known as "The Brain" at his AWA debut in 1969. He took up managing the team of
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.[10][11] Heenan was unharmed, but five people sitting ringside were injured, one of them critically.[10][11] Later in 1975, Bockwinkel captured his first of several AWA World Heavyweight Championships, ending the seven-year reign of perennial champion and AWA promoter Verne Gagne. 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.[12]
Georgia Championship Wrestling (1979)
In early 1979, Heenan left the AWA (suspended one year, in
Return to AWA (1979–1984)
In late 1979, Heenan returned to AWA and resumed managing Nick Bockwinkel to renewed championship success, including against Hogan in 1983.[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.[12]
In 1984, Heenan left AWA to join the
World Wrestling Federation (1984–1993)
Manager (1984–1993)
Heenan was signed by the WWF in 1984 with the intention of him managing
Heenan reformed the Heenan Family,
After being derided by announcers for his first five years in the WWF (mostly by Gorilla Monsoon) for never managing a champion,
Heenan also wrestled sporadically in his WWF run. In his in-ring debut at Madison Square Garden in November 1984, he cleanly pinned Salvatore Bellomo.[20] At WrestleMania IV, he teamed with The Islanders to defeat The British Bulldogs and Koko B. Ware.[21] The following year, he was defeated in 30 seconds by former client The Red Rooster at WrestleMania V.[22] Heenan also wrestled a series of "Weasel Suit matches" against The Ultimate Warrior, who defeated Heenan by forcing him into a weasel costume.[23] His final in ring match came on August 2, 1991, at a house show in Long Island, New York, where he defeated Mr. Fuji.[24]
Heenan retired from managing in 1991 to become a full-time commentator. Nonetheless, Heenan crossed the line to managing sporadically. 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.[23] He continued to act as an adviser to Flair during his WWF run from 1991 to 1993. Though he nominally managed Flair, Heenan's former protégé Mr. Perfect, who temporarily retired due to injury, would regularly accompany Flair to ringside as his "Executive Consultant".[25] At the 1993 Royal Rumble, he introduced "The Narcissist" Lex Luger to the WWF to exact revenge on his former protégé, Mr. Perfect.[26]
Commentator (1984–1993)
In 1984, WWF owner Vince McMahon took full advantage of his microphone and comedic skills and Heenan became a
Heenan, calling himself a "broadcast journalist",[27] bashed fan favorites and cheered for their opponents while they cheated or did something under-handed.[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. He referred to the fans as "humanoids", and fan favorites, especially enhancement talent, as "ham-and-eggers." 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?", "Give me a break!", or a sarcastic, "Please!"[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. He was given an on-air farewell by Gorilla Monsoon on the December 6, 1993 edition of Monday Night Raw, broadcast from the Westchester County Center in White Plains, New York. Fed up with Heenan's constant insults, Monsoon threw him and his belongings out of the arena and onto the street. 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.[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. He was unsure at first, but accepted their offer once he found out that WCW provided lighter work schedules and health insurance. Heenan also cited the short driving distance between WCW's home base of Atlanta and his daughter's school in Alabama.[30][6]
World Championship Wrestling (1994–2000)
On January 27, 1994, Heenan made his debut in
On the January 23, 1996 episode of
At the following pay-per-view,
Starting in late January 2000, WCW replaced Heenan on Monday Nitro and pay-per-view events with Mark Madden. Heenan continued to commentate on Thunder along with Mike Tenay, and later Schiavone, until he was replaced by Stevie Ray beginning in July 2000. Heenan was then only seen with Scott Hudson on Worldwide until he was released by WCW in November 2000.[3][12] Heenan said he was uninspired in WCW due to the negative work environment and due to conflicts with Schiavone. WCW went out of business less than six months after his release.[33]
Later career (2001–2009)
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.[12] Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 (WWF changed its name to WWE in 2002) by Blackjack Lanza. The following night, he appeared at WrestleMania XX in a skit with Gene Okerlund, Mae Young and The Fabulous Moolah.[3] He inducted his protégés Paul Orndorff, The Blackjacks and Nick Bockwinkel into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2005, class of 2006 and class of 2007 respectively.[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.[35]
Heenan made several appearances on the
Other media
Heenan made appearances as a guest on various television shows, including:
His first memoir, Bobby The Brain: Wrestling's Bad Boy Tells All, was released by Triumph Books on September 1, 2002, with a foreword from Hulk Hogan.[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. Both books were co-written by Steve Anderson.[3]
In 2004, he joined former WCW commentators Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko in providing commentary for the video game Showdown: Legends of Wrestling.[41] After his Hall of Fame induction, Heenan provided comments for use in WWE documentary releases. In December 2010, WWE released a retrospective two-disc DVD on Heenan's career titled WWE: Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.[12]
Personal life
Family and friends
Heenan was married to Cynthia Jean Perrett (known as Cindy) from June 21, 1978, until his death. Together they had a daughter, Jessica.[12] He also had two grandchildren.[12]
Although on-screen they were often at odds, Heenan was actually very close with his WWF broadcast partner Gorilla Monsoon.[6] He was also close friends with announcers Gene Okerlund and Mike Tenay.[27] Various other people involved with the wrestling business, including Jim Ross, on-screen adversary Hulk Hogan and Ted DiBiase, noted their close friendships with Heenan on their Twitter accounts after he died.[42]
Health and death
In January 2002, Heenan announced that he had throat cancer.[7] By 2004, the cancer had gone into remission.[28] The treatments caused a great deal of weight loss, dramatically altering his appearance and voice.[43] In December 2007, Heenan had reconstructive surgery on his jaw, after the first surgery was unsuccessful. He was placed in a medically induced coma and was slowly brought out.[12] In the second half of January 2008, he had come out of his medically induced coma. For a time, Heenan was unable to speak and had to communicate with his eyes.[12] In December 2009, Heenan was hospitalized after an examination of his rebuilt jaw found an infection that needed to be treated.[12] In the last few years of his life, he suffered a series of falls. In 2010, he broke a hip and his shoulder in a fall that also fractured his pelvis.[44] He fell out of bed and broke a shoulder in April 2014.[7] In May 2016, he fell again and broke a hip.[45]
On September 17, 2017, Heenan died at the age of 72 while surrounded by family at his home in
Legacy
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.[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."[48] Author Brian Shields notes that many consider him "one of the most significant figures in professional wrestling history".[19] For his work in promoting André 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 payoff—arguably the largest pay day in any managerial career.[6] Broadcaster Peter Rosenberg considers Heenan a personal hero and describes him as the best commentator, manager and bad guy in WWE history. Rosenberg stated that Heenan "operated on multiple levels", adding: "If you were a little kid, he was the foil to your hero. As an adult, you look back and appreciate just how much of a comedic genius he was."[29]
Longtime on-screen rival Hulk Hogan wrote in the foreword to Heenan's Bad Boy Tells All: "Bobby was a legendary wrestler ... He will go down in the books as someone who mastered the craft".
His comedic ability was praised by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, who wrote that Heenan could have been a successful television actor.[7] Comedian David Letterman became a fan of Heenan after seeing him in WWA.[40] WWE Hall of Fame commentator Jim Ross selected Heenan as the greatest talent in the history of the wrestling business. 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. [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]
Awards and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Iron Mike Mazurki Award (2004)[12]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Pro Wrestling Report
- Lifetime Achievement Award (2009)[39]
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Class of 2006[27]
- St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2010[52]
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Color Commentator (1992–1994)[53]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)[54]
Bibliography
- Bobby Heenan with Steve Anderson. Bobby The Brain: Wrestling's Bad Boy Tells All. Triumph Books. 2002. ISBN 1-57243-465-1
- Bobby Heenan with Steve Anderson. Chair Shots and Other Obstacles: Winning Life's Wrestling Matches. Sports Publishing. 2004. ISBN 1-58261-762-7
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1572434653.
I was born Raymond Louis Heenan in Chicago on November 1, 1944.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Bobby Heenan's Slam! Profile". Slam! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Genzlinger, Neil (September 18, 2017). "Bobby Heenan, Professional Wrestling Personality, Dies at 72". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ WWE: Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Documentary). WWE. December 28, 2010. 2:52 minutes in.
On November 1, 1944, the world was introduced to Bobby Heenan.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Johnson, Mike (September 17, 2017). "Looking back at the illustrious career of Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan". Pro Wrestling Insider. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Meltzer, Dave (September 17, 2017). "Bobby Heenan Passes Away At 72 Years Old". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ISBN 978-1572434653.
- ^ Johnson, Steven (November 9, 2005). "The many faces of John Hill". Slam! Wrestling. Canoe.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b Pratt, Greg (October 16, 2017). "Column: Remembering the time a fan shot at Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ a b Cahill, Dan (September 19, 2017). "Bobby Heenan: The wrestling manager Chicago loved to hate". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 13, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Van Der Griend, Blaine (September 17, 2017). "Former wrestling manager Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan dead at 73". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on November 25, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Keller, Wade (September 17, 2017). "Bobby Heenan, greatest pro wrestling manager of all-time, dead at age 72 after long battle with throat cancer". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ Mooneyham, Mike (August 15, 2004). "Books, Reunions Reignite Feuds". The Wrestling Gospel. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
- ^ Varsallone, Jim (September 17, 2014). "RIP: A life look at WWE Hall of Famer Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
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- ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (April 5, 2014). "Powell's WrestleMania 6 review: Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior for the WWF Championship and Intercontinental Championship, Ted DiBiase vs. Jake Roberts, Andre the Giant and Haku vs. Demolition for the WWF Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-1416532576.
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- ^ a b c Fordy, Tom (September 19, 2017). "How Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan built himself into a WWE legend". New York Post. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ISBN 978-1439193211.
- ^ Wrestling 93: Rulebreaker, Spring 1993 Issue, Article "Bobby Heenan and Lex Luger: The Total Package of Brain and Brawn!", pp.48–51.
- ^ a b c "Bobby "The Brain" Heenan". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on March 3, 2015.
- ^ a b c Guzzo, Paul (September 17, 2017). "Wrestling star Bobby "The Brain" Heenan of Largo is dead at 72". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
- ^ a b Rosenberg, Peter (September 18, 2017). "Bobby "The Brain" Heenan helped shape the world of professional wrestling". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ "Bobby Heenan Interview". gerweck.net. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
- ^ "2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts: Great American Bash 1996". Wrestling's Historical Cards. Kappa Publishing. 2007. p. 144.
- ^ Barrasso, Justin (September 18, 2017). "Bruce Prichard, Jimmy Hart share their favorite Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan memories". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 5, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
- ^ Bethel, B.J. (September 20, 2017). "Local Wrestling Star: Bobby Heenan was the greatest manager ever, but an even greater friend". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ Dee, Louie. "No "Weasel-ing" out for Heenan". WWE. Archived from the original on May 28, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
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- ^ "2004 Ring of Honor Results". Ring of Honor. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- ^ Martin, Adam (December 11, 2005). "Turning Point PPV results – 12/11/05 (Sting sends a message & more)". WrestleView. Archived from the original on January 17, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ Cygy, Marcus. "Official Results From Thursday's Impact! On SpikeTV". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
- ^ a b Martin, Adam (November 28, 2009). "Bobby Heenan to get lifetime award". WrestleView. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012.
- ^ Indy Star. Archivedfrom the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ Leeper, Justin (June 24, 2004). "GameSpy: Showdown: Legends of Wrestling". GameSpy. Archived from the original on December 16, 2005. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
- ^ a b D'Angelo, Bob (September 17, 2017). "Pro wrestling commentator Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan dead at 73". WPXI. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ "Bobby Heenan, legendary pro wrestling manager, dead at 73". CBC News. September 18, 2017. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
- ^ "Bobby Heenan breaks hip and shoulder, fractures pelvis". Pro Wrestling Insider. July 29, 2010. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "WWE Hall of Famer Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan reportedly hospitalized". Fox Sports. May 4, 2016. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ Keller, Wade (September 17, 2017). "Bobby Heenan: Remembering the greatest and explaining why he is widely regarded as the greatest at what he did". Wade Keller Hotline. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017.
[Heenan] is widely regarded as the greatest pro wrestling manager of all time and among the greatest performers – period – in pro wrestling history.
– via PWTorch.com (subscription required) - ^ "Top 25 WWE managers". WWE. May 31, 2011. Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ Mooneyham, Mike (December 23, 2017). "Mooneyham: Gone but not forgotten, professional wrestling lost memorable names in 2017". The Post and Courier. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ "Triple H: Bobby Heenan Wasn't Just a Manager, One of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever". TMZ Sports. YouTube. September 18, 2017. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Ross, Jim (July 31, 2012). "Jim Ross on Bobby Heenan, Gorilla Monsoon". WWE. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ a b "2012 The Year In Wrestling". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Vol. 34, no. 3. March 2013. pp. 43–44.
- ^ "Hall of Fame". St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 19, 1998). "Jan. 19, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 18th Annual Newsletter Awards Issue". Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
- ^ "Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
External links
- Bobby Heenan on WWE.com
- Bobby Heenan at IMDb
- Bobby Heenan's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database