Athletes - Bobby Heenan

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	Athletes - Bobby Heenan

Raymond Louis Heenan (born November 1, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois), better known by his ring name of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, is an American professional wrestling manager and commentator. He is legendary in the business for his skill in drawing heel heat for himself and his wrestlers, and for his masterful on-screen repartee with the late Gorilla Monsoon as a color commentator.

Career

Early career

Always a fan of wrestling, Heenan started in the wrestling profession early on, carrying bags and jackets for the wrestlers, and selling refreshments at the events. Heenan entered the wrestling business as a wrestler in 1965 as "Pretty Boy" Bobby Heenan, a cowardly heel. Self-taught, he was a gifted wrestler but did not have the drive to stay in "wrestling shape", however his talent for giving promos led to some early success. He quickly found that his talent was not as a wrestler, but as a manager. At the time, heels were often given managers to speak for them in interviews, rile up the crowd during matches, and cheat on their behalf. Heenan, dumping the "Pretty Boy" moniker for Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, went on to manage some of the most successful wrestlers in the world, creating The Heenan Family, a stable that would exist (in several different reincarnations and wrestling promotions) for over 20 years.

The American Wrestling Association

Heenan started in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) as a manager for Nick Bockwinkel and Ray "The Crippler" Stevens, a duo which became several-time AWA Tag Team Champions under Heenan's leadership. The AWA was the starting point for Heenan's first Heenan Family, which consisted of Bockwinkel, Stevens, Bobby Duncum Sr., Blackjack Lanza, and Ray Warren. In 1975, with Heenan in his corner, Bockwinkel captured his first of several AWA Championships, ending the 7-year reign of perennial champion Verne Gagne. While Bockwinkel was AWA champion, in 1976, Lanza and Duncum captured the AWA Tag Team Championship, making Heenan the only manager in history to simultaneously manage both a major promotion's Singles and Tag Team World Champions.

In early 1979, Heenan left the AWA to work in the National Wrestling Alliance's Georgia Championship Wrestling group. He returned in late 1979 and resumed managing Nick Bockwinkel to renewed championship success, including against a young up-and-coming challenger named Hulk Hogan in 1983.

The World Wrestling Federation

In 1984, Vince McMahon, Jr. lured Heenan away from the AWA to manage Jesse "The Body" Ventura; however, after Ventura contracted blood clots in his lungs, he was forced to end his active wrestling career. Heenan instead became Big John Studd's manager for his feud with André the Giant. He soon reformed the Heenan Family. Over Heenan's WWF career, the Heenan Family included Studd, King Kong Bundy, André the Giant, the Brainbusters (former Horsemen members Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), "Ravishing" Rick Rude, "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Harley Race, The Islanders (Haku and Tama), Hercules, The Barbarian, Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig, Terry Taylor, and The Brooklyn Brawler. As a manager, he was always one of the most hated men, often the most hated man, in the promotion.

Heenan and the Heenan Family had a monumental feud with wrestling icon Hulk Hogan in the 80's, and Heenan managed two WrestleMania challengers to Hogan's title, "King Kong" Bundy in 1986, and André the Giant in 1987. The 1987 edition of WrestleMania, WrestleMania III, set a record for the largest indoor attendance of a sporting event in the world. André did not win the title at that time, but later bested Hogan for the championship in 1988 in a controversial win after he aligned himself with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Bobby Heenan ]

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Athletes - Bobby Heenan

Career

Early career

The American Wrestling Association

The World Wrestling Federation

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