Sportskeeda Remembers: WWE Hall of Famer Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

As we reported earlier, pro wrestling legend Bobby "The Brain" Heenan passed away today at age 73. Heenan had been battling throat cancer since 2002.

While Heenan was a big wrestling fan in his younger years, he actually took a job in the wrestling business (after leaving school in the 7th grade) to support his family in Indianapolis. Heenan once said of his career:

"I don't look at myself as a hero or smart person. I have a seventh-grade education, but I've had a lot of fun."

While Heenan's work as a manager and a broadcaster made him a legend, let's not forget that he was also a passable wrestler, as well. It might not have been his eventually calling, but Heenan's skill to take a bump and sell a move made the work he did as the heel manager getting him comeuppance even more satisfying for fans.

Since we're sure that The Brain wouldn't want us "humanoids" and "ham and egg'ers" to feel sorry for him, let's look back and enjoy the great moments Bobby left us as wrestling fans as we Sportskeeda writers remember the Greatest Manager of All Time.

#1- Heenan brings the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to WWE

Imagine being a 13-14 year old wrestling fan in 1991. You not only watch the then-WWF regularly, but the NWA on TBS and whatever else you can find. You also subscribe to all the wrestling magazines and maybe you even are able to indulge in some wrestling talk on what little internet services there are at the time?

And then, one day, Bobby Heenan ends an episode of WWF Superstars revealing... wait... is that the NWA belt?! You had heard rumors that Flair might finally be coming to the WWF but.... he's bringing his belt? How is this possible?!

Now, this moment, of course, is an major moment in pro wrestling history. It blurs that wall that had always been there between the WWF and the rest of the wrestling world and it began one of Ric Flair's greatest runs in any wrestling company, ever. But, to me, this to me was also the moment that led to The Brain's greatest moment in his broadcast career (and one we'll talk about later) - the 1992 Royal Rumble.

• Kevin C. Sullivan

#2- Heenan calls Ric Flair's Royal Rumble/WWE Championship victory

When you think of Bobby Heenan, one of his moments that comes to mind is his commentary from the 1992 Royal Rumble. Heenan was an advocate of Ric Flair at the time, and was naturally a little worried when Flair drew entry number 3. From the very start, you could tell Heenan (along with Gorilla Monsoon) was going to give us quite a show.

The buzzer rings and participant #1, the British Bulldog waits for his next opponent - and who should come out but Flair? You can almost hear Heenan's heart break as he yells “NO! Damn it!” At this point in Rumble history, no one has ever drawn numbers one through five and won.

At the end, Flair, miraculously still in the match - eliminates Sid Justice, and you can almost her Brain weeping tears of joy as he tells Monsoon off. He would run to the back to meet up with Flair to shoot a that legendary final promo before the Rumble ("With a tear... in my eye!") ended. Seeing Heenan seem so genuinely happy made Flair fans jump for joy, and made Hogan fans scream in disgust.

And whether you loved it or hated it, Heenan made sure you knew that his man, Flair, was the Real World's Heavyweight Champion.

- Greg Bush

#3- Bobby's humor was second to none

While Jerry Lawler and Corey Graves make me chuckle, Bobby Heenan would make me guffaw with laughter.

Out of all his quips, my favourite moment is actually from Clash of the Champions XVIII, in which Hulk Hogan was defending his WCW Championship against Ric Flair in the main event (an event which also had a great "Stunning" Steve Austin vs Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat match, as well)..

Hogan was jumped initially (in what was supposed to be a "recreation" of the backstage attack on US figure skater Nancy Kerrigan) by Brutus Beefcake (who would go on to be known as "The Butcher" and headline Starrcade 1994 against Hogan) , and a somber Tony Schiavone told Heenan that Hogan was being taken to a local medical facility.

To which Heenan replied, completely deadpan, that the town they were in did not have a hospital and so, he was being taken to a pet clinic instead.

RIP Brain. There will never be another like you.

- Riju Dasgupta

#4- Heenan returns to WWE for the WrestleMania X-Seven Gimmick Battle Royal

WrestleMania X-Seven was, in a way, a punctuation mark on that era of pro wrestling. The then-WWF had just purchased their only real competition since they originally went national, World Championship Wrestling. The Invasion angle still hadn't really kicked in yet and the card was stacked with some amazing matches.

Included on the card was the "Gimmick Battle Royal", which was more or less what you'd expect - a number of wrestlers (or their fill-ins, if need be) - such as Duke "The Dumpster" Drose, One Man Gang, Tugboat (who, thankfully, wasn't asked to relive The Shockmaster), and more. This was clearly a "thank you" to the old school fans who stuck with them through the 1980s and early 90s, and it was topped off with a great sweetner: commentary from a returning "Mean" Gene Oakerlund and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

While hearing Gene's voice is always a nice treat (especially then), Brain's commentary was a delight. As you can tell from the videos above, he hadn't lost a step

• Kevin C Sullivan

#5- Bobby Heenan helps make pro wrestling a national phenomenon

WrestleMania III. Hogan vs Andre. The biggest professional wrestling match at the time - and probably ever. A massively sold out (allegedly, let's not go there right now) Pontiac (MI) Silverdome, and millions more on TV, witnessed the biggest draw in wrestling against the current mega-draw in a match for the then-WWF Championship. It was epic during a time when, even then, the word "epic" was being thrown around as regularly as "awesome".

AS great as he was, Andre made his fame and fortune as a gentle giant who came to town to battle the evil-doers. And, while good guy-vs-good guy would sell out the Toronto Sky Dome three years later, nice guy Andre vs hero Hogan wasn't going to be the draw that sold tickets like the WWF wanted. No, needed.

Enter Bobby Heenan.

Just two years earlier, at WrestleMania I, Heenan managed Big John Studd to a losing effort against Andre in a "Body Slam Challenge." The WWF knew if there was anyone they could team Andre with and pass him off as a villain, it was Heenan. It worked. Soon, millions of fans believed that good guy Andre - under the manipulation of "The Weasel" - could turn against his best friend for championship gold.

• Kevin C. Sullivan

#6- Bobby Heenan helps turn the WWF into a powerhouse with WrestleMania 3

All of the previous moments - in fact, nearly every moment in wrestling history - was able to happen because of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Without a doubt. As much as we talk about the success of the then-WWF hinging on the first WrestleMania being successful, wrestling as a global phenomenon doesn't happen without the success of WrestleMania 3.

And that doesn't happen without The Brain.

It's hard to quantify just how important Andre - as a special attraction - was to the business of pro wrestling in the 1970s and 1980s. Despite his then-failing health and the staggeringly growing popularity of Hogan, Andre still drove in crowds all over the world. Vincent Kennedy McMahon knew that a Andre/Hogan match for the WWF title would be legendary, but he needed someone to help turn Andre into a bad guy to help sell the match. After all, nobody would believe that Andre would turn on his best friend by himself.

On an edition of Piper's Pit, Andre shows up - with Heenan in tow - to challenge Hulk to a title match. Hulk's already then mortal enemy, Roddy Piper, was now a friend and ally of Hogan and there was no bad guy as strong as Piper to challenge him (and Piper was leaving to "retire" soon, anyway). In less than a couple of minutes, Bobby makes Andre the most hated wrestler in the world and turns WrestleMania 3 into a phenomenon.

Thank you, Bobby. You changed wrestling and, in a way, changed the world.

• Kevin C. Sullivan.

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