Which Wrestler Do You Most Associate With Bobby Heenan?

[The Brain]

Back in the good old days of wrestling managers were as big a part of the show as the wrestlers. They would last for years taking on several different wrestlers during their time. Perhaps the most famous manager was Bobby The Brain Heenan. Being associated with Heenan gave a wrestler instant heat as The Brain was arguably more over than many of the men he managed. During his ten years in the WWF many wrestlers had come and gone from the Heenan Family. Which of his wrestlers do you first think of when you think of Bobby Heenan?

I decided to limit my poll to the WWF. If you’re an old timer here and remember Heenan from the AWA Nick Bockwinkel, Ray Stevens, or the Blackjacks are perfectly reasonable choices and admittedly much better choices than some on my poll. I left them out simply because I doubt many people here were watching wrestling when Heenan was in the AWA.

If I was a year or two older I may have picked Big John Studd or Paul Orndorff. Studd was Heenan’s first wrestler in the WWF and was involved in a long rivalry with Andre The Giant. Even though King Kong Bundy temporarily sidelined Hulk Hogan before challenging him for the world title at WrestleMania 2 I think most people consider Paul Orndorff to be the first of Heenan’s guys to seriously threaten Hogan’s title. I started getting into wrestling as the Hogan/Orndorff feud was winding down so while he may be a great choice for others he is not mine.

It’s really a coin toss between two guys, Andre The Giant being one of them. I was a new young fan when Andre took on Heenan as his manager and challenged Hogan for WM3. I knew that Heenan must have been bad news if he got Andre to turn bad. I don’t think I need to explain the magnitude of Andre’s heel turn and WM3 but I don’t think it would have been as effective had it not been for Heenan.

Andre is probably going to be the most popular choice, and deservedly so, but when I think of the Heenan Family the first one to come to mind is Ravishing Rick Rude. Even though Rude didn’t want a manager he and Heenan seemed like such a natural pairing. Rude was cocky and arrogant enough on his own to be hated but with Heenan by his side he was easily one of the most hated guys in the WWF. After five years and many chances Rude was the first one to bring a title to Heenan when he upset the Warrior at WrestleMania V. He was also one of the few to never leave Heenan. When I think Studd, Orndorff, Andre, among most others on the list I think of their falling out with Heenan. Rude was with Heenan during his entire WWF run.

So which wrester do you most associate with Bobby Heenan? Give me some good responses and I’ll create more threads about other managers.

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

For me, the one person that always comes to mind when I think of Heenan as a manger, is Mr. Perfect. I know he had several managers throughout his career, from Heenan, to The Genius, even 'The Coach', but Heenan gave Hennig the one piece of the puzzle he was missing....the bait needed to really pull people in on the microphone. Hennig wasn't exactly a slouch on the mic, but he wasn't good either. Granted, the WWE of that era was more backstage interviews than in ring promos, but Perfect's self references and use of the world 'perfect' always made his promos feel a bit lackluster. Heenan brought that perfect, heelish flair of his to the mic, and really got Perfect heel credibility that he hadn't had up until then.

Honorable mention does go to Ravishing Rick Rude. Rude and Hennig, maybe it's no coincidence that two of WWE's best mid card talents of the era were associated with it's most prolific manager of all time.

 

[ProWrestlingFan84]

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, without a doubt my personal favorite manager because when I was younger I always wanted to see him get his butt kicked. He was great at generating heat from the fans and brought that something extra to the wrestlers he managed and his 'family'. My personal choice when I think of Heenan and despite this being rather later on but would be Nature Boy Ric Flair. Flair's first stint in the WWF was mildly short but he accomplished a lot in a short time. All along, Heenan was there whether it was introducing him on Saturday Night or the whole time during the 92 Rumble on commentary. After some thinking about it, maybe not the most classic example of who Heenan has managed but it's just who when I think Heenan I automatically think Flair with a close 2nd being Mr. Perfect/Andre the Giant. Good poll idea and I think the next manager should be "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart.

 

[d3thRoW]

Have to agree with Rick Rude, there were so many classic moments with them. Most notably for me were the matches with the Ultimate Warrior. The IC title battles, the pose down, even Heenan helping train Rick Rude prior to the WWF title Cage match at Summerslam '90. I was a 9 year old kid with a painted face, but I definitely felt like Rude was a threat to that title, especially with Heenan lurking around ringside lol. The two of them together were magic, and they played their heel roles as good as anybody to ever do it.

 

[davy g]

Nick Bockwinlke comes to mind first, also Big Bad Bobby Duncan and Ken Patera, before Heenan sold Patera to Shiek Adannan El Kassey, this is AWA days before he went Hollywood, I also remember a weasel suit match at the Cow Palace when i was a kid and Buck Zumhoff hit him over the head with a boom box and knocked Heenan out . When he woke up he had on the weasel suit ! hahah

 

[HBsam31]

I have been posting a lot on here about the need for managers today and Heenan is the perfect example of why. Anyway when I think Heenan I think Rick Rude. Rude was hated on his own and Heenan just added all that much more to it. He was instrumental in Rude winning the IC belt from Warrior, and was with him his whole WWE career.. I also was a young fan when Andre joined Heenan, and Rude is still my pick.

 

[Meatsim009]

Mr Perfect. He was the one I remember Heenan managing the most. And *shudder* the Narcissist (Lex Luger). I still remember the promo 'the Brain' did introducing Luger with the full length body mirror, and saying "the arms, the legs, the thighs.' (*insert sideshow bob groan here*)

 

[dingman29]

I gotta go with the popular choice, Andre. Thats who popped in my head when i seen the title of this thread. Plus forever embedded in my mind is Andre and Brain going to the back in the little ring cart. Andre's pissed and Brain is dejected. I see that moment more than hogan slamming andre.

 

[GameOver]

Nick Bockwinlke comes to mind first, also Big Bad Bobby Duncan and Ken Patera, before Heenan sold Patera to Shiek Adannan El Kassey, this is AWA days before he went Hollywood, I also remember a weasel suit match at the Cow Palace when i was a kid and Buck Zumhoff hit him over the head with a boom box and knocked Heenan out . When he woke up he had on the weasel suit ! hahah

He also had a weasel suit match with the Ultimate Warrior, and was put to sleep only to wake up with the suit on.

as to the question it's a tough question, Heenan did great things for everyone he managed from the lowliest Red Rooster to the biggest of them all Andre The Giant, from the Hercules to absolute Perfection.

Who coulda thought at the time that Andre who'd been a fan fav for 15yrs would turn just like that and Heenan made it even more believable.

but for me it's too hard to chose between Mr Perfect, Rick Rude they were equally taken to the next level with Bobby by there side, and Bobby's interactions with Flair were hilarious, but since we have to chose Mr Perfect is where he shined, better promo's, better talent, they were just made for each other and it lasted for years culminating with Ric Flair enterting WWF and also coming into the Heenan family plus i didn't particulary care for Rick Rude til he bulked up and by then he was pretty much done

Hard to go past his love affair with Ric Flair "That's no fare to Flair" WOOOOO Tell him champ. common Monsoon give me a Woo, get that banana out of your mouth and one time for the champ. Woo, Woo. I could've chosen Flair but Flair didn't need Bobby as a mouthpiece it just enhanced the character.

 

[Judah's Lion]

"it's not fair to Flair!" whenever i think of Bobby, i think of this phrase. it was so annoying to hear it every ten seconds at the 92 Rumble, but it was perfect. Flair didn't need Bobby, but they fit well together.

honorable mentions have to go to Andre, Perfect and Rude. this could have easily been an impossible 4-way tie for me because all had classic moments and feuds. Andre with Hogan, Rude with Warrior and i even liked Heenan against Perfect with the debut of Luger. really, the only reason this goes to Flair for me is because of the commentary at the 92 Rumble.

it was so ridiculous and is a perfect example of why Bobby was "the Brain". freaking brilliant commentary and post-win promo.

 

[Larry]

Before I get on my shtick, I'd like to say that I agree wholeheartedly with every person on the page as it pertains to the question at hand. I liked Heenan with many of those guys too. Even though I knew he was the bad guy I still liked him. I just thought he was very funny, I liked how he could be very serious, and he was just so quick on the mic. He really had the gift of gab. His voice and his commentary brought some of my favorite moments in wrestling history to life and made them that much better.

Hard to go past his love affair with Ric Flair "That's no fair to Flair" WOOOOO Tell him champ. common Monsoon give me a Woo, get that banana out of your mouth and one time for the champ. Woo, Woo.

This whole thing

"it's not fair to Flair!" whenever i think of Bobby, i think of this phrase. it was so annoying to hear it every ten seconds at the 92 Rumble, but it was perfect. Flair didn't need Bobby, but they fit well together. Really, the only reason this goes to Flair for me is because of the commentary at the 92 Rumble. It was so ridiculous and is a perfect example of why Bobby was "the Brain". Freaking brilliant commentary and post-win promo.

Love this too.

I goes right back to the "Fair for Flair" campaign for me too. His whole tenure with Flair was great. I knew who Ric Flair was and he was such a big deal, it was like an unholy alliance when Flair came to WWF and got with Bobby Heenan. It was a big deal when Flair showed up claiming to be the REAL world heavyweight champion, calling out Hogan. If you knew who Flair was back then, you had to know it was a biiiiig deal for Hogan and Flair to FINALLY meet period. Heenan was the brains(no pun intended) that brought it all together(in storyline) and it really seemed like it might be all over for Hulk Hogan. Heenan had come close before but it seemed that with Ric Flair in the WWF and Bobby Heenan masterminding this whole Flair run, it was only a matter of time before Ric was the WWf Champion, and he was. I think that partially because Heenan and Flair together has the distinction of Flair being the only guy Heenan managed in those days that won the WWF Championship, that might be why I associate Heenan with Flair.

 

[ccotreau1]

When I think of Bobby Heenan, I think of both Andre the Giant and Lex Luger, only because I was too young to remember him managing anyone, but watching who he had managed looking at DVDs and stuff, those 2, and Haku (when he teamed with Andre) are the guys I have seen with Heenan

 

[berlinbrawler]

Almost impossible to just pick one. Picking any one of them wouldn't do the man justice. Can't I pick a top 5?

Anyhoo, if one name has to stand out I guess I would have to say Ric Flair. Heenan really went into overdrive for Flair in the WWF. At the time he was also doing announcing and he became almost unbearable because all he would talk about is Flair, Flair, Flair, Flair. So obnoxious. ... Brilliant.

Honorable mentions go to Andre the Giant, Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect.

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

For me it has to be Nick Bockwinkel. It was just a natural and classic pairing that worked so well, and even though I wasn't around during their run in the old AWA, I have watched so much of the old footage that Bockwinkel is who I think of when I think of Bobby Heenan the manager...


as for who I most associate with Bobby Heenan in general when I think of him its actually not anyone who he managed, it is his broadcast partner Gorilla Monsoon. Their back and forth banter, and little inside jokes, sounded like two guys who were constantly trying to get the other guy break character... so while I know that the intent of the OP was people that he managed I cant help but think of Gorilla when I think of Heenan... "OH, will you just STOP!!!"

 

[theBec2101]

This is a hard one to say. He worked well with Andre and was his mouthpiece. And when he was with Big John Stud with the $10,000 bodyslam match that was classic. Trying to grab the money out the air and taking off with the bag. But I going to have to say Mr. Perfect. Man he could get people over. I loved his work as an announcer too. They dont make people like him anymore in wrestling.

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

I guess it depends on your era of wrestling. As a fan raised on wrestling in the 80s and early 90s, I'd have to say that I remember Heenan most with Ric Flair in his first WWE run. As was said in a previous post, they really used him to push Flair in WWF to the point of obnoxiousness, which worked like a charm.

After Flair, I'd say Andre the Giant b/c of the classic rivalry with Hogan. Then, maybe, Nick Bockwinkle in the AWA days, followed by Rick Rude, then Mr. Perfect, Big John Studd and the Brain Busters.

As an aside, I'm surprised this poll didn't mention Hogan. Yes, he never managed him, but pretty much every wrestler he managed at some point feuded with Hogan. Heenan constantly bashed Hogan, even in WCW when Hogan turned heel for the nWo run. I like how they kept that going when Heenan went to WCW.

 

[Lowdown]

For me, my earliest memory of seeing Heenan as manager is with Rick Rude. Rude was an incredible heel and having Heenan with him just added extra heat to his persona. Anytime they did promos it was always on point. As a kid I hated him but when I got older and went back and watched the promos, they were hilarious and entertaining.

 

[Mustang Sally]

He's not on the list but I associate Bobby Heenan most closely with Lex Luger. When Lex debuted as "The Narcissist," he was posing in front of a 3-sided mirror (every wrestling ring should have one) and as he smiled at his reflection and posed, Heenan was in a state of apoplexy at ringside, gushing into the microphone in that half-choke, half-sob voice he used when excited: "Look at him! Look at those lats! Those deltoids! Look! Look! Look at those abs, those biceps!" all the while sounding as if he were about to.......well, get overly aroused at the sight of The Narcissist. It was one of the funniest things I remember in pro wrestling.

Heenan was associated with Luger until Lex turned face, and Bobby did some of his best work while managing him.

 

[Thriller Ant]

The guy I associate with Heenan is actually one he never managed, but is the reason Heenan worked with many of the guys on the list. That man is Hulk Hogan. It seemed for many years that the only reason Bobby Heenan existed was to destroy Hogan and Hulkamania. Heenan was one of, if not the greatest manager of all time, no doubt, but without that foil in Hogan, I don't think his career would have been quite as memorable.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Where's Missing Link?

While the first image that comes in to my head is Heenan going to the ring with Andre, I have to go with the pairing that popped my Heenan cherry. To me he is the guy that is forvever linked to Studd and Patera. But since Studd seems to have more of a legacy I went with Studd.

I know you don't sell as much with wrestlers that don't talk but I still think there is room in wrestling for guys like Heenan, Albano, Fuji, Blaise and even Miss Elizabeth.

 

[closet_fan]

This might sound so dumb, but for me it was the Brooklyn Brawler. Here you had Steve Lombardi, one of the ultimate jobbers, go from an unknown to BB all with the help of Heenan.

BB may not have been the biggest heel Heenan managed, but he was one of the only ones Heenan was actually able to make into something

That showed Heenan could make gold out of sh!t and proved to me he was the greatest manager of all time.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I gotta go with Andre. There are 2 reasons why:

1) Wrestlemania 3 managing Andre
2) When he wasn't managing Andre he was often feuding with Andre.

You can go back to the cutting of Andre's hair "raping Andre of his dignity" and the 15,000 dollar bodyslam challenge as 2 examples of Heenan and the family going against Andre. Andre often feuded with Heenan on a weekly basis in the Mid 80's often facing his family, especially on Saturday Night Main Event.

Secondly he managed Andre in the biggest match of his career and Managing Andre for the next 3 years only for him and Andre to split at Wrestlemania 6. Even after Andre stopped wrestling in WWF he still had run ins with Heenan and the family such as the IC title match at WM7.

From the years of 84-91 Heenan and Andre were intertwined almost that entire time is reason enough why I associate Heenan most with Andre.

Honorable Mentions for me would be Mr. Perfect, Nick Bockwinkel and Hulk Hogan.

 

[Judah's Lion]

i haven't seen anyone mention this, or rather "these", names yet and they're not on the poll, but what about the British Bulldogs? their feud with the mascot Matilda was terriblely cartoonish, but isn't this where the Brain earned the nickname of Weasel? not that this should be the poll winner, but maybe just another honorable mention if only for the added moniker...

 

[hbkmark]

For me it was actually Red Rooster and Brooklyn Brawler. These were two guys who were not doing much. Terry Taylor was actually talented in the ring but was trapped way down the undercard and the Red Rooster gimmick was really stupid but just the fact that Bobby Heenan was selling it to us made it entertaining. I think Taylor committed to it because Heenan did and then when he turned on Heenan you actually cared.

Brooklyn Brawler also should have been just an incarnation of a jobber but Heenan being there gave him credibility that lasted a few months. Yes, Steve Lombardi was destined to be fodder for every up and comer at the time but Heenan again really worked hard to bring him some heat and gave the impression that the Brawler could actually accomplish something and that was the brilliance of Heenan.

I think Rude and Mr. Perfect would have been stars either way but the "Brain Bump" helped a lot of guys.

 

[HBKperfect23]

My first thought of Hennan as a manager is Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect. I got into wrestling around the time Hennan brought in the WCW title so I associate him with Camp Flair. The 92 rumble with Hennan rooting for Flair the whole way was one of the best moments in wrestling history, Ill never forget when he dumped Sid out "YES,YES,YES". Bobby Hennan is easily the best manager of all time and even though most consider Ross/Solie to be the two best annoucers of all time, my favorite duo is by far Hennan/Monsoon. Long Live Hennan!

Also Id like to point out I wasnt around for the Andre days or that would probably be my answer.