Bobby thebrain heenen11/3/2022 ![]() Heenan once had a famous feud with André the Giant while managing Big John Studd, and famously challenged André to a $15,000 bodyslam match against Studd at the first WrestleMania, where André had to retire from wrestling if he had lost the match. As a manager, he was always one of the most hated men, often the most hated man, in the promotion. Wonderful" Orndorff, King Kong Bundy, André the Giant, High Chief Sivi Afi, The Brain Busters (former Horsemen members Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard), "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Harley Race, The Islanders (Haku and Tama), Hercules, The Barbarian, Mr Perfect, Terry Taylor, and The Brooklyn Brawler. ![]() Over Heenan's WWF career, the Heenan Family included Studd, Ken Patera, Paul "Mr. ![]() With Ventura unable to wrestle, Heenan instead became Big John Studd's manager for his feud with André the Giant, and he soon reformed the Heenan Family. While most of the AWA talent left for the WWF in this time without giving proper notice (the AWA required departing talent to work a six-week notice for booking and syndication-based reasons, with most talent claiming that McMahon paid them extra not to work out their notices with the AWA), only Heenan worked out his notice in good faith to the Gagne family. In 1984, Vince McMahon lured Heenan away from the AWA to manage Jesse "The Body" Ventura however, after Ventura developed blood clots in his lungs, he was forced to end his active wrestling career. #Bobby thebrain heenen pro#Patera later joined forces with Adnan Al-Kaissie when Heenan took some time off, a result of a serious neck injury he suffered in a match with Atsushi Onita while wrestling on an All Japan Pro Wrestling tour in 1983. Heenan also managed Ken Patera following his return to the AWA in 1982. 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. In early 1979, Heenan left the AWA to work in the National Wrestling Alliance's Georgia Championship Wrestling group (the kayfabe reason for his departure being given as a one-year suspension from the AWA). While Bockwinkel and Stevens feuded with The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser, Dick the Bruiser famously called Heenan "Weasel" this led to faces calling Heenan "Weasel" throughout the rest of his wrestling career. While Bockwinkel was AWA champion, in 1976, Lanza and Duncum captured the AWA World tag team title, making Heenan the first manager in history to simultaneously manage both a major promotion's singles and tag team World champions. In 1975, with Heenan in his corner, Bockwinkel captured his first of several AWA World titles, ending the seven-year reign of perennial champion Verne Gagne. He attributed his departure from the WWA to a dispute with owner Dick the Bruiser over his pay for his participation in the first-ever wrestling event held at Market Square Arena, emphatically stating that he never returned to the promotion as a result. Heenan split his time between the AWA and the Indiana-based WWA for several years before joining the AWA full-time in 1974. The AWA was the starting point for Heenan's first Heenan Family, which consisted of Bockwinkel, Stevens, Bobby Duncum Sr., and Blackjack Lanza. In 1969, Heenan joined the American Wrestling Association (AWA) as a manager and occasional tag team partner of The Blackjacks, eventually moving on to managing Nick Bockwinkel and Ray "The Crippler" Stevens, a duo which became several-time AWA World tag team champions under Heenan's leadership. Heenan went on to manage some of the most successful wrestlers in the world, creating "The Heenan Family", a stable that existed in several different incarnations and wrestling promotions for over 20 years. 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. His gimmick over the years has more or less remained the same, a tough talking big mouth who cowered in fear when being physically confronted. Dropping out of school in the eighth grade to support his mother and grandmother, Heenan's first break in the wrestling business was as a heel manager and wrestler in 1965 when he was known as "Pretty Boy" Bobby Heenan. Always a fan of wrestling growing up in Chicago and Indianapolis, Heenan started in the wrestling profession early on, carrying bags and jackets for the wrestlers, and selling refreshments at the events. ![]() Heenan was born in Chicago on November 1, 1944. ![]()
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