Bobby Heenan: A Look Beyond the Brain (Part One)

Hello everyone.

 

As always, I would like to thank you for spending a few moments with me today.

 

When you think of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, a lot of things may come to one's mind.

 

Heenan would start his career as an average wrestler, and would later move on to become one of the most notable managers and color commentators the business has ever seen.

 

After researching more about the man I grew up calling a weasel, I discovered so much more about this great man.

 

What I discovered about Bobby Heenan was that he was a kind, loving, and caring man who touched the hearts of many lives.

 

Heenan also, with out a doubt, had to be one of the hardest working men that I have ever read about in wrestling.

 

I would find it hard to argue that not only was Bobby Heenan one of the most charismatic characters in the business, he was also one of the classiest.

 

I can honestly say that this had to be one of the most enjoyable write-ups I have done since joining BR.

 

I hope that you enjoy reading this story about a truly amazing human being.

 

I know I learned a few things, and I hope you do to.

 

So, without any further delay, I give you life and ventures of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.

 

Raymond Louis Heenan was born in Chicago on November 1, 1944. At less then a year of being bought into this world, Heenen would suffer losses.

 

His father would leave Heenan and his mother to try to make it on their own. His mother would wind up having to work long, grueling hours to support him and his grandmother.

 

That is not to say she wasn’t a good mother though. What time they did have together would be special and ultimately made Bobby Heenan who he was.

 

In fact, Heenan would go on later to credit his mother for his keen sense of humor that we grew to love over the years.

 

It was at the age of ten that Bobby Heenan would be introduced to the world of professional wrestling.

 

Heenan, as a child, would become pals with a local police officer named Zack Melkof who wrestled part time on the side.

 

Melkof would take Heenan along with the other kids in the neighborhood to the local wrestling shows to watch him wrestle.

 

It was then that Heenan would be amazed by the spectacle that we know as pro wrestling.

 

Melkof played a heel, and, even at the young age of ten, Heenan could see how he could control the crowd with his actions in the ring.

 

He knew then, even at a young age, what he wanted to do with his life and that was to be a wrestler.

 

A short time later though, the local wrestling promotion in the area would fold. That wouldn’t stop Heenan and his friends though.

 

They would go on to pretend to be wrestlers like most kids did solely based on the few moments he would experience at those shows.

 

This changed in 1959, when Vince Sr. would bring wrestling back, but this time on TV.

 

It was then that he would be introduced to a whole new world of colorful characters.

 

He would get to see guys like Johnny Valentine, Buddy Rogers, “Bearcat Wright, the Graham brothers, and many more.

 

At the age of 15, he would be hit by another bump in his long journeyed path when his mom would lose her job.

 

Not only were they faced with a financial crisis, but they were also asked to take care of his sick aunt who had cancer.

 

They would pack their bags and make their way over to Indianapolis. The Heenan family would have to move in with family members until they could get back on their feet.

 

With everything that was going on, it affected Heenan in school as he would fail the 8th grade for the third year straight.

 

Death would bring a little fortune and luck though. His aunt would lose the battle with cancer, but they would inherit a new house.

 

It is also when Heenan would be reintroduced to the wrestling world.

 

In his new neighborhood lived a guy named Tom Mathis, a local disk jockey. Heenan would use his skills again to charm his way to  break into the business.

 

With a few calls, he would get Heenan his first gig as a masked wrestler called the Avenger.

 

Mathis would also break Heenan into the world of managing musicians. This would not work out too well though as Heenan did this for a very short time.

 

In 1966, the Heenan family again would run into more financial problems when his mother was unable to work.

 

This would force Bobby Heenan to take on the role of the man of the house. He would work three sometimes even four jobs to support the family.

 

Heenan would also be forced to drop out of school due to all of the new responsibilities. He never made it past the eighth grade.

 

As it would turn out once again though, Heenan's hardships would turn in to good fortune.

 

He was working as a stagehand at the Indianapolis coliseum. It was there he would meet and soon work for local wrestling promoter Bulk Estes.

 

Heenan would work very hard for this man in the beginning often doing four things at once.

 

Not only was Heenan still a stage hand, but he was also a vendor, manager, and a wrestler.

 

Heenan would mention in his autobiography that he would have to sell sodas, run back stage change into his wrestling or managing clothes, and then work the ring.

 

Then, after he was done with that, he would go back and sell sodas.

 

He would take advantage of the many people he would meet during these times and would soon become good friends with Dick the Bruiser and Ray Stevens.

 

Stevens and the Bruiser would take Heenan under their wings and give Heenan his first real break in pro wrestling.

 

His first real match with the big boys would be a disaster. In a tag match he was a masked wrestler that night and, during the match, was supposed to be unmasked.

 

Well, Heenan didn’t know that he wasn’t supposed to lace the strings in the back, so it would be easy to pull off.

 

During the match, when it was time to unmask, he would learn the painful way to not tie the laces.

 

It took Stevens almost five minutes to unmask Heenan that night. Needles to say, Heenan would be in a bit of pain after the match.

 

Hennan's lack of real training would start to show in his first singles match.

 

He would face Calvin ”Prince” Pullins in an eight-minute bout. What Heenan didn’t know was the endurance required to have a solo match.

 

After only a few minutes, Heenan would be winded and would barley be able to finish the bout.

 

Heenan would continue to wrestle, but he realized then that he might be better off focusing on his managerial skills.

 

Bobby Heenan would improve the craft of managing so much that he would practically reinvent it.

 

In Heenan’s early days, the managers would usually do nothing more then stand outside the ring and get involved once in a while.

 

Not only would Heenan sell a wrestler's move, he would react when his wrestler was hit.

 

His theory being that if he was this guy’s manager he would have vested interest on the outcome of his wrestler's match.

 

Also, Heenan would be one of the first few managers to not only take bumps but also be involved in the angles during a match.

 

Combined with his ability to cut a monster heel promo and a new style of managing, Heenan would quickly be recognized as a great entertainer.

 

He would stay for a while in Indianapolis, wrestling and managing. He would manage guys like the Assassins, Angelo Poffo, and Black Jack Lanza.

 

He did have another noteworthy match, though. It was probably his greatest foe; he would wrestle a string of matches with a bear.

 

Heenan would mention in his book that not only could the bear hit spots, but he also knew how to sell his opponent's office.

 

One of the ribs they would often play on the new guys was they would put honey on the wrestler's shorts before they would wrestle the bear.

 

During the match, the bear would smell the honey and the whole match would then consist of the bear licking the wrestler's butt.

 

That was the kind of chemistry and camaraderie Heenan would have with his fellow workers.

 

In 1969, Heenan was getting tired of the Indiana territories. Not only was his career at a stand still, but also he was often being stiffed with his pay.

 

In 1969, “The Brain” was born and Bobby Heenan would jump ship and join the AWA.

 

To be continued...