Ray Heenan
Biography
Raymond Louis Heenan was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, wrestler, and comedian. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), WWE and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under the ring name Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Heenan was known for his skill in elevating villainous on-screen talent by drawing negative reactions for himself and his wrestlers from the crowd. He was paired with numerous wrestlers, including Nick Bockwinkel, whom he led to win the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, and he became an integral figure in the 1980s professional wrestling boom by managing King Kong Bundy and André the Giant in WWE main event matches with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 2 and WrestleMania III respectively. The wrestlers under his tutelage were collectively known as "The Heenan Family" at various times throughout his career. Known for his quick wit and comedic ability, Heenan also served as a color commentator and is remembered for his on-screen repartee with Gorilla Monsoon. Outside of wrestling, Heenan authored two books, appeared on numerous television shows, and briefly hosted a parody talk show titled The Bobby Heenan Show on WWE Prime Time Wrestling. Heenan retired in 2001 at WrestleMania X-Seven after a seventeen-year stint as a commentator in professional wrestling but he continued to make sporadic appearances in several promotions. In 2002, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, which limited his appearances in later years, and died from complications of the disease in 2017. Among other honors, he has been inducted into the Professional Wrestling, WWE, and Wrestling Observer halls of fame. After his death, multiple wrestling commentators described his manager persona as the "greatest professional wrestling manager of all time."
Known For(125 works)
Raw
1993Raw
1993
Raw
1993Raw
1993
WWF Superstars
1986WWF Superstars
1986
WWF Wrestling Challenge
1986WWF Wrestling Challenge
1986
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
1985WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
1985
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
1985WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
1985
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
1985WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
1985
WWE Pay Per View
1985WWE Pay Per View
1985
Biography: WWE Legends
2021Biography: WWE Legends
2021
WWE Old School
1973WWE Old School
1973
WWE Old School
1973WWE Old School
1973
WWE Old School
1973WWE Old School
1973
WWE Old School
1973WWE Old School
1973
WWE Old School
1973WWE Old School
1973
WCW Monday Nitro
1995WCW Monday Nitro
1995
WCW Monday Nitro
1995WCW Monday Nitro
1995
WWF Prime Time Wrestling
1985WWF Prime Time Wrestling
1985
Tuesday Night Titans
1984Tuesday Night Titans
1984
Tuesday Night Titans
1984Tuesday Night Titans
1984
WWE Hall of Fame
2005WWE Hall of Fame
2005
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
2006WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
2006
WCW Thunder
1998WCW Thunder
1998
AWA Arena Shows
1981AWA Arena Shows
1981
WrestleMania II
1986WrestleMania II
1986
WWE The Main Event
1988WWE The Main Event
1988
WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary
2007WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary
2007
WWE: Undertaker 20-0 - The Streak
2012WWE: Undertaker 20-0 - The Streak
2012
WrestleMania
1985WrestleMania
1985
WWE WrestleMania VII
1991WWE WrestleMania VII
1991
Andre the Giant
2018Andre the Giant
2018
WWE Royal Rumble 1991
1991WWE Royal Rumble 1991
1991
The True Story of WrestleMania
2011The True Story of WrestleMania
2011
WWE Greatest Wrestling Factions
2014WWE Greatest Wrestling Factions
2014
WWE WrestleMania V
1989WWE WrestleMania V
1989
WWE WrestleMania III
1987WWE WrestleMania III
1987
WWE Rampage '91
1991WWE Rampage '91
1991
The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '80s
2005The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '80s
2005
WWE Survivor Series 1989
1989WWE Survivor Series 1989
1989
The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior
2005The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior
2005
WWE WrestleMania VI
1990WWE WrestleMania VI
1990
Timemaster
1995Timemaster
1995
WWE SummerSlam 1989
1989WWE SummerSlam 1989
1989
WWE Royal Rumble 1993
1993WWE Royal Rumble 1993
1993
WWE Survivor Series 1988
1988WWE Survivor Series 1988
1988
WWE: Ring in the Holiday
2015WWE: Ring in the Holiday
2015
The Monday Night War - WWE Raw vs. WCW Nitro
2004The Monday Night War - WWE Raw vs. WCW Nitro
2004
WWE: Triple H - The Game
2002WWE: Triple H - The Game
2002
WWE SummerSlam 1988
1988WWE SummerSlam 1988
1988
WWE Battle Royal at the Albert Hall
1991WWE Battle Royal at the Albert Hall
1991
The Best of the WWF: volume 20
1989The Best of the WWF: volume 20
1989
WWE Invasion of the Bodyslammers
1993WWE Invasion of the Bodyslammers
1993
WWE: 20 Years Too Soon - The Superstar Billy Graham Story
2006WWE: 20 Years Too Soon - The Superstar Billy Graham Story
2006
Warrior's Greatest Matches
2014Warrior's Greatest Matches
2014
WWE WrestleFest '93
1993WWE WrestleFest '93
1993
WWE Survivor Series 1990
1990WWE Survivor Series 1990
1990
Hulkamania 4
1989Hulkamania 4
1989
Andre the Giant
1985Andre the Giant
1985
Hulkamania 6
1991Hulkamania 6
1991
WWE Bashed in the USA
1993WWE Bashed in the USA
1993
The Brains Behind the Brawn
1989The Brains Behind the Brawn
1989
WWE UK Rampage '92
1992WWE UK Rampage '92
1992
WWE Crunch Classic
1992WWE Crunch Classic
1992
The Life and Times of Captain Lou Albano
1986The Life and Times of Captain Lou Albano
1986
WWE Survivor Series 1987
1987WWE Survivor Series 1987
1987
WWE SuperTape: Volume 4
1991WWE SuperTape: Volume 4
1991
Villains of the Squared Circle
1986Villains of the Squared Circle
1986
WWF Hulkamania 2
1987WWF Hulkamania 2
1987
WWE WrestleMania IV
1988WWE WrestleMania IV
1988
Hollywood Hulk Hogan: Hulk Still Rules
2002Hollywood Hulk Hogan: Hulk Still Rules
2002
Hulkamania 3
1988Hulkamania 3
1988
WCW The Great American Bash 1996
1996WCW The Great American Bash 1996
1996
WWE SummerSlam 1990
1990WWE SummerSlam 1990
1990
WWE Royal Rumble 1989
1989WWE Royal Rumble 1989
1989
WCW All Nighter 1995
1995WCW All Nighter 1995
1995
WWE Royal Rumble 1988
1988WWE Royal Rumble 1988
1988
The Best of the WWF: volume 18
1989The Best of the WWF: volume 18
1989
WWE Superstars & Stripes Forever: The March to WrestleMania VII
1991WWE Superstars & Stripes Forever: The March to WrestleMania VII
1991
WWE World Tour 1992
1992WWE World Tour 1992
1992
WWE Hall of Fame 2004
2004WWE Hall of Fame 2004
2004
WCW/NWO Superstar Series: Diamond Dallas Page - Feel the Bang!
1999WCW/NWO Superstar Series: Diamond Dallas Page - Feel the Bang!
1999
The Best of the WWF: volume 13
1987The Best of the WWF: volume 13
1987
WWE: The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers
2004WWE: The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers
2004
Wrestling's Most Embarrassing Moments
1987Wrestling's Most Embarrassing Moments
1987
WWE WrestleFest
1988WWE WrestleFest
1988
WWE UK Fan Favorites 1993
1993WWE UK Fan Favorites 1993
1993
TNA Turning Point 2005
2005TNA Turning Point 2005
2005
The Ultimate Warrior
1989The Ultimate Warrior
1989
2nd Annual Battle of the WWE Superstars
19912nd Annual Battle of the WWE Superstars
1991
The WWF's Amazing Managers
1985The WWF's Amazing Managers
1985
The Ken Patera Story
1987The Ken Patera Story
1987
ROH: All Star Extravaganza 2
2004ROH: All Star Extravaganza 2
2004
WWE The Ultimate Challenge Special: The March to WrestleMania VI
1990WWE The Ultimate Challenge Special: The March to WrestleMania VI
1990
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
1987Jake "The Snake" Roberts
1987
The Best of the WWF: volume 12
1987The Best of the WWF: volume 12
1987
WWE SuperTape: Volume 1
1990WWE SuperTape: Volume 1
1990
The Best of the WWF: volume 10
1987The Best of the WWF: volume 10
1987
Bret "Hit Man" Hart: His Greatest Matches
1993Bret "Hit Man" Hart: His Greatest Matches
1993
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
1987Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
1987
WWE Funniest Moments
1991WWE Funniest Moments
1991
WWE SuperTape: Volume 3
1991WWE SuperTape: Volume 3
1991
Battle of the WWE Superstars
1990Battle of the WWE Superstars
1990
The Best of the WWF: volume 19
1989The Best of the WWF: volume 19
1989
Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!
1985Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!
1985
AWA Super Sunday
1983AWA Super Sunday
1983
WWE The Big Event
1986WWE The Big Event
1986
The WWF's Even More Unusual Matches
1987The WWF's Even More Unusual Matches
1987
Wrestling Superheroes
1990Wrestling Superheroes
1990
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
1986The Best of the WWF: volume 9
1986
WWE Global Warfare
1993WWE Global Warfare
1993
WWE Hottest Matches
1990WWE Hottest Matches
1990
WWE UK Rampage '93
1993WWE UK Rampage '93
1993
WWE SuperTape: Volume 2
1990WWE SuperTape: Volume 2
1990
Demolition: Witness the Power
1989Demolition: Witness the Power
1989
WWE Mega Matches
1991WWE Mega Matches
1991
WWE: Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan
2010WWE: Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan
2010
The Best of the WWF: volume 14
1987The Best of the WWF: volume 14
1987
Hulk Hogan: Real American
1989Hulk Hogan: Real American
1989
Best of the WWF Volume 3
1985Best of the WWF Volume 3
1985
Macho Madness
1988Macho Madness
1988
The Best of the WWF: volume 17
1988The Best of the WWF: volume 17
1988
The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers
2006The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers
2006
Wrestling Tough Guys
1990Wrestling Tough Guys
1990
All Aboard the Lex Express
1993All Aboard the Lex Express
1993
Sting: The Lost Tape
2020Sting: The Lost Tape
2020
AWA Christmas Night 1983
1983AWA Christmas Night 1983
1983