Raymond Louis Heenan – born November 1, 1944 – was a professional wrestling manager and colour commentator.
He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) 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 Andre the Giant in WWF 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.
Heenan also served as a color commentator and is remembered for his on-screen repartee with Gorilla Monsoon.
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 on September 17, 2017.
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