WWE Hall of Famer Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan Is Dead
The professional wrestling industry lost another legend recently. On Sunday, Sept. 17, American professional wrestling manager Raymond Louis "The Brain" Heenan died at the age of 73. His death was a result of organ failure, and he had also been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002.
In 1984, Heenan joined the World Wrestling Entertainment (known as the World Wrestling Federation at the time) as a manager after his early success in the World Wrestling Association and the American Wrestling Association, with WWE Hall of Famer Big John Studd being his first managerial client.
Since Studd, many other WWE fighters reaped the benefits of being under Heenan's guidance, including prolific WWE superstars and Hall of Famers Andre the Giant, Rick Rude, Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect. Together, they were known as the "Heenan Family," a collective signature that suggested the strength of their alliance and brotherhood.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Because of his frankness and wit, Heenan was known as "The Weasel" of the WWE, a name given to him by AWA wrestler Dick the Bruiser.
Throughout his over four-decade career in wrestling, Heenan was hailed as one of the best managers in the WWE—something that earned him a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2004.
His sharp tongue also served Heenan well when he became part of the original broadcast team for Monday Night Raw and when he was tapped to be one of the voices of WCW Monday Nitro. He also had "The Bobby Heenan Show," which was a short-lived TV series, before he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2002.
When news about Heenan's death surfaced, thousands of fans and celebrities from around the world paid tribute to the WWE personality, including Vince McMahon, Triple H and Flair, who took to Twitter to describe him as "The Greatest Manager, One Of The Greatest Announcers, And One Of The Best In-Ring Performers In The History Of The Business."
