Bobby Heenan Raymond Louis Heenan ( November 1 , 1944 ) , better known as Bobby " The Brain " Heenan ( or derisively as Bobby " The Weasel " Heenan ) , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator , best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association ( AWA ) , World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) and the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) . He was known for his skill in drawing heel heat for himself and his wrestlers , and for his on - screen repartee with Gorilla Monsoon as a color commentator . One of the greatest talkers in the history of professional wrestling , World Wrestling Entertainment ( formerly WWF ) has described Heenan as " one of sports - entertainment ' s best loved legends " . Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004 by Blackjack Lanza . Career . Early career . 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 entered the wrestling business as a heel manager in 1965 . 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 . 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 . Bobby " The Brain " 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 reincarnations and wrestling promotions for over 20 years . Heenan did not like the term " stable " , stating that it should only refer to a place to keep horses . American Wrestling Association . 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 . The AWA was the starting point for Heenan ' s first Heenan Family , which consisted of Bockwinkel , Stevens , Bobby Duncum Sr . , and Blackjack Lanza . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 ) . 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 . Heenan also managed Ken Patera after Patera came to the AWA in 1982 , but Patera joined forces with Adnan Al - Kaissie after Heenan suffered a serious neck injury while wrestling in Japan in 1983 and had to take time off . World Wrestling Federation . Manager . 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 . Heenan instead became Big John Studd ' s manager for his feud with André the Giant , and he soon reformed the Heenan Family . Over Heenan ' s WWF career , the Heenan Family included Studd , Ken Patera , " Mr . Wonderful " Paul 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 . As a manager , he was always one of the most hated men , often " the " most hated man , in the promotion . 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 . Heenan and the Heenan Family had a monumental feud with wrestling icon Hulk Hogan in the ' 80s , and Heenan managed two WrestleMania challengers to Hogan ' s title , King Kong Bundy in 1986 , and André the Giant in 1987 . André did not win the title at that time , but later bested Hogan for the championship in 1988 in a controversial win after he aligned himself with " The Million Dollar Man " Ted DiBiase . Heenan also had a famous feud with The Ultimate Warrior , who reintroduced Heenan to Weasel Suit matches , which Heenan had during his time in the AWA . After being derided by announcers for his first five years in the WWF ( mostly by Gorilla Monsoon ) for never managing a champion , WrestleMania V was promoted ( mostly by Jesse Ventura and later Gorilla Monsoon ) as Heenan ' s quest , and best chance since WMIII to manage a champion . Heenan finally managed his first champion in the WWF when " Ravishing " Rick Rude upset the Ultimate Warrior for the Intercontinental title . Shortly thereafter , he led the Brain Busters to the WWF World Tag Team championship giving Heenan not only the gratification of managing a champion , but managing two champions at the same time , equalling a feat achieved two years earlier by Jimmy Hart . A few months later , he lead Colossal Connection ( André and Haku ) to the WWF Tag Team Championship . A few months after that , he lead Mr Perfect to the first of two the Intercontinental Championships . In a year and a half , Heenan went from having managed no champions to having managed two tag teams to two World Tag Team championships and two wrestlers to three Intercontinental championships . Heenan also had a parody talk show known as " The Bobby Heenan Show " , which was broadcast in four segments during the second half of WWF ' s regular weekly program " Prime Time Wrestling " . It was co - hosted by Jamison Winger and featured several very overweight women known as The Oinkettes . As neck injuries prevented him from taking bumps the way he used to , Heenan retired from managing in 1991 to become a full - time " broadcast journalist " ( see below ) . Nonetheless , Heenan crossed the line to managing sporadically . When the WWF signed Ric Flair , Heenan spent several weeks talking him up as " The Real World ' s Heavyweight Champion " ( then - NWA World Heavyweight Champion ) due to Flair ' s no compete contract with WCW . He continued to act as an advisor to Flair during his first WWF run ( and coined the phrase , " " That ' s not fair to Flair " " and " " You got to be fair to Flair " " ) . At the 1993 Royal Rumble , he introduced " Narcissist " Lex Luger to the WWF to exact revenge on his former protege , Mr Perfect . Commentator . In 1986 , Heenan became a color commentator in addition to his managing duties . He replaced Jesse Ventura on " Prime Time Wrestling " and " All American Wrestling " , aired on the USA Network , teaming up with Gorilla Monsoon . He also replaced Ventura to team up with Monsoon on the syndicated " All - Star Wrestling " , which was replaced in the fall of 1986 with " Wrestling Challenge " . Heenan and Monsoon ' s usually - unscripted banter was very entertaining , and inspired many classic moments . Heenan , calling himself a " broadcast journalist " , shamelessly rooted for the heels while they cheated or did something under - handed and referred to his audience as " humanoids , " and babyface wrestlers , especially jobbers , as " ham - and - eggers . " Another classic moment between Heenan and Monsoon occurred repeatedly when Heenan went on a long rant supporting the heel wrestlers , until Gorilla Monsoon , exasperated , finally erupted , " " WILL YOU STOP ? ? ? " " Heenan , still suffering from the broken neck he received ten years earlier and unable to cope with the long working hours , left the WWF at the end of 1993 . His original plan was to retire , spend time with his family , and relax , but he was contacted by WCW soon after he left the WWF . He was unsure at first , but accepted their offer once he found out that WCW provided lighter work schedule and health insurance . Also , his daughter went to school in Atlanta where WCW was based . He was given an on - air farewell by Gorilla Monsoon on the December 6 , 1993 edition of " Monday Night Raw " who , in kayfabe was fed up by Heenan ' s constant insults , threw him and his belongings out of the Westchester County Center and onto the sidewalk of White Plains , NY . Heenan mentioned that the idea was his and Monsoon ' s . Afterwards , Heenan states that at the hotel he and Monsoon embraced each other and wept for over an hour . In an interview later Heenan recalls the incident saying he chose Monsoon to throw him out of the WWF seeing it as appropriate . He also poked fun at Monsoon saying he ate the bananas that Monsoon brought as a going away gift for Heenan . World Championship Wrestling . In 1994 , Heenan joined WCW as a full - time commentator . He served as color commentator on WCW flagship shows " Monday Nitro " and " Thunder " , as well as the " Clash of the Champions " specials and many pay - per - view s . Heenan acted as the heel of the broadcast team , cheering on the heel of the fight and making excuses for them when they cheated . Heenan was largely uninspired in WCW due to the negative work environment , which he later described as night and day compared to the WWF , and due to conflicts with Eric Bischoff and Tony Schiavone . In 1995 , Heenan had neck surgery . Heenan made one return to ringside at the 1996 edition of the Great American Bash , leading Ric Flair and Arn Anderson to victory over Steve McMichael and Kevin Greene and also conspiring with Anderson and Flair to bring McMichael into the fold . Starting in late January 2000 , WCW replaced Heenan on " Monday Nitro " and pay - per - view events with Mark Madden . Heenan continued to commentate on " Thunder " along with Mike Tenay until April 2000 . The two were then joined by Tony Schiavone in April 2000 . Heenan was then replaced by Stevie Ray beginning in August 2000 on " Thunder " . Heenan was then only seen with Scott Hudson on " World Wide " until he was released by WCW in November 2000 . Post - WCW career . Heenan kept busy after being let go by WCW , providing commentary to the Gimmick Battle Royal match at WrestleMania X - Seven and lending his talents to smaller promotions . In 2001 , Heenan worked briefly as a " sports agent " in the X Wrestling Federation with Curt Hennig under his tutelage . He has written two career memoirs , 2002 ' s " Bobby The Brain : Wrestling ' s Bad Boy Tells All " , and 2003 ' s " Chair Shots & Other Obstacles : Winning Life ' s Wrestling Matches " which has an introduction by Ric Flair . Both books were co - written by Steve Anderson . In 2004 , Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame shortly before WrestleMania XX . In his acceptance speech , he paid tribute to his late broadcast partner and real - life close friend , tearfully saying " " I wish Monsoon were here . " " Heenan made a brief appearance between matches at the actual WrestleMania XX broadcast ; while Jonathan Coachman was " searching " the backstage area for The Undertaker , he investigated some noises to discover aged female wrestlers Mae Young and The Fabulous Moolah . Heenan and " Mean " Gene Okerlund appeared moments later in a disheveled state ; Coachman implied that the four had been involved in a sex act of some sort . Heenan also appeared in interviews for The Self - Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD in 2005 . Heenan is still involved in wrestling on a limited basis , giving interviews and making sporadic appearances . In February , 2001 , Heenan did color commentary for the Women of Wrestling Unleashed pay - per - view . In 2004 he returned to the spotlight , feuding with fellow managerial legend Jim Cornette in Ring of Honor . On April 2 , 2005 , Heenan inducted his former protege Paul Orndorff into the WWE Hall of Fame and on April 1 , 2006 Heenan inducted Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza and on March 31 , 2007 Heenan inducted Nick Bockwinkel . Heenan ' s latest appearance on World Wrestling Entertainment occurred on the June 11 , 2007 episode of " Monday Night Raw " ( also billed as the WWE Draft 2007 ) . Heenan was featured in a taped segment giving his thoughts on Mr . McMahon for " Mr . McMahon Appreciation Night " . He also has aired specific spots on the WWE programming , urging WWE fans not to smoke . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Heenan appeared for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) towards the end of 2005 on " TNA Impact ! " alongside Chicago White Sox catcher A . J . Pierzynski and strength coach Dale Torborg when they presented TNA wrestlers A . J . Styles , Chris Sabin , and Sonjay Dutt with autographed gifts from the team . They were interrupted by The Diamonds in the Rough which led to a second appearance . On September 6 , 2006 , Heenan made another appearance on an episode of " Impact ! " making a bid to manage " free agent " Robert Roode . Controversy . Brian Pillman incident . At one notable " Clash of the Champions " event broadcast live on TBS on January 23 , 1996 , Heenan screamed , " " What the fuck are you doing ? " " when Brian Pillman grabbed him by his neck , which he had surgery on not too long before , during Pillman ' s " loose cannon " gimmick . Heenan returned to the air later and apologized for his audible cursing on air . According to Heenan , Pillman apologized to him for the incident backstage , citing he did not know of Heenan ' s history of neck problems beforehand , and more specifically that Heenan had been labeled " no - touch " by management because of his injuries . Heenan , in later interviews , explained that the reason for his outburst was that he did not know it was Pillman who was grabbing him , despite video footage clearly showing that the expletive was said directly to Pillman ' s face . Since Heenan was watching the ringside monitor ( which displays the match as it is broadcast on television ) , he stated that , despite the clear evidence , he did not know that Pillman was behind him , and figured a fan had jumped the guard - rail and attacked him . The language was edited out of all WCW tapes , but can be heard in the 2006 DVD release on Pillman ' s career . Post - WCW career . Bobby Heenan kept busy after being let go by WCW , providing commentary to the Gimmick Battle Royal match at WrestleMania X - Seven alongside long - time friend and colleague " Mean " Gene Okerlund . Heenan also lent his considerable talents and experience to smaller wrestling promotions . In 2001 , Heenan worked briefly as a " sports agent " in the X Wrestling Federation with Curt Hennig under his tutelage . He has written two career memoirs , 2002 ' s " Bobby The Brain : Wrestling ' s Bad Boy Tells All " , and 2004 ' s " Chair Shots and Other Obstacles : Winning Life ' s Wrestling Matches " which has an introduction by Ric Flair . Both books were co - written by Steve Anderson . In 2004 , Heenan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame shortly before WrestleMania XX . In his acceptance speech , he paid tribute to his late broadcast partner and real - life close friend , tearfully saying " " I wish Monsoon were here . " " Heenan made a brief appearance between matches at the actual WrestleMania XX broadcast ; while Jonathan Coachman was " searching " the backstage area for The Undertaker , he investigated some noises to discover aged female wrestlers Mae Young and The Fabulous Moolah . Heenan and " Mean " Gene Okerlund appeared moments earlier in a disheveled state ; Coachman implied that the four had been involved in a sex act of some sort . Heenan also appeared in interviews for The Self - Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior DVD in 2005 . Heenan is still involved in wrestling on a limited basis , giving interviews and making sporadic appearances . In February 2001 , Heenan did color commentary for the Women of Wrestling Unleashed pay - per - view . In 2004 he returned to the spotlight , feuding with fellow managerial legend Jim Cornette in Ring of Honor . Also in 2004 he joined former WCW commentators Tony Schiavone and Larry Zbyszko in providing commentary for the video game Showdown : Legends of Wrestling . On April 2 , 2005 , Heenan inducted his former protégé Paul Orndorff into the WWE Hall of Fame and on April 1 , 2006 Heenan inducted Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza and on March 31 , 2007 Heenan inducted Nick Bockwinkel . Heenan appeared for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) towards the end of 2005 on " TNA Impact ! " alongside Chicago White Sox catcher A . J . Pierzynski and strength coach Dale Torborg when they presented TNA wrestlers A . J . Styles , Chris Sabin , and Sonjay Dutt with autographed gifts from the team . They were interrupted by The Diamonds in the Rough which led to a second appearance . On September 6 , 2006 , Heenan made another appearance in TNA on an episode of " Impact ! " making a bid to manage " free agent " Robert Roode . Heenan ' s latest appearance on World Wrestling Entertainment occurred on the June 11 , 2007 episode of " Monday Night Raw " ( also billed as the WWE Draft 2007 ) . Heenan was featured in a taped segment giving his thoughts on Mr . McMahon for " Mr . McMahon Appreciation Night " . Heenan was honored by the Pro Wrestling Report at the annual " Blizzard Brawl " event on December 5 , 2009 in Milwaukee , Wisconsin as he was given their Lifetime Achievement Award . In addition to this , The mayor of Milwaukee , Tom Barrett , declared December 5 , 2009 to be " Bobby Heenan Day " . On April 17 , 2010 Heenan appeared at TNA Lockdown fanfest . WWE released a retrospective two disc DVD set of his career on December 28 , 2010 . Personal life . Bobby married Cynthia Jean on September 14 , 1966 . Together they have a daughter , Jessica Heenan - Solt . Although on - screen they were often at odds , Heenan was actually very close with his WWF broadcast partner Gorilla Monsoon . Heenan was working for WCW when Monsoon died on October 6 , 1999 and Heenan reportedly insisted that WCW announce the death of his friend on the air despite Monsoon having never worked for WCW . On the October 11 episode of " WCW Monday Nitro " , Heenan and Schiavone announced Gorilla ' s death , with Heenan giving him a goodbye before leaving the broadcast booth in tears . During his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech , Heenan stated that Monsoon ' s presence was the only thing missing from the occasion . Heenan is also good friends with Gene Okerlund . He also , despite being at odds with him , has been friends with Hulk Hogan for a long time . Hogan even wrote praises for Heenan in his autobiography , " Bobby The Brain : Wrestling Bad Boy Tells All " . Battle with throat cancer . In January 2002 , Heenan announced on his website that he was battling throat cancer : Heenan has since largely recovered from throat cancer , but lost a great deal of weight , dramatically changing his appearance , and suffered a drastically changed voice : Heenan now speaks in a softer , higher - pitched tone in comparison to the strong , rugged tone fans were accustomed to hearing him use as a color commentator . Heenan went from being 246 lbs . to being 190 lbs . or even less . These drastic differences led to rumors that Heenan was terminally ill , most ( if not all ) of which have since dwindled . In December 2007 , Heenan had reconstructive surgery on his jaw , after the first surgery was unsuccessful . Heenan was placed in a medically induced coma and was slowly brought out . In the second half of January 2008 , Heenan had come out of his medically induced coma . Though not yet able to speak , he was communicating with his eyes . He has more surgeries to come , but they are plastic surgeries to reconstruct facial features . The reconstructing of his jaw is complete . In October 2008 , it was reported that Heenan was then able to speak a few sentences before he gets tired . In February 2009 , it was reported that while Heenan is still relearning how to speak clearly , he is now out of the hospital and plans on attending some Major League Baseball spring training sessions . Heenan accompanied Gene Okerlund to the WWE Hall of Fame the day before WrestleMania XXV . On December 11 , 2009 , Bobby Heenan was hospitalized at the H . Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa , FL after an examination of his rebuilt jaw found an infection that needed to be treated . As a result , Heenan missed his scheduled appearance at the K & S Wrestlefest event in New Jersey . By 2010 , Heenan ' s jaw infection was completely eradicated . He appeared at TNA Lockdown fanfest on April 17 , 2010 . On December 28 , 2010 WWE will release a retrospective two disc DVD set of his career . Books . • Bobby Heenan with Steve Anderson . " " . Triumph Books . 2002 . ISBN 1 - 57243 - 465 - 1 • Bobby Heenan with Steve Anderson . " " . Sports Publishing . 2004 . ISBN 1 - 58261 - 762 - 7