From the Bowery: Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan (Disc I)

From the Bowery: Bobby “The Brain” Heenan

-Hulk Hogan was my hero growing up as a kid, so naturally I disliked Bobby Heenan. All that changed as I got older, and more specifically when Heenan became a “broadcast journalist.” I soon recognized Heenan for the genius that he was, and have only grown to appreciate his work as the years have passed. The latest offering from the WWE is this 2 Disc Heenan DVD set and the moment it was announced it became a must buy.

Documentary

-A quick video package covers Heenan’s career and puts over his managing Andre against Hogan at WrestleMania III. Various talking heads put Heenan over and that leads us to the title sequence.

-Heenan was born Ray Heenan in 1944 in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised by his mother and grandmother because father was nowhere to be found. Heenan’s aunt passed away and the family move to Indiana to live in her home. Heenan had to drop out of school to make money to support his family. He worked for a local arena and helped set up for shows. That’s how he was introduced to the wrestling business and he was instantly hooked.

-In 1965 he was given his first break in St Louis. He managed Blackjack Mulligan and idea was to pair those two up with Lanza. It was also around that time that Heenan was given “The Brain” nickname.

-The AWA is next and Heenan is paired with Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens. Greg Gagne mentions that Heenan brought Bockwinkel to another level, and Dusty Rhodes says the same thing. We hear from Nick Bockwinkel and he mentions how tough Heenan’s wife is to have to put up with him. Nice!

-On Jan 25, 1975 a gun man actually talk aim at Heenan during a match, but missed. Five people did end up getting injured however. Crazy shit there!

-Heenan inciting the crowd is covered, and we get various clips of him getting his ass kicked. That leads to talk of the various times when he had to get in the ring to wrestle. It was always a special attraction in the AWA and drew big crowds because the crowd wanted to see Heenan get his ass kicked. This all leads to the creation of the Weasel Suit Match against Greg Gagne. Ever the showman, Heenan goes to extremes to entertain the crowd when he was in that suit.

-From the AWA he heads to the WWF during their expansion. Heenan was a little worried about leaving his friends, but Bockwinkel gave him the green light to go.

-Heenan was initially asked to manage Ventura, but he had to retire due to blood clots. So Heenan was paired with Big John Studd. That was first member of the Heenan Family and things just took off from there. Each wrestler he managed gets a shout-out, and everyone mentions how it was like hitting the lottery when you were paired with Heenan. He managed like a wrestler in the sense that he had no problem getting his ass kicked on a nightly basis.

-In 1985 WrestleMania is born and wrestling becomes a part of pop culture. On that night Heenan managed Studd against Andre in the $15000 Body Slam Challenge.

-In 1987 he joins forces with Andre after his heel turn, and that leads to WrestleMania III. Thankfully they cover the Piper’s Pit where Heenan shows up with Andre to confront Hogan. Still just mind blowing stuff! WrestleMania III comes and while Heenan managed 2 others that night, it was the Main Event that everyone remembers. They show Andre’s entrance with Heenan and the heat is just unreal as the fans toss garbage at both men. The ending of the match is shown (minus the body slam and Hogan getting the 3 count).

-They cover the weasel chants, and Heenan had a lot of fun with the crowd. They Weasel Suit Match is brought to the WWF for a run with the Ultimate Warrior.

-Arn Anderson puts over that it was an honor for anyone to be put with Heenan. It instantly gave you credibility, and made you a star in the fan’s eyes. They put over the pairing of Heenan and Perfect and of Heenan and Rude. In a perfect marriage Arn and Tully came to the WWE and joined forces with Heenan to form the Brain Busters.

-Heenan’s interviews are touched on next, and needless to say they are tremendous. Anderson calls him the greatest talker of all time. Everyone puts over how quick he was on his feet and the one-liners he would ad lib. We get talk from his daughter Jessica, and says that it’s not a character. He is just that funny and quick in real life.

-One of the greatest lines Heenan ever said it touched on as he asks a fan how long he has been married. When the guy says 21 years, Heenan tells him if he would have killed her on his Wedding Night he would be out of jail by now. Classic!

-Heenan and Monsoon formed a tremendous pair, and we get video of their interactions. Monsoon looked like he was on the verge of cracking up every time he was around Heenan. Their relationship developed and soon they were the best of friends, and that only makes their act on TV all the more awesome. Vince McMahon puts over their chemistry, and mentions nothing can match what they had. I have to agree there.

-Heenan is given his own show on the USA Network as he gets a 30 minute block during the 2 hours of Prime Time. Vince says USA Network had no clue what they were doing, but loved the show. The show was absolutely hilarious and Vince’s says was way ahead of it’s time. Heenan tearing apart the guests (mostly fat women) is tremendous. Cena wishes he had this kind of humor when he ripped on Vickie.

-Heenan retires from managing and heads to the broadcast desk. He was a natural from day one, and nobody has ever come close to matching what he did (in my opinion). Lawler mentions how fans will come up and call him and JR the best ever outside of Heenan and Monsoon. They are definitely my favorite team of all time (with Ventura and Monsoon a close second). They especially hit their peak as a duo when Flair was brought into the WWF (again in my opinion).

-Heenan was there at the desk for some memorable moments that he helped put over: Flair’s Royal Rumble win; Shawn turning on Marty; Hogan getting turfed at King of the Ring ’93. Lawler calls him the best ever! Another great line from Heenan: “I would have voted for the Head Shrinkers and Bastion. Hey, Booger is my pick.” The exasperated look on Vince’s face is priceless.

-Dec 6, 1993: Heenan wants to pursue career in Hollywood, and is tossed off of RAW by Gorilla Monsoon. In classic fashion his exit is just hilarious as Monsoon tosses him out of the building. Heenan’s bag including a roll of toilet paper is just perfect for some reason. At the time I was irate that they treated Heenan like that, but as I got older I realized that was perfect way for him to leave.

-The lure of wrestling and a big check from Turner brings Heenan to WCW. His wife mentions there were good points such as being closer to his daughter and thus less travel. WCW gave him a chance to be at home more even if he wasn’t as happy. We get the video of Pillman going off script and grabbing Heenan, and the subsequent “F” bomb (bleeped out) that he dropped on live TV.

-At the end of 1999 Heenan is diagnosed with throat cancer. We get emotional comments from his wife and his daughter. Things were a lot worse than they had thought and say it is a miracle that he is still here today. After a while he decided he wanted to do things again, and started working once again.

-In 2004 he is inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and his speech stole the show. Thankfully it is included as an extra on this DVD set. His wife says he was nervous because of his illness taking a toll on his voice, but the reaction from the fans showed he still had it, and like always he stole the show.

-Lawler, Vince, Joey Styles, and Jim Cornette all call Heenan the greatest manager in the history of the business by far. Others back up those sentiments, and his wife ends by calling his the best entertainer. Vince wraps things up by saying nobody will ever follow him and that there will never be another one like him.

Extras

The Executioners: In 1962 Heenan managed a Rock and Roll band called the Executioners (called that because they were so bad that they murdered anything they played).

AWA Manager of the Year 1976: Heenan is named Manager of the year on Christmas Day in 1976 by Bill Apter. Heenan ignores Stevens during his speech and that leads to him turning on Heenan and Bockwinkel. As expected the trophy gets destroyed.

The Wrestling Bear: Baron Von Raschke tells story of him losing to Dick the Bruiser and the stipulation is that Heenan has to wrestle a bear. We get some grainy footage of Heenan with the Bear. Amazing what you can find when owning 95% of wrestling video library.

Centerfold: Bockwinkel tells story of an interview they did in the AWA. Without telling anyone Heenan (on live TV) opens a Wrestling Magazine and inside is a centerfold from Hustler Magazine. The guy doing the interview had to stop things because he couldn’t keep from laughing.

”Honey I’m Home:” Heenan being interviewed for a different DVD “yells” at his wife off camera, and generally cracks up the staff doing the interview.

The Other Weasel Suit: His daughter mentions that Heenan had a weasel suit, but the guy who made it also made her one that she would wear when she was a kid. We get pictures of Heenan in the suit carrying around his daughter in her suit. Nice!

”I am not a Weasel:” This is from Oct ’84 and from Tuesday Night Titans. This is early in Heenan’s run in the WWF and they show footage of Heenan’s WWF debut in Minneapolis managing Big John Studd. The Minnesota crowd is very familiar with Heenan and immediately hit him with a weasel chant. We go back to Vince and he asks Heenan about the weasel chant. Heenan then goes on a rant about not being a weasel and even insults Lord Alfred Hayes for good measure.

Prime Time Wrestling: Dec 12, 1988: Heenan and Monsoon head to Busch Gardens, and hilarity ensues as they search for the Bushwhackers. Heenan claiming he is being stalked by a giraffe had me laughing out loud. Heenan insults a little girl and gets his foot stomped. Great stuff here!

Get Your Popcorn Ready: Heenan’s daughter mentions she went on the road with him often. She was put to work on several occasions as a plant. We get footage of her in the crowd having popcorn dumped on her head by Big Bully Busick one week and then having her balloon popped by him another week. She felt she should get paid for her work and actually went to Vince’s office with her hand out. Awesome! Heenan was scared to death, but Vince just laughed it off as her just being the daughter of the Brain.

Golfing Tips w/ Heenan and Okerlund: Mooney follows Heenan and Okerlund as they play a round of golf. Heenan is full of one-liners and cheats to win. He also stiff Okerlund on the greens fees. Fun stuff, but I still prefer the earlier Busch Gardens stuff.

WrestleMania IX: Heenan enters WrestleMania IX and Las Vegas wearing a toga while riding a camel backwards. God Bless Heenan as he will do anything to entertain.

RAW: Dec 6, 1993: Monsoon makes his way to ringside as RAW is about to go off the air and he fires Heenan by tossing him out of the building. Classic stuff here as Heenan begs for his job. This was a memorable moment in the early days of RAW. Again this was a perfect way for him to go at the time.

The Humor of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan: A video package of all the classic Heenan comedy moments. His daughter mentions that she was the little girl at Busch Gardens that got to stomp on his foot. That’s pretty cool actually.

Nitro: Oct 11, 1999: Nitro opens to Schiavone and Heenan at ringside. Schiavone mentions the passing of Gorilla Monsoon and turns things over to Heenan. He says his goodbyes to his friend and as he finishes talking you can see he is fighting back the tears.

The Wedding Eulogy: Heenan’s daughter talks about her wedding, and mentions as she got ready Heenan barged in wearing her veil and bra. And yes they do include a picture! Heenan speaks and jokes that this should be a funeral.

WrestleMania XX: Coachman is sent to look for the Undertaker and hears some strange noises. It turns out he stumbles upon Heenan and Okerlund in a closet making out with Moolah and Mae Young. Crowd loved every minute of this.

Hall of Fame 2004: Heenan’s entire Hall of Fame speech as he tears down the house. He leaves the fans and the WWF Superstars rolling on the floor. His rant on the WWF vs. the WWF is truly epic.

The 411: The documentary was a little shorter than most have been as they didn't cover his actual in ring career all that much. With that said the extras more than make up for it, and we still have another disc to go.
Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]