The Tribune

By INIGO 'NAUGHTY' ZENICAZELAYA

BOBBY “The Brain” Heenan, legendary wrestling manager and announcer, died on Sunday, according to WWE.com and other reliable sources.He was 73.

It’s no secret. I’m a huge fan of ‘Pro Wrestling’ so I was deeply saddened to hear of his passing.

A big part of me being such a huge wrestling fan, were characters such as Bobby ‘The Brain’ and his endless underhanded antics, to go along with his stable of champion wrestlers.

THE BEST TO EVER DO IT

Heenan is considered the best known, most successful ringside manager in the history of the business.

‘The Brain” transitioned to the announcing booth after his managerial run, where he concluded his illustrious career that spanned over four decades.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Heenan came up as a wrestler and manager through the 1960s and 1970s in the World Wrestling Association, American Wrestling Association and later the World Wrestling Federation (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment). He managed superstars over the years such as Angelo Poffo, Guy Mitchell, the Valiant Brothers, Nick Bockwinkel, Jesse Ventura and Andre the Giant.

In 2004, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame two years after being diagnosed with throat cancer.

Along with his time in the WWE, “The Brain” was part of the original broadcast team for Monday Night Raw in 1993 and also sat at the announcer table for both Raw and WCW Monday Nitro.

HIGHLY RESPECTED AMONG HIS PEERS

Just as his fans, such as myself and thousands of others, were all feeling the loss of ‘The Brain’, so were the countless peers in the wrestling business that called Heenan friend.

“The news of Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan’s passing today gutted me. I loved our time together. No one ever did it better than the Wease.”

- Jim Ross former RAW play-by-play man and current WWE executive.

Bobby Heenan... The Greatest Manager, One Of The Greatest Announcers, And One Of The Best In-Ring Performers In The History Of The Business.”

- Ric Flair 17 time World Champion.

KING OF THE ONE LINERS

Heenan was quite the comedian, his ‘one liners’ were impeccable and his timing immaculate.

Sometimes it was more enjoyable just to listen to ‘The Brain’ and his off the wall commentary than the actual match itself.

Heenan once said: “I was allowed to express myself and bring my comedy into a business I often thought needed a kick in the pants and a couple of smiles.”

And aren’t we all glad you did.

Thanks for the memories Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan.

RIP!!

• Naughty presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da AM’ from 6am to 10am, Monday to Friday and ‘The Press Box’ sports talk show on Sunday from 10am to 1pm, on KISS FM 96.1. Comments and questions to naughty@tribunemedia.net