Ray Heenan
Acting • Born 1944-11-01 – Died 2017-09-17
Biography
Raymond Louis Heenan was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, wrestler, and comedian. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), WWE 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 André the Giant in WWE 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. Known for his quick wit and comedic ability, Heenan also served as a color commentator and is remembered for his on-screen repartee with Gorilla Monsoon. Outside of wrestling, Heenan authored two books, appeared on numerous television shows, and briefly hosted a parody talk show titled The Bobby Heenan Show on WWE Prime Time Wrestling. 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 in 2017. Among other honors, he has been inducted into the Professional Wrestling, WWE, and Wrestling Observer halls of fame. After his death, multiple wrestling commentators described his manager persona as the "greatest professional wrestling manager of all time."
Filmography
140 credits
WrestleMania
Movie • 1985
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WCW/NWO Superstar Series: Diamond Dallas Page - Feel the Bang!
Movie • 1999
Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan
WWE: Triple H - The Game
Movie • 2002
Himself
WrestleMania II
Movie • 1986
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE WrestleMania III
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
Battle of the WWE Superstars
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
2nd Annual Battle of the WWE Superstars
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Hottest Matches
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE SuperTape: Volume 3
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE SuperTape: Volume 4
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE SuperTape: Volume 2
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
Demolition: Witness the Power
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWF Hulkamania 2
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Mega Matches
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Rampage '91
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
The Ultimate Warrior
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
Villains of the Squared Circle
Movie • 1986
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE WrestleMania VII
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Royal Rumble 1991
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE SummerSlam 1989
Movie • 1989
Himself
Timemaster
Movie • 1995
Howard
Hollywood Hulk Hogan: Hulk Still Rules
Movie • 2002
Himself
WWE Survivor Series 1990
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Survivor Series 1988
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE SummerSlam 1990
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
TNA Turning Point 2005
Movie • 2005
Bobby Heenan (Commentary)
WWE: 20 Years Too Soon - The Superstar Billy Graham Story
Movie • 2006
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
Movie • 2006
Bobby Heenan
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
AWA Super Sunday
Movie • 1983
Bobby Heenan (Manager)
WWE WrestleFest '93
Movie • 1993
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Host)
The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers
Movie • 2006
Himself
Hulkamania 3
Movie • 1988
Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan
Best of the WWF Volume 3
Movie • 1985
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Hulkamania 4
Movie • 1989
Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
Movie • 1986
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
The Best of the WWF: volume 10
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
The Best of the WWF: volume 12
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
The Best of the WWF: volume 13
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
The Best of the WWF: volume 14
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
The Best of the WWF: volume 18
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
The Best of the WWF: volume 19
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
The Best of the WWF: volume 20
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
Andre the Giant
Movie • 1985
Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan (archive footage)
Wrestling's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest!
Movie • 1985
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Crunch Classic
Movie • 1992
Bobby Heenan
WWE: Ring in the Holiday
Movie • 2015
WWE: Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan
Movie • 2010
WWE Houston Wrestling: October '86
Movie • 1986
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Royal Rumble 1993
Movie • 1993
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Appearance)
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: July '88
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: August '88
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: November '85
Movie • 1985
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
AWA Christmas Night 1983
Movie • 1983
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: October '84
Movie • 1984
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: December '84
Movie • 1984
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: April '88
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '88
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: January '87
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: May '89
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WBF Championship 1992
Movie • 1992
Himself
WWE Hall of Fame 2004
Movie • 2004
Self
Andre the Giant
Movie • 2018
Self (archive footage)
WWE: The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers
Movie • 2004
Bobby Heenan
ROH: All Star Extravaganza 2
Movie • 2004
Himself
WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary
Movie • 2007
Himself
WWE: Undertaker 20-0 - The Streak
Movie • 2012
Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan (archive footage)
The True Story of WrestleMania
Movie • 2011
Bobby Heenan
Sting: The Lost Tape
Movie • 2020
WWE Royal Rumble 1988
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brian" Heenan (Manager)
WWE WrestleMania IV
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE WrestleFest
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE SummerSlam 1988
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Royal Rumble 1989
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE WrestleMania V
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Survivor Series Showdown '89
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Survivor Series 1989
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE The Ultimate Challenge Special: The March to WrestleMania VI
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE WrestleMania VI
Movie • 1990
Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan (Manager)
WWE The Big Event
Movie • 1986
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE SummerSlam Fever
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Survivor Series 1987
Movie • 1987
Bobby Heenan
WWE The Main Event IV
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Superstars & Stripes Forever: The March to WrestleMania VII
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior
Movie • 2005
Himself
WCW The Great American Bash 1996
Movie • 1996
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Coach)
WCW All Nighter 1995
Movie • 1995
WWE Greatest Wrestling Factions
Movie • 2014
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
The Monday Night War - WWE Raw vs. WCW Nitro
Movie • 2004
Himself
WWE Bashed in the USA
Movie • 1993
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Commentator)
The WWF's Even More Unusual Matches
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
The WWF's Amazing Managers
Movie • 1985
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Hulkamania 6
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
The Life and Times of Captain Lou Albano
Movie • 1986
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Hulk Hogan: Real American
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
Macho Madness
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
The Brains Behind the Brawn
Movie • 1989
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
The Ken Patera Story
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Bret "Hit Man" Hart: His Greatest Matches
Movie • 1993
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Wrestling Superheroes
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Wrestling Tough Guys
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Invasion of the Bodyslammers
Movie • 1993
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE World Tour 1992
Movie • 1992
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Battle Royal at the Albert Hall
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Commentator)
WWE UK Rampage '92
Movie • 1992
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE UK Rampage '93
Movie • 1993
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Commentator) / Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Interviewer)
WWE UK Fan Favorites 1993
Movie • 1993
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Global Warfare
Movie • 1993
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE SuperTape: Volume 1
Movie • 1990
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Wrestling's Most Embarrassing Moments
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE Funniest Moments
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Movie • 1987
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Warrior's Greatest Matches
Movie • 2014
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Archive Footage)
The Greatest Stars of the 80's
Movie • 2005
Self
All Aboard the Lex Express
Movie • 1993
Bobby Heenan
WWE Survivor Series Showdown 1991
Movie • 1991
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
The Best of the WWF: volume 17
Movie • 1988
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WCW Monday Nitro
TV • 1995
Raw
TV • 1993
Biography: WWE Legends
TV • 2021
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (archive footage)
The Bobby Heenan Show
TV • 1989
Women of Wrestling
TV • 2000
WCW Thunder
TV • 1998
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
WWE The Main Event
TV • 1988
Color Commentator
Raw
TV • 1993
Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan
WWF Wrestling Challenge
TV • 1986
Bobby Heenan
WCW Monday Nitro
TV • 1995
Bobby Heenan
Saturday Night's Main Event
TV • 1985
WWE Old School
TV • 1973
Bobby Heenan (Manager)
WWE Old School
TV • 1973
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Old School
TV • 1973
Bobby Heenan
WWE Old School
TV • 1973
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Saturday Night's Main Event
TV • 1985
Bobby Heenan
WWE Old School
TV • 1973
Bobby Heenan (Commentary)
WWF Prime Time Wrestling
TV • 1985
Bobby Heenan (Color Commentator)
Saturday Night's Main Event
TV • 1985
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
Tuesday Night Titans
TV • 1984
Bobby Heenan
Tuesday Night Titans
TV • 1984
Bobby Heenan (Archive footage)
AWA Arena Shows
TV • 1981
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager)
WWE Hall of Fame
TV • 2005
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Presenter)