Ray Heenan
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
121
Gender
Male
Birthday
1944-11-01
Day of death
2017-09-17 (72 years old)
Place of Birth
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Ray Heenan
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."
Known For
Raw
Raw
WWF Wrestling Challenge
Saturday Night's Main Event
Saturday Night's Main Event
Saturday Night's Main Event
Andre the Giant
WWE: Undertaker 20-0 - The Streak
The WWF's Amazing Managers
Biography: WWE Legends
WWE Old School
WWE Old School
WWE Old School
WWE Old School
WWE Old School
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: January '87
WWE Greatest Wrestling Factions
Tuesday Night Titans
Tuesday Night Titans
WWE SummerSlam 1989
WWF Hulkamania 2
WWF: WrestleFest '93
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro
WWF Prime Time Wrestling
WWE Survivor Series 1989
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: May '89
Hulkamania 6
WWE The Big Event
The Best of the WWF: volume 14
WWE: 20 Years Too Soon - The Superstar Billy Graham Story
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: December '84
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: October '84
The Best of the WWF: volume 13
WrestleMania III
WrestleMania IV
WrestleMania 2
WWF's Biggest, Smallest, Strangest, Strongest
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: November '85
TNA Turning Point 2005
The Best of the WWF: volume 20
WWE WrestleMania VI
The Life and Times of Captain Lou Albano
WWE Royal Rumble 1993
WrestleMania
WrestleMania
AWA Christmas Night 1983
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: August '88
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
WWE: Triple H - The Game
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: July '88
WWE Royal Rumble
WWE WrestleMania V
WWE Rampage '91
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: April '88
AWA Super Sunday
ROH: All Star Extravaganza 2
The Best of the WWF: volume 9
WWE Villains of The Squared Circle
The Best of the WWF: volume 19
WWE WrestleMania IV
WWE SuperTape vol. 3
WWE Hall of Fame 2004
The WWF's Even More Unusual Matches
WCW Thunder
WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary
The Best of the WWF: volume 10
Battle of the WWE Superstars
WWE Demolition
Timemaster
Sting: The Lost Tape
WCW All Nighter 1995
WWE: The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers
The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior
Women of Wrestling
Wrestling's Most Embarrassing Moments
WCW The Great American Bash 1996
Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports
WWE The Main Event
Hollywood Hulk Hogan: Hulk Still Rules
WWF Hottest Matches
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '88
WWE The Main Event IV
The Bobby Heenan Show
WWE SummerSlam 1988
WWE SummerSlam 1990
WCW/NWO Superstar Series: Diamond Dallas Page - Feel the Bang!
WWE Royal Rumble 1989
WrestleMania II
The Best of the WWF: volume 12
Best of the WWF Volume 3
Hulkamania 3
The Best of the WWF: volume 18
WWE Survivor Series 1990
The Monday Night War - WWE Raw vs. WCW Nitro
WWE: Ring in the Holiday
WWE Survivor Series 1987
WWE WrestleMania VII
WWE SuperTape vol. 4
Hulkamania 4
The Ultimate Warrior
WWE Royal Rumble 1991
WWE Houston Wrestling: October '86
WWF Bashed in the USA
The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers
WWE WrestleMania III
2nd Annual Battle of the WWE Superstars
WWE Survivor Series 1988
WWE The Ultimate Challenge Special: The March to WrestleMania VI
The True Story of WrestleMania
WWE Crunch Classic
WWE Superstars & Stripes Forever: The March to WrestleMania VII
Andre the Giant
WWE WrestleFest
AWA Arena Shows
WWE SummerSlam Fever
WWF SuperTape vol. 2
WWE Survivor Series Showdown '89
WWE Mega Matches
WBF Championship 1992
WWE: Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan
