10 best moments of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

The world of Sports Entertainment has lost one of its brightest stars with the death of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Heenan's career spanned decades and he was a part of several of the most important moments in the history of the business.

Here, we look at 10 of his best ever moments that made him all-time greatest manager and colour commentator.

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#10 Bobby introduces Lex Luger!

By 1993, Bobby had become a full-time announcer, however, he was still seen as the best "heater" on the roster and his endorsement would help to legitimise a new heel immediately.

In the build to 1993's Royal Rumble, he began to hype a new addition to the roster, known only as "The Narcissist". On the night itself, Bobby revealed to the crowd that this was none other than former WCW World Champion Lex Luger!

As Luger posed in front of mirrors, Heenan gushed praise over the new heel, making the crowd HATE him.

While Luger didn't stay heel for very long, a big part of his initial success was down to that debut with Heenan and Luger's penchant for big debuts didn't end there, with him later firing the first salvo in the Monday Night Wars by appearing on Nitro, which Bobby also played a big part in!

#9 Bobby takes on the rooster

In early 1989, the Heenan Family was at its peak, where Bobby managed a mix of the best talent WWE had to offer. From future Hall Of Famer's Andre The Giant, Mr. Perfect and Rick Rude, to up and coming talent like Haku, The Brooklyn Brawler and Terry Taylor, then known as The Red Rooster.

The Rooster became frustrated with Heenan's focus on other stars and his methods as a manager. Heenan went as far as slapping his protege, which led to a bitter feud that culminated at Wrestlemania V when the two faced off.

While Terry Taylor never really made it as a star, Heenan did some of his best work in this feud, trying to get the young star over. Many forget that Bobby spent years as a wrestler before his managerial career, and this feud showcased that better than any in his WWF tenure.

#8 Bobby drops an f-bomb on Nitro & helps start the Attitude Era

In 1995, Brian Pillman was in the midst of what to many on both sides of the curtain appeared to be a "breakdown" of sorts. His behaviour became increasingly erratic and eventually saw him leave WCW, only to show up in ECW, get hurt in a car wreck and sign for the WWF!

One of his most memorable but often forgotten moments, that helped build "The Loose Cannon" legend was an incident on Nitro where Bobby Heenan legit dropped the F-Bomb when Pillman tried to grab him during a match.

Bobby later explained that he had received neck surgery and Pillman had gotten too close to the injured area, causing his outburst.

It's certainly a bizarre note in the annals of "Brain" history, but one that helped shape the future of the business. Within a year, Pillman was in the WWF fathering the Attitude Era with Steve Austin!

#7 Bobby wakes the sleeping giant!

Since 1987, Bobby Heenan had been the manager of "The Eighth Wonder Of The World" Andre The Giant, guiding him through his heel turn and helping him to defeat Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Title in 1988. He famously brokered the deal for him to famously sell it to Ted DiBiase along with guiding Andre and Haku to the WWF Tag Team titles as The Colossal Connection.

At Wrestlemania 6, Andre and Haku battled Demolition for the titles but the outcome didn't go as Heenan expected. Andre found himself "shut out" of the match, when he got himself tied in the ropes, allowing Ax and Smash to pick off Haku and take the titles.

Heenan was livid and repeatedly told Andre audibly on camera "I'm the F***ing Boss" before slapping him full across the face.

Andre responded in kind and paintbrushed Heenan and Haku out of the ring.The fans erupted, finally seeing Heenan bite off more than he could chew and he sold like a champ... even if Andre's blows were a little "off target".

This is up there on the list of "All-Time Wrestlemania Moments" for the unusual use of profanity and for it being the end of one of the most successful manager/wrestler combos of the era. Sadly, Andre never really got the face run he deserved due to his health, but Bobby was able to move on to new talents and pastures with his commentary.

#6 The Real World's Champion/that's not fair to Flair!

Ric Flair

While Bobby had wound his managerial career down by late 1991, there was one talent that could bring him back to action as a special advisor, and it brought some of the WWF's best TV of the era.

Fans buzzed with anticipation as Heenan began to hype that Ric Flair, who Bobby described as "The Real World's Champion" would soon be coming to the WWF. When he did, The Brain acted as his "advisor", adding Mr. Perfect to do the ringside work while Heenan was on commentary.

This led to some of Bobby's best mic work as the biased announcer, always putting Flair over strong and whenever things didn't go his way yelling "That's not fair to Flair...". This was most notable at the 1992 Royal Rumble where Ric Flair joined the fray at #3, yet went on to win it all.

While Flair had a mixed run, he had the perfect mouthpiece in Bobby, who upped his game to work with Naitch.

#5 A ravishing Intercontinental Champion

Heenan and Rick Rude

In 1989, Bobby Heenan was at the peak of his powers, involved in a storyline at every level of the card.

The Ultimate Warrior was the undefeated Intercontinental Champion, having destroyed Honky Tonk Man at Summerslam '88. Warrior was the second most over man in the company but not at the time known as a stellar worker. Enter Heenan and his charge, Ravishing Rick Rude.

Heenan and Rude had proven a formidable duo and at Wrestlemania V, Rick challenged the Warrior for his title. In what at the time was the BIGGEST upset of the era, Rude was able to pin the Warrior, with a big assist from Bobby Heenan, who held onto Warrior's leg out of the ref's sight.

The feud would continue for nearly 18 months, with the final encounter being for Warrior's WWF title at Summerslam '90. Arguably this match and Heenan's involvement helped "make" both the Warrior and Rude who went on to much bigger things and in Rude's case, a stint as the best heel in the business from 1991 to 1994.

#4 Bobby blows the surprise?

WCW in July 1996 was the most exciting place to be in pro-wrestling, with the Outsiders debuting and challenging Sting, Randy Savage and Lex Luger at Bash at the Beach.

Bobby Heenan was on commentary for the legendary match and when Hulk Hogan began to make his way down, he actually dared to suggest he was the infamous 3rd man by asking whose side he was on.

Many called this a botch on Bobby's part, but it actually made total sense for Bobby to "know what was coming" as he had managed Andre The Giant through his shocking turn. What seemed a mistake actually gave depth to Hogan's betrayal. That only the despicable Brain saw it coming.

That Bobby was playing a somewhat reformed character by that time only made it sweeter as Bobby played that he'd "been proven right all those years" about Hogan's true nature.

The NWO, of course, would rule WCW and the business for the next 4 years... but had Heenan kept quiet, would the turn have worked so well?

#3 Bobby gets fired

Heenan & Monsoon have been called the "Abbot & Costello" of Wrestling

One of the defining aspects of Bobby's wonderful career was the chemistry he shared with Gorilla Monsoon. The two were a staple on WWF commentary from 1990 until December 1993, when Heenan planned to cut down his schedule and an offer from WCW would allow him to do so.

Rather than go with a simple "leaving" story, Heenan and Gorilla came up with one of the best segments in RAW history, where newly appointed commissioner, Monsoon, fired Heenan on camera and ejected him from the building along with his "belongings".

Both guys played this to the hilt and Heenan genuinely seemed distraught at the turn of events, however in real life, they were the best of friends and it is said they both cried for an hour after the show was over, knowing they wouldn't work together again.

When Gorilla Monsoon passed a few short years later, Bobby insisted on the unusual step of breaking kayfabe on Nitro to acknowledge the death of a "rival talent" during The Monday Night Wars.

Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon together were simply the greatest pair of commentators the business has ever seen, likened to great comedy acts like Abbot & Costello.

#2 Piper's Pit

Bobby's greatest moment as a manager, came in early 1987 on Piper's Pit when he revealed to Hulk Hogan and the world who his new signing was. Hogan's best friend, Andre The Giant!

Andre was beloved by the fans and his heel turn shocked the business to its core, helping to build Wrestlemania III to become the biggest event in history.

While Andre and Hogan played their parts to perfection on The Pit segment, it was Heenan who stole the show. While smug and cocky at his new acquisition, there was a layer of truth in his words, that Hogan had held talent down and they were tired of it.

This could perhaps be seen as the first WWF example of a "worked shoot", with Heenan telling fans in a coded way what many felt backstage.

While Andre lost at Wrestlemania, Heenan arguably had the last laugh, seeing The Giant take the WWF title from Hogan less than a year later. This remains one of the best executed heel turns in history, and it's in no small part to the excellent work done by Bobby Heenan to sell Andre's frustration.

#1 Hall Of Famer

Over the years, many talents have found their way into the WWE Hall of Fame, however, few were so demanded by the fans, nor offered such a wonderful speech as Bobby Heenan.

Bobby had suffered from cancer since the fans had last seen him, so his trademark booming voice had gone along with part of his jaw. The wit, humour and comic timing however remained and for over 20 minutes, Bobby fired zingers at the crowd and had them in fits of laughter.

However, Bobby's crowning moment came a the end of his poignant speech, when he not only thanked his family but made the observation the night was almost perfect, except he "wished Monsoon was there..."

That Bobby took his final moment in front of the WWE Universe to think of his friend spoke volumes of the man and why his death is such a loss to the wrestling business.

There will NEVER be another Bobby "The Brain" Heenan... Rest In Peace!