Bobby the Brain: Wrestling's Bad Boy Tells All [Paperback]

Bob Heenan (Author), Steve Anderson (Author), Hulk Hogan (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

Was wrestling vis wild and crazy at its start as it is today? Try wilder and crazier! See where it all began and how it became the sport it is today! Starting in 1965 as a hay hoy for Dick "the Bruiser" and the tag team the AsMssins, Bobby "the Brain" Heenan worked and talked his way into the ring. Some of Bobby's early tag team matches, pairing with Baron Von Raschke, were against Teddy the hear. No, not a guy named Teddy, hut a real bear! Wrestling as "the Weasel," in a costume, Bobby would "wake" in the ring from a sleeper hold, stare at his paws, see his tail, and start chasing it running in circles and hegin fighting anew. He did that until one day, while he lay unconscious in the ring, some spectator ripped off his tail and stole it. Bobby "the Brain" (or perhaps you knew him as "Pretty Boy" or "the Weasel") Heenan's wrestling career spans 38 years from the early AWA and NWA to today's WCW and WWF. Heenan wrestled, managed, commentated, and promoted matches. Bobby the Brain tells all the stories, names all the names, and doesn't care who gets mad about it. He talks about his long-running feud with Hulk 1 lognn; Andre "the Giant" (7' 6" and 550 pounds) hearing "last call" in a bar and ordering 40 mani-nis that he drank until 4 A.M.; and he reveals all about Vince McMahon of the WWF. For the wrestling fan it definitely is "no-holds-barred" in a hook you can't put down, at leasr for a count of three!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Mick "Mankind" Foley, The Rock and Kurt Angle, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan has become the latest professional wrestler to set his life on the mat to the page. While the book certainly won't challenge for any literary prizes, Heenan-a funny, cocky guy with an intelligence that goes well beyond his 8th grade education-is surprisingly charming. A pro wrestler since the 1960s, Heenan recounts the early days spent wrestling bears in Canada, getting cheated by promoters and bleeding in smoky gyms and halls across the northeast, all for as little as $10 a night. A devoted family man, Heenan finally made a comfortable living off the sport he loves in the 1980s and 1990s and has spent a lifetime reveling in the attention (and venom) his supporters and detractors have thrown his way. 22 pages of b&w photos
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Heenan has been involved in professional wrestling since the 1960s. He's worked empty small-town arenas where a curtain with painted-on faces was used to simulate a packed house for the television audience. He's worked prime-time network television. Jesse Ventura and Hulk Hogan are among his peers and sometimes clients. Heenan's ongoing role has been that of manager, and if you know the "sport," you know that managers usually show up in a suit, tout their guy, and then wind up in the ring after insults are exchanged. It's all high drama or low theater, and it has played very well to more than a few generations of 13-year-old boys. Heenan relates 30-plus years of often-hilarious, self-deprecating anecdotes, profiling along the way some of the unique individuals attracted to this hybrid of sports and soap opera. Heenan even gets a bit personal, revealing his search for long-lost family members and reflecting on his ongoing battle with cancer. A very entertaining memoir from a man who's been on the inside of a uniquely American entertainment medium. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books; Pbk. Ed edition (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572436689
• ISBN-13: 978-1572436688
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,274,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bobby "The Brain" Heenan - WWF/WCW/AWA fans this is a must., September 11, 2002

By 

M. Riggs (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bobby the Brain: Wrestling's Bad Boy Tells All (Hardcover)

Bobby Heenan was in the the original big three wrestling organizations during each of their peaks. AWA in the early 80's, WWF in the mid 80s to early 90s, and WCW during the late 90s. Throughout the book he details what it was like and several HILARIOUS stories from those days. Among them are stories involving: Ric Flair, Andre The Giant, Harley Race, Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon, Jesse Ventura, BlackJack Lanza, Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, Gorilla Monsoon, Verne Gagne, Mean Gene Okerlund, and many more. The Foreward by Hulk Hogan really says alot about The Brain. The only reason this didn't get five stars is because some of the dates and such are off a bit, but for any wrestling fan or any era that had Bobby Heenan in it, which I guess is every era except this current one, should definitely get this book. Of all of the wrestling books that I have read this one is my favorite.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bobby's the man, April 16, 2006

By 

Freddy Graham - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bobby the Brain: Wrestling's Bad Boy Tells All (Paperback)

Few people in the history of professional wrestling were as disliked as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. He was smarmy, arrogant and flat out obnoxious. Mostly due to the fact he always gave off an air of being superior to those around him, especially the fans. What I'm saying is meant as a compliment because it was obvious to me that was the full intent behind his character. Bobby was supposed to be all those things and he managed to pull it off as well as anyone I've ever seen. Even as a little kid I knew the guy was something else.

If you are a fan of Pro Wrestling there's no doubt you will really enjoy this book. Fans of all ages will learn a whole lot about the biz. From the squared circle to the behind the scenes action it's all here. Bobby was in the industry for a very very long time and so he knows what he's talking about. The man let's it fly and pulls no punches. It's an enjoyable read. There's even a great foreword by the legendary Hulk Hogan. I would recommend this book to any and all fans of wrestling. You do not have to specifically be a Bobby fan to enjoy this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars THE wrestling bad boy, May 16, 2006

By 

R. Howell "boriskhan" (Medford, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bobby the Brain: Wrestling's Bad Boy Tells All (Paperback)

Bobby Heenan... here's a man that didn't finish 8th grade yet became one of the biggest names and most hated men in wrestling history. Bobby fills us in with a plethora of anecdotes about his career and has no qualms about telling you who he didn't like (Valiant Brothers, Haystacks Calhoun, Tony Schiavone to name a few). This is a very loose writing style which covers loads of stories throughout his career, often jumping back and forth in time. Stories are brief and straight to the punch, usually just a paragraph or two. Time periods are based off your wrestling knowledge as Heenan does not identify the year something happened; but if your reading this book, you're probably a fan and know it just by those involved in the story.

There are some great stories involving Andre the Giant, Baron von Raschke, and even his real life appreciation of Hogan. He also really gets into his dislike of how WCW was run and all the positive career chances he received when dealing with WWF. My favorite chapter may have been the run-down of the Bobby Heenan Family which quickly covered most of the men he 'managed'. Overall, quick and fun read, wish it were longer.