It only took one look from Heenan before Meltzer asked that he not be on the air as the same time as “The Brain,” and have to possibly go against him live on the air. Heenan and Meltzer were in the same room waiting to go on the air with Heenan, who wasn’t humored.
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He said only once, when he was booked for the same radio show as Heenan when the pro wrestling business was much more secretive. To put Heenan’s status into perspective, pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer was asked during his radio show if he ever felt fear being in the presence of wrestlers or at a wrestling event. During this period he wrote two memoirs in two years. Two years later he had throat cancer, which cost him his famous voice. WCW was out of business less than a year later.
He had issues with his former broadcast partner Tony Schiavone over what Heenan felt was a lack of loyalty. He left WCW in 2000, unhappy with the company and feeling uninspired. He had a natural chemistry with WCW announcer Tony Schiavone when calling matches in the early years, mainly commentating straight before he would return to his bad guy personality soon after. He’s the only manager in the history of the wrestling business to earn a six-figure paycheck for one show.Īfter leaving the WWF, he went to WCW to replace the disgruntled Jesse Ventura. Some pay-per-views he would manage nearly every match. While the WWF in the 1980s was filled with heroes like Hulk Hogan, the Ultimate Warrior and others, almost all its villains were managed by Heenan. A parody of late night talk shows, only four segments aired but has had a devout cult following for 30 years. The WWF started the “Bobby Heenan Show” which aired as part of the company’s prime time show wrestling hour on USA Network. McMahon noticed Heenan’s talent when he immediately came to the company. “When he was in WCW, (WCW VP) Eric Bischoff would knock (WWE’s) Vince McMahon and Bobby just wouldn’t do it,” Thatcher said. “He said he was treated right when he worked there, and he wasn’t going to say anything negative about them. In a documentary about the AWA’s war with the WWF, Gagne’s son Greg said Heenan was the only person out of dozens who honored their contract before jumping to McMahon’s company. When Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation began raiding other promotions for talent, Heenan couldn’t get the American Wrestling Association to match their offer, but he refused to leave Verne Gagne’s AWA until his contract was up. Heenan played the villain nearly his entire career, but to the people he knew he was devoutly loyal. “I would tease him later,” Thatcher said. “I told him I’d remember when he worked at a Ford dealership, but now he owned it.” He was wrestling matches himself by 1965. Heenan started in 1963 by getting jackets from wrestlers at ringside and taking them to the back. Heenan and Thatcher met in the WWA, a promotion owned by old school wrestler “Dick the Bruiser,” and based out of Heenan’s hometown of Indianapolis.