10 Classic Wrestling Rivalries That Would Have Flourished In The Attitude Era

2. Gorilla Monsoon Vs Bobby Heenan

Bobby Heenan Jerry Lawler Jim Ross Gorilla Monsoon
WWE.com

Announcer feuds were rife in the late-1990s, as both WWE and WCW experimented with taking the action from the table to the ring. Jim Ross was thrust into numerous battles in his capacity as the then-beloved voice of the product, with Jerry Lawler's official WWF babyface turn in 2000 confirmed by his decision to stick up for his colleague against new kid on the block Tazz.

But the finest commentator conflict concluded comedically in 1993, when Bobby Heenan's real-life WWE exit was used as the straw that finally broke the camel's (or Gorilla's) back. Heenan and Monsoon had bantered and bickered on television for nearly six years when 'The Brain' made the financially-motivated move down south to WCW, with their internal strife a fixture of the product on sheer coverage alone. Sharing weekly show and pay-per-view time, the two were as omnipresent as their hilarious rivalry.

For all their memorable spats though, the duo were penned in by PG. Heenan was a vicious and vindictive heel on his meanest day, but never permitted to express the bile in front of a broadcast partner he'd openly cower from. Seeing them liberally let loose would have added an entirely new dimension to their hatred.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett