10 Reasons Why Bobby Heenan Was The Best All-Rounder In WWE History
7. The Safe Pair Of Hands
A glance across the diverse range of performers that made up the WWE main roster throughout much of the 1980s highlights a common thread amongst the heels - just about every single one of them had a manager.
Ordinarily conniving until they were forced to be contrite, ringside accomplices such as Slick, Sensational Sherri, and Mr. Fuji all offered much to the overall presentation of the wrestlers they seconded, but Bobby Heenan transcended regular expectations in the role.
As mentioned elsewhere in this list, 'The Brain' wasn't always given the smoothest ride in terms of the 'clients' selected to join his Family, but the unwavering trust management had in his ability to make just about any situation work out afforded the company the opportunity to experiment. Before manifesting as a human chicken, Terry Taylor's 'Red Rooster' was an interesting take on the relationship between a veteran manager and his inexperienced new talent. Bobby was as good with the bombast of Rick Rude's early character work as he was with 'The Ravishing One's latter-day edgy bravado.
Ric Flair's shocking 1991 arrival was trumpeted by Heenan wielding the famous WCW/NWA World Heavyweight Title as made the shocking announcement.
Turning on a sixpence from his usual comedic bravado in the Wrestling Challenge commentary booth with Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Neidhart, Heenan delivered the message of 'The Nature Boy's impending arrival with gusto and gravitas. With an icy stare straight down the lens, Heenan's predictably perfect tone and timbre underscored it - this was a really big f***ing deal.