Bobby Heenan, aptly nicknamed “The Brain,” is one of the most prolific minds to ever work in the wrestling business. While Heenan spent time as a wrestler and a color commentator, he is most remembered for his work as a manager; his heelish tactics, sense of humor, and experience across the wrestling world made him an instant boost to a wrestler’s momentum.
Heenan spent a decade in the WWE managing several wrestlers who became part of the infamous Heenan Family stable. Some of the greatest wrestlers in the world spent time under Heenan’s management, including Harley Race, King Kong Bundy, Mr. Perfect, and Andre the Giant. However, the names Bobby Heenan feuded with are just as interesting.
10 Terry Taylor
While Terry Taylor is an accomplished wrestler and trainer, his time as the Red Rooster is a real low point. The gimmick was given to him by Bobby Heenan himself shortly after Taylor joined the Heenan Family. When Taylor grew sick of Heenan’s coaching, he left the group (but kept the gimmick) and feuded with Heenan’s new protege the Brooklyn Brawler. The Rooster’s feud with Heenan culminated in a match between them at Wrestlemania V, a squash match Rooster won in about 30 seconds.
9 Tito Santana
Eternal babyface Tito Santana had a few run-ins with the Heenan Family over the course of his WWE career. Their first encounter came when the Heenan Family’s Islanders feuded with Strike Force, the tag team composed of Santana and Rick Martel).
Santana crossed paths with Heenan once again when Tito defeated his client, the Red Rooster; it was this match that led the Rooster to part ways with Heenan, kickstarting another feud for the Brain.
8 Demolition
Ax and Smash, known together as Demolition, are one of the most successful and popular tag teams in WWE history. They’re three-time tag team champions, and hold the record for the third-longest tag team championship reign in WWE. Demolition’s major clashes with the Heenan Family were their feuds against the Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) and their later feud with the Colossal Connection (Andre the Giant and Haku).
7 Tony Atlas
Bodybuilder, powerlifter, and pro wrestler Tony Atlas is one of the strongest men to ever enter a WWE ring. Therefore, it makes sense that he would be the one Andre the Giant called to his aid during the Giant’s feud with the Heenan Family. Atlas and Andre formed a tag team to take on the giants of the Heenan Family, King Kong Bundy, and Big John Studd.
6 Bam Bam Bigelow
In September 1987, Bobby Heenan and the other WWE managers took place in The Battle for Bam Bam, an angle wherein everyone tried to sign the monstrous Bam Bam Bigelow as a client. Much to Heenan’s dismay, Bam Bam came away from the angle as a babyface and signed with Heenan’s rival, Oliver Humperdink.
5 The British Bulldogs
Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid are quite possibly one of the best tag teams in wrestling history. Their feud with the Heenan Family was especially high-stakes, as the Islanders made things personal by kidnapping Matilda, the Bulldogs’ pet bulldog. Fellow animal lover Koko B. Ware came to the Bulldogs’ assistance at Wrestlemania IV, where they took on the Islanders and Bobby Heenan in a trios match.
4 Ultimate Warrior
Despite his distasteful personal views, the influence of the Ultimate Warrior on the wrestling business cannot be understated. He was a huge attraction for WWE as a top babyface of the company. Warrior’s first run-in with the Heenan Family came at Wrestlemania V, when Rick Rude defeated him for the Intercontinental Championship in a shocking upset. The following year, Heenan would lead his family in a feud for Ultimate Warrior’s world championship, though all of his clients were unsuccessful in their bids.
3 Kerry Von Erich
While all the Von Erich brothers were talented in their own rights, it was Kerry’s star that shined the brightest. He was the only one to sign with the WWE and achieve that next level of notoriety among wrestling fans. The Texas Tornado challenged Mr. Perfect for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam in 1990, just months after Kerry made his WWE debut. Kerry was victorious in their bout, marking his only title win in the WWE.
2 Andre The Giant
Before joining the Heenan Family in 1987, Andre the Giant was one of Heenan’s chief adversaries. He was actually the Heenan Family’s first target in WWE, as Heenan’s client Big John Studd picked fights with Andre to see who was the “true giant” of WWE.
Andre the Giant also feuded with Bobby Heenan during his time as Giant Machine, his lesser-known masked persona. Bobby Heenan was obsessed with proving the Machine’s real identity, but couldn’t convince anyone that it was Andre under the mask.
1 Hulk Hogan
One of the most iconic feuds in WWE history continues to be the feud between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Every moment of their feud instantly became one to remember, from Andre’s shocking betrayal of Hogan to their infamous clash at Wrestlemania III. It’s hard not to see this feud as the peak of the Heenan Family in WWE, as it was during this time when they had the most heat behind them.
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