Weasel Tales, Feat. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Some 20 years after starting his writing partnership with Bobby Heenan, resulting in two successful books, Steve Anderson tells the story behind the stories and interviews those who knew and loved "The Brain," regaling fans with their own "Weasel Tales."
In addition, "The Bobby Heenan Archives" are a chance for fans to hear Bobby tell the stories that were published in two books: Bobby The Brain: Wrestling's Bad Boy Tells All and Chair Shots and Other Obstacles: Winning Life's Wrestling Matches.
Weasel Tales, Feat. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
Weasel Tales: The Bobby Heenan Archives - Musings On The Biz FEAT Vince, Bischoff, Piper, & Cactus
What happens when you fuse the relentless spirit of Vince McMahon with the dynamic world of professional wrestling? Join us as our guest takes us back to Vince’s flamboyant days in the 60s, riding in convertibles and mastering dance routines for SummerSlam. We recount Vince's unwavering dedication to the sport and his uncanny ability to bounce back stronger every time he's counted out. This episode promises a deep dive into the psyche of a man who thrives on competition and the energy it brings to the wrestling industry.
You'll hear thought-provoking personal stories and behind-the-scenes tales, highlighting the respect wrestlers garner as performers and the fine line they walk between authenticity and entertainment. Our guest offers an insider’s perspective on the intricate dynamics between wrestling giants like WWE and WCW, exploring pivotal moments and key figures that have shaped the industry. This is an episode packed with nostalgia, admiration, and a critical look at the wrestling world. Tune in to explore a realm where athleticism meets showmanship, and passion drives success.
You listen to me you go to the top. Bobby Bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby Bobby.
Speaker 2:Bobby.
Speaker 1:Bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, Bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, Bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, Bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, Bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, bobby, Bobby. But for all the money he's worth, I wouldn't take those bumps. You don't have to. You have to take them sometimes, you don't have to. Yeah, you have to take him sometimes you don't have to. Well, that was two of them.
Speaker 2:He doesn't have to do that. He loves it. Yeah, vince is just loves it. I mean, in the very 60s he was a Dr Jerry Grave in New York and Dr Jerry bleached Vince's hair, gave him a red ruffled shirt. He was driving around on a top-down convertible smoking cigars. His dad thought I was killing him but he just wanted to be out there. He said look at that SummerSlam we had from Vegas, from Lansing. One time Vince was out there doing a dance routine with dancers. They sang. Remember that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and he worked hard. I watched him all day long rehearse with the dancers. He really wanted to do a good job. Well, that man is a professional he really is, and I'm not setting up him for a job because I don't want to work anymore. I just admire what he did. He's all right with me.
Speaker 1:No problem, and I think too, the minute people count him out and say oh, he's done, he's over, then he does something, that's why there has to be another wrestling group.
Speaker 2:He has to be in a fight. He has to be in a fight. He loves that. Al Smart in the guy he loved. Al Smart. He loved it. If your juice is going, sometimes people think it's real, so they look good. They don't realize that people have a lot more respect for you as an actor than as a fighter. Yeah, because people don't believe it, and when you tell them it's real now, they'll never believe you. You've insulted them, or intelligent, and it's over.
Speaker 1:And what Piper did was he spent a lot of time in his book ripping on the business and ripping on WWE, and the first chance he got to come back he did you know he was there and he probably would have been with WWE if he was any place in his life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's why I never knock Vince. I worked for him for 10 years. I'd be knocking myself On WCW shows. Big Shuffle's knocking. We've got a smarter side to Big Shuffle. You can put this in there. One night they had a match on Raw Vince's show and it was a tape match. But Mick Foley cashed his back and won the belt. So they've announced on their live TV show that what you're going to see on Raw on USA cable is a paid match of Mick Foley winning the belt. It's not right. People don't turn to watch.
Speaker 1:USA.
Speaker 2:He told them, we're a title change.
Speaker 1:That's why some people in our business shouldn't be.
Speaker 2:That's why WCW is where it is now Down the toilet, because of mismanagement by people like him. I'm sorry, I don't know anything about the man's life or family or personality or anything. I just know he wasn't good for our business. He hired me. I had six years there, but you didn't just hand me the money, I earned it. I earned my money.
Speaker 2:Robbie Hingis, never taken charity from anybody. I've earned my money. If not, you know how it goes, brother and I. I give you a blade, I'll take a blade. When you take a bunch, I'll take a bunch. We'll see what happens in the evening. I'm 180 pounds and I'm crippled. They'll never beat me. Oh, they'll never beat me. No, they didn't know. They didn't know.
Speaker 2:And everybody that wanted to be a wrestling promoter, they didn't know anything about the business. After a while, what's the first thing they do? They bleach their hair, or become a manager or a heel or something. Look at Eric Bischoff. He won a abortion. In the ring there was a guy that had the AWF. I'll appreciate it. He bleached his hair. Look at him. The only guys I knew in this business that got into it as a promoter and never worked were Dennis Hilgard in Milwaukee and Sam Lesnick in St Louis. Wow, and the ring was so damn hard it was unbelievable. Everybody said Sam won't put a new ring in here. I said I don't know how to get a new ring in there. He said how I said every Friday night after the national anthem one of the boys slammed Sam.
Speaker 2:He slammed him he said he has to drop his big ass in that ring.
Speaker 1:Four times a month.
Speaker 2:There'll be a new ring in there. I said what the heck but.
Speaker 2:Sam was an older man. He wasn't a wrestler, he was a sports writer in a newspaper. He was a newspaper man for St Louis. So it all comes from every walk of life. But everybody that's in this business thinks they can do it. I remember this guy, russo. He was going to hire actors once you get rid of all the wrestlers. He said they can do the same thing as you guys do. Can't be done, can't be done. And you can't take a bunch of wrestlers in there and put them on Broadway. Can't be done. It's a different form of acting. It's a different business. You've got to be in this business to understand it. I told Warner, if you beat Nick one more time, you get the keyboard put the word in the streets.
Speaker 1:Thank you,