Bobby Heenan's Hall of Fame Speech

A hall of fame worthy man if ever one existed
Photo Credit: WWE.com

In 2004, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan had already fought one round of cancer into remission. He was frail and gaunt, but he still had the spark of life in him. Also in that year, WWE thought it a good idea to bring back the Hall of Fame to coincide with WrestleMania XX. The first class back contained several luminaries: Superstar Billy Graham, Junkyard Dog, Harley Race, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Don Muraco, Sgt. Slaughter, Tito Santana, Big John Studd, Jesse "The Body" Ventura. But the crown jewel of that class was Heenan. It had to be.

At that induction, Heenan, voice frail from recently coming off chemotherapy and radiation treatment, went up to the podium and gave one last speech to a wide wrestling crowd. He tugged at heartstrings. He roasted his peers. He gave love to his family and friends. And in the end, it was the Heenan fans wanted to love come to life for one time, when he shed the Weasel persona and allowed himself to indulge in the same warmth only reserved for the heroes he'd be antagonizing. Watch the whole thing and try not to tear up a bit.