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| Hogan and Heenan for better or worse had an inexorable link in their careers Screen Grab via WWE.com |
One of the most infamous nights in pro wrestling history was Bash at the Beach '96, when Hulk Hogan turned his back on World Championship Wrestling to join what would be known as the New World Order with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. While the act came as an utter shock to most fans, Bobby Heenan asked on commentary "What side is Hogan on?" when he came sauntering out to apparently help the WCW team of Randy Savage, Sting, and Lex Luger. Some blamed Heenan for blowing the moment, but most people were savvy enough to know history between the two, that Heenan always knew Hogan was bad and this was finally the moment that his point of view and wrestling narrative lined up truthfully.
Of course, Heenan had so many reasons to distrust Hogan going back to their time in the American Wrestling Association. Hogan, then an upstart challenger to Heenan's BFF Nick Bockwinkel, kept challenging for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. While Bockwinkel always came out on top, Heenan's luck with Hogan would reverse when both got to WWE. Hogan always thwarted the Heenan Family's attempts at taking his title, often leaving Heenan frustrated and humiliated. Of course, it was all by design to build the best WWE anchor superstar possible. Heenan by that point had over a decade of heat-mongering experience as a manager. In the '70s, his bloodied face would sell the most copies of the old Apter magazines because people hated him so much and wanted to see him get the what-for. That trend continued in WWE, not just as a manager to Hogan's adversaries (and later, Ultimate Warrior's and Randy Savage's), but as a color commentator as well.
Heenan's public support of Savage's claims against Hogan being a homewrecker may have been the key to getting Savage over as a heel in the situation. As the Mega Powers' explosion stood without narrative backing it up, Hogan did come off as having jealous eyes to some in the crowd. Heenan exhorting such a claim, however, was able to give all but the most stringent Hogan haters the okay to think that he only had Miss Elizabeth's best interests in mind. People like to give most of the credit for Hogan's rise to Hogan himself, or even worse, to Vince McMahon. However, while both of them should get a major piece of credit apiece, Hogan probably doesn't get to be as white hot as he does without Heenan the most out of all his adversaries. Roddy Piper, Savage, even the Undertaker all were good foils for Hogan to play off of, but it was Heenan whose constant bugging of Hogan who probably provided the steadiest and most effective antagonism.
That's why the aloud wondering whether Hogan was there to help or hurt the WCW partisans worked so well. Heenan had been burnt by Hogan so much that it wouldn't have made any sense had he joined in with Tony Schiavone and Dusty Rhodes in hailing him as a savior. Of all the one-liners and banter and cutting insights that Heenan had across any company, that one line of commentary might be his most memorable and most substantial question he's ever asked behind the broadcast booth.
As a postscript, Heenan had reason to resent Hogan in real life as well. He and Jesse Ventura planned on attempting to unionize the WWE locker room in the early '80s, but Hogan ratted them out to McMahon. I'm not entirely sure how that affected their working relationship; however, I would hesitate to use it as an example to say how Heenan was right about Hogan in real life too, as if The Brain's record was spotless. Of course, he didn't squelch unions, get caught on tape using racial slurs in earnest, or help kill First Amendment rights like Hogan did. Fuck Hulk Hogan is what I'm saying.
However, a lot of Heenan's material on the air ventured into risque and even offensive territory. I don't think he gets away with a lot of his material if he's around today. A lot of it was offensive to Asians and he ventured into transphobic territory way too much for comfort. Is that to say he's bad or not worth remembering? I wouldn't be dedicating an entire week to him if it was. The problem with judging people in the public eye is rarely someone going to be perfectly good or perfectly evil. Many luminaries, even in wrestling, especially in wrestling, have many warts to go with the good things remembered. It all matters how much one personally weighs them against each other. Hogan could have sold out the stadium in North Korea, but unless his drawing power cured cancer, nothing will ever redeem his selling out to me. Heenan's transgressions, though noteworthy enough to hold his legacy to some standard, were just warts, ugly warts that some will be able to shrug off and others might take a little to heart. It's all up to the person judging the body of work. The important thing is that all humans learn to respect each other, and if someone is really offended by one of Brain's lines not to lambaste them as being a snowflake or something else crude and insensitive. Maybe sit back and listen to them, y'know?
Of course, Heenan had so many reasons to distrust Hogan going back to their time in the American Wrestling Association. Hogan, then an upstart challenger to Heenan's BFF Nick Bockwinkel, kept challenging for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. While Bockwinkel always came out on top, Heenan's luck with Hogan would reverse when both got to WWE. Hogan always thwarted the Heenan Family's attempts at taking his title, often leaving Heenan frustrated and humiliated. Of course, it was all by design to build the best WWE anchor superstar possible. Heenan by that point had over a decade of heat-mongering experience as a manager. In the '70s, his bloodied face would sell the most copies of the old Apter magazines because people hated him so much and wanted to see him get the what-for. That trend continued in WWE, not just as a manager to Hogan's adversaries (and later, Ultimate Warrior's and Randy Savage's), but as a color commentator as well.
Heenan's public support of Savage's claims against Hogan being a homewrecker may have been the key to getting Savage over as a heel in the situation. As the Mega Powers' explosion stood without narrative backing it up, Hogan did come off as having jealous eyes to some in the crowd. Heenan exhorting such a claim, however, was able to give all but the most stringent Hogan haters the okay to think that he only had Miss Elizabeth's best interests in mind. People like to give most of the credit for Hogan's rise to Hogan himself, or even worse, to Vince McMahon. However, while both of them should get a major piece of credit apiece, Hogan probably doesn't get to be as white hot as he does without Heenan the most out of all his adversaries. Roddy Piper, Savage, even the Undertaker all were good foils for Hogan to play off of, but it was Heenan whose constant bugging of Hogan who probably provided the steadiest and most effective antagonism.
That's why the aloud wondering whether Hogan was there to help or hurt the WCW partisans worked so well. Heenan had been burnt by Hogan so much that it wouldn't have made any sense had he joined in with Tony Schiavone and Dusty Rhodes in hailing him as a savior. Of all the one-liners and banter and cutting insights that Heenan had across any company, that one line of commentary might be his most memorable and most substantial question he's ever asked behind the broadcast booth.
As a postscript, Heenan had reason to resent Hogan in real life as well. He and Jesse Ventura planned on attempting to unionize the WWE locker room in the early '80s, but Hogan ratted them out to McMahon. I'm not entirely sure how that affected their working relationship; however, I would hesitate to use it as an example to say how Heenan was right about Hogan in real life too, as if The Brain's record was spotless. Of course, he didn't squelch unions, get caught on tape using racial slurs in earnest, or help kill First Amendment rights like Hogan did. Fuck Hulk Hogan is what I'm saying.
However, a lot of Heenan's material on the air ventured into risque and even offensive territory. I don't think he gets away with a lot of his material if he's around today. A lot of it was offensive to Asians and he ventured into transphobic territory way too much for comfort. Is that to say he's bad or not worth remembering? I wouldn't be dedicating an entire week to him if it was. The problem with judging people in the public eye is rarely someone going to be perfectly good or perfectly evil. Many luminaries, even in wrestling, especially in wrestling, have many warts to go with the good things remembered. It all matters how much one personally weighs them against each other. Hogan could have sold out the stadium in North Korea, but unless his drawing power cured cancer, nothing will ever redeem his selling out to me. Heenan's transgressions, though noteworthy enough to hold his legacy to some standard, were just warts, ugly warts that some will be able to shrug off and others might take a little to heart. It's all up to the person judging the body of work. The important thing is that all humans learn to respect each other, and if someone is really offended by one of Brain's lines not to lambaste them as being a snowflake or something else crude and insensitive. Maybe sit back and listen to them, y'know?
