Ranking Bobby Heenan's Top 10 Wrestling Cards
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan passed away Sunday September 17, 2017, at the age of 72. Heenan had been battling throat cancer since his 2002 diagnosis.
It seems strange that I learned of the news Sunday afternoon while scrolling Twitter and watching Wrestlemania V on the WWE Network. The Heenan Family was heavily featured in this 1989 extravaganza from Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Heenan managed in four matches and competed in another against The Red Rooster.
The following list is purely a ranking of my favorite Bobby Heenan wrestling cards. Some cards' ranking is boosted due to my own nostalgia growing up in the Wrestlemania V era. We would enjoy your feedback and your favorite Bobby Heenan wrestling cards.
10) 1995 WCW Main Event #46
Despite Heenan having a memorable WCW announcing career, the Atlanta-based wrestling organization released a fairly weak crop of wrestling cards over the years. This is surprising, especially as WCW began to really build steam in 1995 when this set was released.
9) 2012 WWE Heritage Superstars Speak #5
Ok, I'll admit it. This card should be ranked higher than ninth. This is how I remember Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Heenan's quick jabs on WWF programming, namely the Prime Time Wrestling show in which he co-hosted with Gorilla Monsoon. This captures that time. Heenan makes a snarky comment and Monsoon responds with, "Will you stop?"
8) 1990 Classic History of Wrestlemania #90
From his Wrestlemania V match against Red Rooster, Heenan gets an actual wrestling card (as opposed to manager card) in this 1990 release looking back at the classic moments of Wrestlemania past.
7) 2006 Topps Chrome #75
Another great release featuring Heenan in his hey day. This is from 2006 Topps Chrome. Typically, I am against horizontal trading cards because they are usually stored upright in binders or cases. This card, however, has a really nice horizontal look...even if I have to tilt my neck.
6) 2016 Topps WWE Then, Now, Forever #156
As we get close to the top five, it was really hard for me to choose an order including this release from 2016's Topps Then, Now, Forever set. The card itself has a classic and clean look. The image features "The Brain" in his glory days as a manager and to top it off we have the classic 1980's WWF logo in the bottom right corner.
5) 1987 O-Pee-Chee #9
At the beginning, I mentioned I was ranking based on personal preference and having a connection to those glory years of the late 1980's. Here's an example. I loved this 1987 O-Pee-Chee set. It's colorful and it features the wrestlers that I grew up with. Another attraction to this card is the old school WWF logo in blue tiled in the background of a red-colored card. This card would be higher on the list if it was not for Hercules. This is basically a Hercules card featuring Heenan.
4) 1985 O-Pee-Chee #8
Another O-Pee-Chee in the five. This is a classic look set. Crisp and clean. For some reason I enjoy the images of Heenan pointing.
3) 1982 Wrestling News Magazine Wrestling All Stars
In all honesty, this should be the number-one ranked Bobby Heenan card of all time. It's not on this list, because as I've previously mentioned it's all about my own personal nostalgia. This card doesn't quite have that for me. I was born in 1982. I never owned this card. So, it's basically a picture on the Internet for me. But...I do respect this card. The 1982 Wrestling News Magazine Wrestling All Stars set is considered the gold standard among wrestling trading cards. Only three of these Heenan cards were listed on Ebay as of this writing (each of them were autographed) and the lowest list price is $95.
2) 1991 Classic WWF Superstars #10
This is a set I collected and released during a time I was really getting into wrestling. And remember...I like the pointing Heenan photos.
1) 1989 Classic #30
This is how I will remember Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. At first thought of doing a top 10 list of Bobby Heenan wrestling cards this was number one before researching the rest. 1989 Classic WWF was one of the very first sets I attempted to build as a seven-year old collector. It took several trips to my hometown IGA buying $0.99 blister packs containing 25 of these cards, but I eventually completed the set. Even then, this Heenan card seemed iconic. Moreso now. Rest in peace, Brain.