"Bobby the Brain: Wrestling's Bad Boy Tells All" by Bobby Heenan & Steve Anderson, Triumph Books, 2002.
Unlike the rest of the wrestling books to emerge over the past several months, "Bobby the Brain" deserves much recogniztion.

Let's be honest--Bobby Heenan was not only one of the factors that made wrestling during the 1980's but he was a joy to listen to. If a match was bad, Heenan made it watchable via his trademark dry wit and over-selling. In an era of mediocre announcing, the duo of Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon are greatly missed. If you didn't truly enjoy the banter between Heenan and Monsoon during their "Prime Time" and announcing days, then you probably shouldn't refer to yourself as a wrestling fan.

Heenan's book, like Moolah's, sounds as if you are are actually having a conversation with the author versus reading a book. However, unlike Moolah, Heenan's book is actually a pleasure to read ... a read that took less than a day to finish. Any reader who watched Heenan religiously will instantly recognize this book's voice.

And it is because of this factor that the book is so entertaining. Not only do you have the typical "Brain" wit but you also have the class. Heenan tells you what he thinks but he doesn't belabor the situation. For instance--Heenan doesn't like Mark Madden ... but instead of talking endlessly, he sums up his feelings on Madden within a few lines. Possibly, this is much better than a multi-page shoot. The same with Tony Sciavone ... but then again, did anyone like Tony Sciavone?

Personally, I would have liked more antecdotes regarding Heenan's days with the WWF. (Thankfully, again, unlike Moolah, Heenan didn't refer to the WWF as the WWE ... even during the days before the World Wildlife Fund) This book could have been quite a bit longer, but alas, as stated above, sometimes brevity is better.

It's truly a shame that the WWE has failed to promote this book (sans the "Confidential" interview and the August 2002 RAW magazine, both of which mentioned the book in passing). Hulk Hogan's intro was also an interesting feature ... nice to see Hogan recognize Heenan's influence og "getting him over" during his career. Truly, can anyone imagine Hogan's career without Heenan's "hatred" for Hogan?

To utilize Heenan's use of brevity--Heenan's book is, without a doubt, the best wrestling venture in quite some time.