Keep The Change

The first time I met “Pretty Boy” Bobby Heenan was in early 1975 at a nightclub in Indy called Flunky Freddie’s. Freddie’s was always full of ladies so Ox Baker, Handsome Johnny Starr and I like to go there to fight the dreaded dehydration that can come with a hard match or grueling workout. One night we arrived at Freddie’s and there was Bobby accompanied by a truly SPECTACULAR looking lady. We all ended up sitting at a large circular table that would accommodate 8 or 9 people, and ordered a round of drinks. Somehow or other I ended up sitting right next to “The Brain” as he would be later called. Well, I was totally intimidated to be in the presence of such a wrestling legend as Bobby Heenan. I tried to remain cool and pretty much kept my mouth shut. In short order we started getting a crowd around the table with people coming over to meet Ox, Johnny, and of course Bobby Heenan. Then Ox and Johnny were lured away to the dance floor. I’m not really a dancer myself so I remained at the table intent on combating dehydration, don’t you know.

I was down to about the last swallow of beer when Bobby ask me if I was ready for another one. Bobby then asked the waiter to bring us 6 beers. When the waiter came back with the beer Bobby asked how much we owed him. The tab was something like $12 and Heenan picked up a $20 off the table and handed it to him and said, “Keep the change.”

Well, I was shocked and doubly so. First of all here I was just a green jabroni having a wrestling great like Bobby Heenan buy me a beer, and secondly I had heard stories about Heenan not only stiffing waiters and waitresses but going so far as to pick up tips other people left on tables to get heat from them. Now here he is giving up an $8 tip, but not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth I quietly went about my battle against dehydration. So did Bobby, and I will say that he was fighting his battle with it just as fiercely as I was. We each ended up
downing two of the 6 beers leaving Johnny and Ox each a beer to refresh themselves when they got off the dance floor. So, Bobby ordered another 6 beers while Johnny and Ox returned to the dance floor. The beers arrived almost instantaneously, which usually happens after the waiter/waitress has recently received an $8 tip from your table. Again Bobby gave the waiter a
$20 and told him to keep the change.

The most recent round of refreshments was soon exhausted, so I signaled the waiter for another 6 beers. Again the beer arrived promptly, and I reached for my wallet to buy the round. Heenan looked at me and said, “What are you doing?”

I said, “I’ll buy this round since you bought the first two.”

Heenan very seriously said, “I didn’t buy a thing. That’s Ox’s money. He bought the beer; he just doesn’t know it yet.” With that he picked up another $20 handed it to the waiter and said, “Keep the change.”