“There can and forever be only one Mr. Perfect.” – Vince McMahon.
That is the perfect way to describe “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig and his ring persona that kept millions captivated throughout the 1980s and 90s as he excelled in his craft.
“No one kicks out of a suplex.” – No one that ever faced Mr. Perfect
On This Day in Wrestling History, we remember one of the true greats that left us way too early. On February 10, 2003, Curt Hennig was found dead in a hotel room in Tampa Bay, Florida at 44 years old. His death was attributed to cocaine intoxication, with steroids and painkillers also contributing.
One of the greatest workers the business ever knew, Hennig was known as Mr. Perfect to a generation of fans through the 1980s. Similar to Bret Hart, he was an old school type that would methodically work over his opponents, executing every hold and move “perfectly” without fail. With Bobby “The Brain” Heenan as his manager, Hennig challenged for the WWE Intercontinental Championship as well as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
He would lull everyone to sleep with his slow, methodical approach to his opponents, refusing to waste any movement as he worked his way up the ladder as one of the best heels ever to grace the square circle.
His career would take him to WCW and finally TNA before his unfortunate end.
His finisher, “The Perfect Plex,” was a fisherman’s suplex that was as impressive as it was effective. There was a way his feet would hop forward once he had his opponent locked up and snap him over. None have come close to using the move as good as he did, and that only adds to his legacy.
The Perfect One
Special thanks to @awrestlinghistorian for the excerpt.
“I learned so much from Curt. I started in Charlotte and then I went to Kansas City and then I moved on to Minneapolis in the AWA. I was getting my first push. The show was on ESPN and I was getting my first TV exposure and, at that time, the business was changing. They started to push guys based on the way they looked. They liked my look. Curt was a really good performer so they put us together so he could kind of carry me and that’s exactly what he did. This was before guaranteed money and before guaranteed contracts so we were competing for the same job, but he wasn’t a mark about it. He did what was best for the show and what was best for business and, along the way, smartened me up like crazy.
“We used to study tapes when we were AWA champs. He was married with a family and I’m a single guy in Minneapolis. But, when the show came on, we would talk on the phone and watch our matches. We would talk about it as we saw it back. He would critique it for me then. It was just great. I’d think, ‘Finally, I’m a pro wrestler, I’m going to towns, I’m a big deal.’ And Curt introduced me to that lifestyle and how to do it right and how to have fun. It’s a whole different game and it impacts your whole life. It’s tough, but Curt taught me to have fun. He said, ‘Always have fun, even if you have to create your own.’ That’s one of the most important things I learned from him.” – Scott Hall Pandemonium Radio interview March 28, 2016
Hennig is also credited with giving Shawn Michaels the moniker “The Heart Break Kid” when Michaels was beginning his solo career, and his memory is carried on in the ring by his son, Curtis Axe, is one half of the WWE’s B-Team.
It’s not always championships that define us, but the people we help and the memories we leave that does. Thank you for the memories, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get TheOvertimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
