He was simply perfect. Curt Hennig, known to WWE fans as Mr. Perfect, was one of the best in-ring technicians in the world of professional wrestling. Winning championships in the AWA, WWE, and WCW, Hennig has had a career that can be summed up with his catchphrase: “Absolutely perfect.” Although he was perfect in the ring, things were not so perfect outside the ring. With injuries and rumoured drug use, Curt Hennig was taken from this world far too soon.

As the son of the legendary Larry “The Axe” Hennig, Curt developed into one of the greatest young superstars in the AWA. Debuting in 1985, he won the AWA World Tag Team Championship with Scott Hall on January 18, 1986; then defeated Nick Bockwinkle for the AWA Heavyweight Championship on May 2, 1987. He lost the title to Jerry Lawler in May 1988, but the best was yet to come for Curt Hennig.

Following his success in the AWA, Hennig came to attention of Vince McMahon and the WWE. They billed Hennig as the perfect athlete, which was demonstrated with a series of vignettes that saw him bowl a perfect game, hit several home runs; sink a forty foot putt, and many others. He made his in-ring debut as Mr. Perfect at the 1988 Survivor Series as part of Andre the Giant’s team, as they took on a team headed by “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. For the remainder of 1988 and early 1989, Hennig would feud with such 80’s stars like: Koko B. Ware, The Red Rooster, The Blue Blazer (Owen Hart), and Brutus Beefcake. He won the Intercontinental Championship on April 23, 1990 when he defeated Tito Santana. At one point, Hennig was said to be undefeated in 150 matches, but that streak came to an end when he lost to Hulk Hogan on April 28, 1990. Hennig would lose the IC Title to Kerry Von Erich (The Texas Tornado) at SummerSlam, but regained the title a few months later. He would hold on to the title up until SummerSlam 1991 where he lost it in an epic encounter with Bret “Hitman” Hart. Following his match with Hart, a serious back injury kept Henning out of the ring for an extended period of time, but would work as a colour commentator and then became Ric Flair’s executive consultant, aiding The Nature Boy in key matches with the likes of Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior. He turned face in 1993 when he teamed with Savage to face Flair and Razor Ramon at Survivor Series. Hennig and Flair would continue their program up until January 25, 1993 when Hennig defeated Flair in a Loser Leaves Town match. He would face Lex Luger at WrestleMania XI, and then feud with Shawn Michaels over the IC Title. Following his loss to Michaels, Hennig re-aggravated his back injury and took another leave of absence from the WWE.

He would return in 1996 as a mentor to Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Triple H), who was one of the WWE’s rising stars at the time. They worked an angle where Hennig and Helmsley had a falling out, which saw Hennig cost Hunter matches and side with his nemesis, Marc Mero. When Hennig was set to face his protégé, Hunter attacked him and injured his knee. Mero, looking to avenge Hennig, faced Hunter in a match for the IC Title. When it looked as though things were going well for Mero, when the perfect swerve happened. Hennig turned on Mero and once again sided with Helmsley. The two were set to have another encounter, but a contract dispute forced Hennig to leave for WCW.

Shortly after his arrival in WCW, Hennig replaced Arn Anderson in the legendary Four Horsemen, but he turned on the Horsemen and joined the nWo on September 14, 1997. He would feud with Steve McMichael and Ric Flair for most of 1997, while also having matches with Diamond Dallas Page, Bill Goldberg and Dean Malenko. He would later team with Bobby Duncum Jr. and Barry and Kendall Windham to form the West Texas Rednecks to feud with Master P and his No Limit Soldiers.

When Hennig’s WCW contract expired in 2000, he worked the independent scene for a few years, with stops in the XWF, IWP, 3PW and others. He would return to the WWE in 2002 as a participant in the Royal Rumble match. He made it to the final four, until he was eliminated by Triple H. This stint wouldn’t last, however, as Hennig would be released following a drunken altercation with Brock Lesnar on a flight back from Europe. He would later work for TNA Wrestling, and feuded with the likes of Ron Killings and Jeff Jarrett.

Following his stint in TNA, Hennig went to work on the independent circuit again with a stop in Tampa as part of an event promoted by Jimmy Hart. On February 10, 2003, the wrestling world was stunned when Curt Hennig was found dead in his Florida hotel room. He was only 44 years old. A toxicology report found Hennig died due to acute cocaine intoxication, but his father stated that painkillers and steroids may have also contributed to his son’s death.

But the legacy of Mr. Perfect would live on. In 2007, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his friend, Wade Boggs. His family accepted the award on his behalf. His son Joe is currently training with Harley Race, in hopes of following in his dad’s footsteps. The WWE also announced they will be releasing a DVD chronicling the life and career of Mr. Perfect, which is scheduled to be released later this year.

Curt Hennig was the most gifted athlete in the history of professional wrestling, and seemed perfect in every way. But in a world where painkillers and steroids run rampant, nobody can overcome the temptation, not even Mr. Perfect. But despite that, he remains one of the best performers in wrestling history. As his wife Leonice stated in her husband’s induction speech: “Curt was exactly what he said he was…absolutely perfect.”

Sources: obsessedwithwrestling.com, Tributes II (Meltzer), WWE.com, USAToday.com (2004),
Wrestling Digest (August 2002)

Tags: Legends, Mr. Perfect, WWE Hall of Famer