Here’s a look back at some of Mr. Perfect’s most memorable WWE rivalries.
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Mr. Perfect “Curt Hennig” as his name suggests was absolutely a perfect wrestling figure. He debuted in 1980 wresting for AWA. He signed with WWE in 1988. He was rebranded as the arrogant heel of Mr. Perfect, won two Intercontinental Championships, and then defected to WCW in 1997, where he joined the Four Horsemen and the New World Order, among other factions. Hennig died too young in 2003, at the age of 44, but he left an outstanding body of work, including some memorable matches in the AWA, WWE, and WCW. Let’s look at his greatest rivalries and matches.
Mr. Perfect was also Intercontinental Champion when he defended the belt against the legendary “Rowdy” Roddy Piper two and a half months before his championship defense against Shawn Michaels. In this fight, the two veterans put on a fantastic performance, performing at their best, however, the contest concludes in an indecisive manner, with Piper winning by count-out but not taking the IC Strap. Uncle Dave gave this match four stars, the same as the last one.
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The early editions of Monday Night Raw were littered with insignificant squash bouts, but three shows in, Ric Flair faced Mr. Perfect in a Loser Leaves Town Encounter, and WWE’s flagship show delivered its first memorable match. This fast-paced 23-minute match with a conclusive finish wasn’t merely the culmination of Flair and Perfect’s long-running animosity. It was also Flair’s final bout before returning to WCW the next month.
As far as in-ring content is concerned, SummerSlam ‘91 isn’t considered much to write home about, so a match between exemplary talents like Mr. Perfect and Bret “The Hitman” Hart had no trouble stealing the show. After 18 minutes, Mr. Perfect’s 280-day run as Intercontinental Champion would come to an end, Bret Hart would be solidified as a credible singles star, and a classic would be in the books. This bout is even more impressive once one learns that Hennig was wrestling with a pretty bad back injury.
