Because I’m always looking for more additions to my recommended matches list, I was recently wondering if I could add some Curt Hennig matches to my list. That’s why this article features a selection of Hennig’s matches. This is not a Hall of Talent article, so, the goal isn’t necessarily to give a very complete deep-diving overview of his career. The goal was simply spend a day or two watching a bunch of Hennig matches to find out if the current version of me will be able to find recommendable Hennig matches, especially considering the fact that the teenage version of me thought very highly of his wrestling. Allow me to backtrack a little to further explain this…

Back in 1994, a teenage version of me started getting obsessed with pro wrestling, and as a WWF mark, I soon learned about Mr. Perfect. A lot of the Coliseum Home Videos I watched were from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and ‘Mr. Perfect’ Curt Hennig was one of the most featured, most colorful and most spectacular performers on those shows. At least, that’s how I remember it. Let’s find out how those memories hold up when my current wrestling mind will view a bunch of Hennig matches from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Once I started searching up information on the Internet and started learning more about pro wrestling, I found out that Hennig was a successful wrestler in the AWA prior to his WWF run. I had never really properly looked into his pre-WWF work, so working on this article certainly a perfect opportunity to do just that. We’ll be focusing on the years 1982-1993, since that was roughly the period during which Hennig was in his prime and involved in good matches.

Decades later, I still have fond memories of watching Mr. Perfect matches back during my early years as a fan. However, how much does Curt Hennig’s work hold up when viewed through the lens of my current wrestling viewing eyes? I am going into this with an open mind. The memories from years ago are still there, but I know I have evolved as a wrestling fan. Will any of his matches age well enough to be recommendable? We’ll see.

Let’s find out, as we embark on this journey to redefine my memories of Curt Hennig and re-align them in my current wrestling mind.

PNW 6/26/82 Portland, OR: Curt Hennig vs. Buddy Rose 17:30. Prior to watching this match, I briefly had a look at a 1981 Curt Hennig match, but it was clear that Hennig (who had made his wrestling debut in 1980 in AWA) was still quite mediocre in 1981. During the early stages of his career, Curt, who was the son of well-known wrestler Larry ‘the Axe’ Hennig, was a sympathetic babyface liked by the crowd. This 1982 match from the Pacific Northwest Wrestling territory against Buddy Rose appears to be the earliest match available of Hennig that seemed potentially interesting. Rose spent a good amount of time selling for young Hennig. The match then turned around and saw Hennig spend a good amount of time selling for Rose. It was a very basic and simple match, as Rose did a good job carrying Hennig through this match without making it too difficult for him. This definitely isn’t a match anyone should have to seek out, but it was interesting to see what Hennig was like in mid 1982. Okay match. **

WWF 11/17/82 Hamburg, PA, WWF Junior Heavyweight Title: Tiger Mask vs. Curt Hennig 8:49. Even though Portland, Oregon’s Pacific Northwest Wrestling was the main league Curt Hennig appeared in during 1982 and 1983, Curt Hennig made many appearances in the WWF during the years 1981-1983 as well. While on commentary, Vince McMahon called Tiger Mask “most unusual.” And he was right, because The First Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) was light years ahead of most wrestlers in the world, especially the ones WWF fans were exposed to. Sayama did a great job in keeping the pace high, and Hennig seemed to enjoy the challenge, as Hennig showed more speed and tenacity than before. This is probably the earliest Hennig match in which he showed that he could potentially turn into a memorable wrestler. What impressed me the most was that Hennig was able to keep up with some of the fast-paced sequences Sayama was known for. Sayama would end up having dozens of matches that were better than this one, but for Hennig, this was quite an impressive showing and one of the more interesting Hennig matches out there, especially considering this was still early in Hennig’s career. Good match. ***¼ 

PNW 3/26/83 Portland, OR: Curt Hennig vs. Buddy Rose. Sandy Barr, father of Jesse and Art Barr, was the referee. This was a lot more of a fast-paced match than their rather slow 6/26/82 match. Curt Hennig showed a lot of explosiveness here. Buddy Rose, who had been wrestling for about ten years at that point, did a very good job of being there to help guide Hennig through this match. Hennig needed far less guidance than in their ‘82 match, though. Rose’s mannerisms and selling of Hennig’s offense, combined with Hennig’s tenacity, really helped make Hennig look like a strong babyface the crowd could easily get behind. Towards the end of the match, Rose took a spectacular bump in the corner that saw him flip upside down and have his legs tangled up. This wasn’t a must-see match, but it was a fun match that certainly worked. It’s definitely one of the more memorable American wrestling matches from 1983. It appears 1983 was quite a strong year for PNW. Hennig won this match via pinfall after a spectacular flying dropkick off the top rope. Rose did a stretcher job after the first fall, which meant he wasn’t going to be able to continue, and Hennig thus won the only fall and the match. Good match. ***

PNW 9/3/83 Portland, OR Sports Arena, NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title: Dynamite Kid & The Assassin vs. Curt Hennig & Buddy Rose 16:58. Sandy Barr, father of Art Barr, was the referee. The first fall was truly spectacular. The work was intense, and the workers sold tremendously while keeping the pace high. For a 1983 American wrestling product, this was quite memorable and exceptional. Dynamite Kid was obviously the best pure worker of the match, and he seemed to really be into his role here in Portland, as he fit in so perfectly. Buddy Rose was the heart and soul though, and he gave a strong performance here. Curt Hennig showed that he indeed had tons of potential. The Assassin was the weak link, but he didn’t drag the match down too much. The vibe of the match was so energetic and electric. The crowd was enthusiastic and definitely added to the atmosphere of the bout. They maintained this energy for the most part during the second fall. The execution was definitely quite superb throughout this bout. The third fall, however, was very short due to interference and mainly existed to hype feuds and storylines. In spite of the somewhat anticlimactic finish, it feels this match almost could have been excellent if it had a proper third fall. Very good match. ***½ 

AWA 12/28/84 Winnipeg, MB Arena: Curt Hennig vs. Mr. Saito. During the years 1984-1987, Curt Hennig, who was from Robbinsdale, MN, spent most of his wrestling time in the Minnesota-based American Wrestling Alliance. The AWA would often also have shows in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. This particular one featuring Hennig and Masa Saito seemed like it could potentially be an interesting one. Saito was a rugged Japanese wrestler. The execution by both workers was good. And this was better than an average match, but they weren’t really able to make this very captivating, as they merely focused on working hard without really adding any deeper layers to the story of the match. Decent match. **½  

PWUSA 1/10/85 Winnipeg, MB Arena: Curt Hennig vs. Rob Rechsteiner 4:18. You know Rob Rechsteiner better as the future Rick Steiner. Rechsteiner had been wrestling since 1983, and it was weird to see him without his amateur wrestling headgear. Rechsteiner was definitely a strong looking dude, and Curt Hennig sold well for him here. It was interesting to see Rechsteiner before he became Rick Steiner, but he clearly hadn’t reached his peak yet. He would start wrestling as Rick Steiner in February ‘85, and he would start being one half of the famous Steiner Brothers (with Scott Steiner) in June ‘89. Hennig won this short match via pinfall after a dropkick off the second rope. Okay match. **

AWA 2/7/85 Winnipeg, MB Arena: Curt Hennig vs. Nick Bockwinkel 20:12. A really good promo was cut by Nick Bockwinkel prior to the match. These two had wrestled each other several times during 1984. This was one of their first battles of 1985. Bockwinkel was truly a master of North American wrestling. He was a smooth heel. The work in this match was good, but it’s a bit of a slow match that could have used some more highlights. Hennig proved that he was willing to keep working at getting better. Decent match. **¾  

AWA 3/28/85 Winnipeg, MB Arena: Curt Hennig vs. Mr. Saito. The fans at the Winnipeg Arena once again had the opportunity to see these two against each other. This match was a bit more dynamic than their decent 12/28/84 match, though. That being said, it also wasn’t a match you should write home about. Still, especially for a North American match from the mid 1980s, this was quite decent. They did a better job this time at telling a story, but the slower parts were a bit too slow and too dragging. Masa Saito won via pinfall by illegally having his feet on the second rope for leverage. Decent match. **½  

AWA 4/24/85 Winnipeg, MB Arena: Curt Hennig & Larry Hennig vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens 11:48. Curt Hennig teamed with his father, Larry ‘the Axe’ Hennig. Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens cut a darn good promo prior to the match that really helped make me more curious about this match. Bockwinkel was THE man in the AWA, and he had been the AWA World Heavyweight Champion several times. Ray Stevens was Ric Flair’s favorite wrestler. Bockwinkel and Stevens were former AWA World Tag Team Title holders, and the story of this match was to see if they could relive their magic as a tag team again here against the father and son tag team. Bockwinkel and Stevens tried to keep Curt in their corner. When Curt was able to make the tag with his father, Larry, the big brawler cleaned house, as Bockwinkel and Stevens sold like crazy for the big Axe. Larry was quite okay for a big brawler. Curt played his role well but couldn’t quite put his stamp on the match, which was understandable since he was by far the youngest and least experienced worker of the match. Stevens brought a lot of fire and was a solid tag team wrestler. Bockwinkel was the man of the match, as he was really good at dictating the pace of the match and was really good at making sure the match would work as well as possible. Decent match. **½  

AWA 5/23/85 Winnipeg, MB Arena: Curt Hennig & Larry Hennig vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens 20:17. This was less interesting than their 4/28/85 match. Okay match. **¼ 

AJPW 11/23/85 Tokyo Korakuen Hall, RWTL: Curt Hennig & Nick Bockwinkel vs. Jumbo Tsuruta & Genichiro Tenryu 14:38. Nice! Curt Hennig in the Real World Tag League (World’s Strongest Determination League). He was in there with three big names. To nobody’s surprise, Hennig was the one who did the job, as he got pinned by Tenryu. Hennig had toured NJPW in late ‘83, but this was his first-ever match in AJPW. Decent match. **¾ 

AJPW 12/7/85 Yamagata Prefectural Gymnasium, RWTL: Curt Hennig & Nick Bockwinkel vs. Ted DiBiase & Stan Hansen 8:36. This was a fast-paced match in which everyone worked hard. It was cool to see Curt Hennig and Ted DiBiase in the same match a few years prior to them becoming Mr. Perfect and The Million Dollar Man. Good match. ***

AWA 11/15/86 Las Vegas, NV, AWA World Heavyweight Title: Nick Bockwinkel vs. Curt Hennig 60:00. These two wrestled each other many times, but this is probably their most famous meeting. For a 52-year old man, Nick Bockwinkel was definitely in tremendous shape, and it was impressive that he was able to work a 60-minute match this well and effectively. One could say that this was the big breakthrough match of Curt Hennig, who was 28 years old at the time, as Hennig showed that he had indeed become a memorable wrestler. Bockwinkel has to be one of the smartest wrestlers ever, as he always seemed to know how to make the most out of any situation. His ability to dictate the pace of this match in such a way that they’re not running out of energy yet also not lose the crowd’s interest was quite remarkable. It was indeed the wily veteran Bockwinkel who carried the match, but Hennig clearly knew what he was doing and was playing his part in a strong and respectful manner. Especially considering this was a 60-minute match, they did quite a tremendous job of trying to constantly do something useful within the context of them having a long World Title bout. It never felt like they were just killing time, and it felt like they were always very focused and determined. Perhaps most importantly, they really cared about what they were doing and were clearly wanting this to be a very memorable match. I like that around the 35-minute mark, they were teasing that this match could potentially be over soon, since they temporarily showed a bit more acceleration and some near falls. As the match continued, they managed to maintain that level of intrigue that had been presented throughout the entire bout. The selling and execution was generally really good. What was really helpful for the overall quality of the match was that during the last twelve minutes or so, they were able to increase the speed and urgency. And to make the final eight minutes more dramatic, Hennig juiced, and his face was a crimson mask. During the final minutes, Hennig’s second-wind energy really helped make those final minutes more intense and exciting. This was such a well-laid out match that was very effective. Excellent match. **** 

AWA 12/25/86 St. Paul, MN, AWA World Heavyweight Title: Nick Bockwinkel vs. Curt Hennig 26:02. The guest referee for this match was Billy Robinson. The main difference between this match and their famous 11/15/86 one-hour draw was that this 12/25/86 match lasted about half the time in length. The key was to see if they were going to take advantage of that. Unfortunately, they roughly went at the same pace here. However, the selling and execution of the moves was so good that it really didn’t matter too much how fast they were going. The rowdy Minnesotan crowd seemed really into the action. The main issue with this match was that after their excellent 11/15/86 match, it was hard not to expect more from this match. That being said, this was definitely a solid match well worth watching. And this match confirmed that these two were two of the best American wrestlers of 1986. Hennig put over the DQ finish really well, as he showed his frustration and called it “bullsh*t.” All in all, this was quite a good bout. The AWA certainly presented a main event scene of better quality than WWF and JCP did at the time. Good match. ***¼ 

AJPW 1/17/87 Tokuyama, PWF Heavyweight Title: Riki Choshu vs. Curt Hennig 8:18. Early in the match, Choshu, who invented the sasori-gatame (a.k.a. scorpion deathlock), tried to apply his signature hold, but Hennig managed to avoid it. About halfway through the match, Choshu once again tried to apply the hold, but Hennig was close to the ropes. Choshu seemed not very interested in doing anything else, and that ultimately led to an uneventful match. Hennig hit a very nice-looking flying dropkick off the top rope and a Hennig plex (fisherman’s suplex). Choshu then went for his second-favorite move, the lariat, which Hennig sold tremendously. Choshu went for the cover and scored the pinfall win. Okay match. **¼ 

AWA 5/2/87 Daly City, CA, AWA World Heavyweight Title: Nick Bockwinkel vs. Curt Hennig 23:44. Years before Psicosis did it in the mid 90s, Curt Hennig took a big shoulder-first bump into the turnbuckle that saw him fly through the ropes to the floor into the guardrail. That was one of the highlights of this match. The match came to an end when Hennig scored the pinfall over Nick Bockwinkel. The post-match storyline was that Larry Zbyszko, who was at ringside, may have given Hennig an object to hit the champion with. Either way, Bockwinkel’s final title reign had come to an end. This was the beginning of Hennig’s first and only true World Title reign (which would last over a year). It felt like a passing of the torch, but instead, Bockwinkel’s 4th and final AWA World Heavyweight Title reign ending turned out to be a prelude to the end of the AWA. This was one of Bockwinkel’s final ten matches in AWA (as he would pretty much retire later that year after one more final tour of AJPW). Hennig would go to WWF 15 months after this match, and AWA would fold during the early ‘90s after the financial struggles of the company proved to be too much to overcome. Good match. ***

AWA 9/18/87 Las Vegas, NV, AWA World Heavyweight Title: Curt Hennig vs. Wahoo McDaniel 9:12. This was the first singles match between these two. Wahoo McDaniel was of Native American heritage, and that was also his gimmick. McDaniel was one of the better brawlers, but it was Curt Hennig’s selling that really made the match. It turned out to be a relatively short match, because Hennig hit McDaniel with an object to score the pinfall. McDaniel juiced, and this match served like a warm-up for their upcoming feud. Okay match. **¼ 

AWA 11/28/87 Las Vegas, NV, AWA World Heavyweight Title, Strap Match: Curt Hennig vs. Wahoo McDaniel. They did a good job of working around the limitations of the strap match stipulation. They did a good job of alternating between teasing and brawling, always with the strap there. By this point in his career, Hennig started acting more like a heel, but he was able to do so while not letting it affect the quality of his wrestling. The match was in the middle of being quite a good one, but Adrian Adonis showed up with a butcher knife and slashed the strap, which led to the referee ending the match. Decent match. **½ 

AWA 12/27/87 Las Vegas, NV, AWA World Heavyweight Title: Curt Hennig vs. Wahoo McDaniel. ‘Cool’ Curt Hennig sold tremendously for Wahoo McDaniel, which made McDaniel look even more of a tough brawler than he already was. The match was worked at a deliberate pace, making it feel like a grudge match. McDaniel juiced, which helped emphasize this was indeed a heated feud. Solid performance by McDaniel. Strong performance by Hennig. The match ended in a double count-out. Good match. ***¼ 

AWA 3/19/88 Las Vegas, NV, AWA World Heavyweight Title: Curt Hennig vs. Wahoo McDaniel. Curt Hennig once again took one of his big shoulder-first bumps into the turnbuckle corner post while flying to the floor. After some more brawling, Wahoo McDaniel juiced. Hennig won the match with his feet on the middle ropes. Decent match. **¾ 

WWF 7/31/88 Milwaukee, WI: Curt Hennig vs. Terry Taylor 4:52. This was Curt Hennig’s second match back in WWF since February 1983. His first match back was a house show match against Scott Casey on 7/29/88 in Tacoma, WA. This 7/31/88 outdoors event at the Milwaukee County Stadium was released on Coliseum Home Video as WrestleFest 1988. This was before Curt Hennig was billed as Mr. Perfect. And, the story goes, that both Hennig and Terry Taylor were considered for the role of Mr. Perfect. However, Hennig was such a naturally perfect athlete who enjoyed so many different sports and activities that they felt he was more suited for the role. Taylor would later be given the gimmick of the Red Rooster, supposedly because he acted like he was the “cock of the walk” and was supposed to be an arrogant heel version of Red Rooster. However, because Taylor felt like it was a joke gimmick, that’s what it basically ended up becoming. This was a short match, but Perfect was a bit more impressive than Taylor in this match. Okay match. **

WWF 8/13/88 Los Angeles, CA Memorial Sports Arena: Curt Hennig vs. SD Jones 13:06. This was Curt Hennig’s first WWF TV match since February 1983. This was just before he became known as Mr. Perfect. Jesse Ventura joined Gorilla Monsoon and Billy Graham on commentary for this bout. Hennig was clearly still trying to find his role in WWF. Even though he was a second-generation wrestler and a relatively well-known name in the business, in the eyes of the WWF marks, he was just a new guy who had to prove himself in the WWF rings. ‘Special Delivery’ Jones wasn’t sure whether to act like a lower midcarder or a jobber-to-the-stars here, which also didn’t help the match much. SD Jones is probably best known for his loss to King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania I in what was probably the longest nine-second match ever. SD Jones got pinned by Hennig after a lariat. It seemed they finally got loosened up a bit during the final couple of minutes of the match, but the first ten minutes were quite uneventful. Okay match. **

WWF 9/11/88 East Rutherford, NJ: Curt Hennig vs. Jim Brunzell 13:01. Curt Hennig was announced as ‘Mr. Perfect’ Curt Hennig. And I believe this was the first time (or at least one of the first times) that he was announced as Mr. Perfect for a televised match. His opponent was fellow Minnesotan Jim Brunzell, who had left the AWA for the WWF in 1985This was quite a well-wrestled match for a WWF midcard match from 1988. It seemed that Hennig was adapting to his role in WWF. Of course, it helped that he wrestled a former AWA worker here. Hennig won via a powerslam. Decent match. **¾ 

WWF 12/3/88 Boston, MA: Curt Hennig vs. Tim Horner 9:44. This was the first time these two ever wrestled each other. Curt Hennig was acting more and more like his nickname ‘Mr. Perfect.’ He showed more confidence and cockiness. He started carrying a towel to the ring, and was now wearing colorful trunks. Apart from the character work having become better, also the execution of his wrestling was now once again reminiscent of his peak AWA era of late ‘86 through early ‘88. He showed more intensity than in his prior WWF matches. Tim Horner was a perfect opponent for Mr. Perfect because Horner can be quite the spectacular and fast worker who understands his role of making the heel opponent look stronger. And Horner knows how to make the match better while not necessarily making himself look like the man of the match. Horner was such an underrated worker. Even Hennig’s finisher seems to have been upgraded, since he finally won with a move that wasn’t just a lariat or powerslam. Hennig won this match via a fisherman’s buster, the move that would end up being known as the Perfect Plex. Good match. ***

WWF 1/15/89 Houston, TX: 30-Man Royal Rumble 65:03. ‘Mr. Perfect’ Curt Hennig drew number 4 and lasted 27 minutes (which meant he broke Bret Hart’s 25-minute record set at the ‘88 Rumble). He sold perfectly for Demolition Ax and Andre the Giant. Perfect would eliminate Ax from this match a bit later on. Perfect sold tremendously for Shawn Michaels, and Perfect almost bumped to the floor after a dropkick by one half of the Rockers. Perfect was eventually eliminated by Hulk Hogan. The winner of the match would end up being Big John Studd, who eliminated Ted DiBiase to win the match. Of course, this being a battle royal, the wrestling was generally nothing special (mainly just punching, kicking and people hanging onto the ropes). However, I always loved these old school Royal Rumbles as a kid, because it pretty much featured the entire roster, so you could see all the crazy characters do their thing. It was fun in a nostalgic way to see this back again, but this is not something I would consider a good match by my current standards, as the few little highlights couldn’t overshadow the overwhelming lowlights. Pretty bad match. *¼   

WWF WrestleMania V 4/2/89 Atlantic City, NJ: Mr. Perfect vs. The Blue Blazer 5:38. Curt Hennig was known simply as Mr. Perfect. I guess he had proven himself to be Perfect enough. This was also around the time he had started wearing colorful singlets instead of just trunks. Owen Hart had been brought into the WWF at the request of brother Bret ‘The Hitman.’ WWF figured that because Owen was a high flyer, they should give him the superhero gimmick of The Blue Blazer (especially since they weren’t interested in booking him simply as Bret’s brother (yet)). Speaking of Bret, soon after WrestleMania V was over, Perfect would start feuding with Owen’s brother, Bret. Perfect’s short feud with the Blazer started just after the Royal Rumble and consisted basically of just a few house show matches. Especially with this match lasting only five minutes, it seemed to show that WWF felt Perfect was too much of a superstar to be having a longer feud with the masked Owen. The work in this WM V match was quite smooth, especially for 1989 WWF standards. Owen’s offense looked good, and Perfect sold well for him. This match featured stuff that was unlike what you’d normally see in WWF at the time, and it was arguably the best match of WM V. That being said, it wasn’t more than three stars because the entire match was basically just billed around Owen’s offense sequences, alternated by Perfect stopping Blazer for a bit until scoring the inevitable win via the Perfect Plex. This definitely could have been better if it would have been, like, two or three times longer. Good match. ***

WWF 6/3/89 Boston, MA: Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart 18:53 (20:00 claimed). These two would in total wrestle each other nearly 60 times. This match from the Boston Garden was the 20th match in the feud, which had started pretty much as soon Perfect was done feuding with Bret’s brother, Owen Hart (The Blue Blazer) in April of that year. It was really cool to see these two get this amount of time. This showed that, even though Bret’s singles push wouldn’t fully start until 1991, the WWF had already been playing with the idea of letting Bret have more singles matches ever since mid ‘88 and now again in mid ‘89. Perfect and Owen was an intriguing pairing that ultimately didn’t result in many memorable situations due to WWF not having much faith in Owen. However, they clearly seemed to see potential in Bret as a singles guy, as they let him go nearly twenty minutes with a guy that was still undefeated at that point, a guy they had been billing as the ‘Perfect’ wrestler. Perfect had been in the WWF for nearly a year at that point. He had been having a couple of pretty good matches here and there, but this seemed to be an opportunity to be involved in a WWF match that was more than just pretty good. Bret had been in the WWF for nearly five years at that point, but for the most part he'd been teamed up with Jim ‘the Anvil’ Neidhart as one of the most recognizable WWF tag teams of the ‘80s, the Hart Foundation. We were fortunate this bout was recorded for a TV special, because during ‘89, this feud was mainly just for house shows. The main thing that was immediately noticeable was how much chemistry these two workers had, and how much smoother their execution was than most WWF wrestlers at the time. The main downside of this match was that the middle part was considerably slower than the start of the match. There was enough substance to avoid creating the feeling the layout was disjointed, but it was clear that they would get better at filling in the middle part of the match later on in their feud. The finish was even more disappointing, as it was one of those time limit draws that just kinda abruptly ended without too much build towards it. That being said, considering this was 1989 WWF, it’s hard to imagine many wrestlers on the roster at the time could have done a better job of working a relatively serious match of this length on the middle of the card. We even got some interesting post-match action, as Bret asked for five more minutes, but Perfect ended up attacking Bret from behind until Bret got his revenge by beating Perfect up to the delight of the crowd. Both of these second-generation wrestlers had tremendous respect for one another, and it resulted in what was possibly Perfect’s best WWF match up until that point (unless his matches vs. Bret from earlier that year were even better). We would have to wait until 1991 to see their far more famous and far better match against each other. Good match. ***   

WWF 10/2/89 Wheeling, WV: Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart 17:20. This match made it to WWF Prime Time Wrestling. Mr. Perfect had ‘The Genius’ Lanny Poffo in his corner. Mr. Perfect now also had a theme song. During the early portion of the match, Perfect did an excellent job being the cocky heel and putting Bret Hart over as the sympathetic babyface hero who was outsmarting him. For a 1989 WWF match, this was about as pure of a wrestling contest as you can get. Timing and execution were superb. There was a lot more action and much less time wasting than in their 6/3/89 match. Perfect started being in control more after Bret took one of those sternum-first bumps into the corner that he’s always so proud of doing so well. Perfect gave a strong performance, one of his best WWF performances, but Bret was probably the man of the match, as he seemed more into making this a dynamic match. While Perfect was somewhat limited by having to act like a WWF heel, for WWF standards, he was a heel who mainly focused on wrestling. In many ways, it seems like with each match they wrestled each other, they were coming closer to reaching that level of greatness they were able to achieve together in their famous SummerSlam ‘91 match. This match ended when the sneaky Perfect used the tights to score a pinfall win over the Hitman. Very good match. ***¾  

WWF 10/30/90 Fort Wayne, IN: Mr. Perfect vs. Big Boss Man 8:15. On 11/26/89, Mr. Perfect had suffered his first loss since re-entering the WWF in July 1988 by doing the job to Intercontinental Champion Ultimate Warrior in Fresno, CA. His next handful of losses would all happen against Hulk Hogan on house shows. His first televised loss happened against Ultimate Warrior on 3/19/90 at MSG in NYC. His first PPV loss took place at WrestleMania VI at the SkyDome in Toronto, ON, Canada when he did the job to Brutus Beefcake. Mr. Perfect’s first Intercontinental Title run started after he defeated Tito Santana in a tournament final on 4/23/90 in Austin, TX. ‘Texas Tornado’ Kerry Von Erich would be the IC Champ for a couple of months before Perfect would start his second and more famous run as the IC Champ on 11/19/90. This match from WWF Main Event against the Big Boss Man was a very spotty match. The execution generally wasn’t that great, mainly due to Boss Man trying to rush things and Perfect’s work getting a bit too focused on exaggerated selling. There were a couple of really cool moments, though, including one that saw Perfect doing a cartwheel to avoid a back body drop only to be clotheslined by Boss Man afterwards. Perfect did some spectacular bumping, for sure, but unlike in his previous years, it felt like he was just overselling for the sake of it instead of progressively bumping and selling in a spectacular manner because the match was ready for it. At least it was a fast-paced match, so it definitely wasn’t boring. The bout came to an end when Bobby Heenan got involved and got chased to the back by Boss Man, which resulted in Perfect winning via count out. Okay match. **¼

WWF Prime Time Wrestling 3/11/91 Pensacola, FL Civic Center: Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect 10:24. This match was mainly notable for being a Shawn Michaels singles match during his years as one half of the Rockers tag team with Marty Jannetty. And it was also notable because of Shawn’s tope con giro (which mostly missed the target), which was certainly a rare move in WWF. Good match. *** 

WWF SummerSlam 8/26/91 New York City Madison Square Garden, WWF Intercontinental Title: Mr. Perfect vs. Bret Hart 18:04. One of the most exceptional things about Bret Hart is that he’s one of the very few of the ‘80s tag team workers that ended up having a better run as a singles wrestler than as a tag team wrestler. Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart, the Hart Foundation, was a really good tag team, but mainly for Bret, and it was ultimately his singles run starting this year that truly made him a household name, while Neidhart dropped down the card and never captured another major title after they dropped the WWF Tag Titles to the Nasty Boys on 3/24/91. Right from the start in this match, Bret Hart showed that he was very eager to win his first singles title in the WWF. Winning really feels like the most important thing in the world for Bret, and that’s what makes his matches very easy to get into as a fan. His fighting spirit and determination are key factors in the success of this match. ‘Mr. Perfect’ Curt Hennig was hurt going into this match, and he was wrestling with a back injury here, but he was determined to have this final match before taking a break, and was clearly determined to give as strong a performance as possible because of his respect for Bret. The respect was mutual, as Bret has mentioned on more than one occasion that Hennig was his favorite opponent to wrestle. Having Bret as a championship-level singles wrestler was certainly a very good move by the WWF, as it meant the potential for more interesting matches than the average WWF matches. The near falls in this match were dramatic and helped build this match to an exciting finish. This was an exceptional match, and it was arguably the best match in WWF history up until that point in time. In this match, Bret certainly proved that his push as a singles superstar in the WWF was warranted. This was the best match between these two that’s available on video, but according to Bret himself, they had an even better match in Alaska at some point in 1989, but that match was unfortunately not filmed by anyone. Great match. ****½  

WWF 6/13/93 Dayton, OH, King of the Ring Semifinal: Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect 18:56. After dropping the Intercontinental Title to Bret Hart at SummerSlam ‘91, Mr. Perfect didn’t wrestle until his return at WWF Survivor Series ‘92. What made this match quite different from their SummerSlam ‘91 match was the much slower, more methodical pace they wrestled this at. Of course, Mr. Perfect hadn’t been the same ever since suffering the nearly career-ending back injury in June ‘91. Both men had wrestled a match on this show, as Mr. Perfect had made it to the semifinals by defeating Mr. Hughes earlier that night, while Bret Hart had defeated Razor Ramon. During the second half of the match, the pace picked up and this helped increase the drama of the match. All in all, this never came close to reaching the levels of the ‘91 match. When I watched this ‘93 match decades ago, I thought it was a great match, but that’s when I was still only watching WWF and I was more into the storytelling and character aspects of wrestling. The storytelling was definitely really good, but the in-ring work was disappointing due to Perfect not being able to wrestle like he used to. That being said, it really feels like Perfect tried but simply didn’t have the energy to give a stronger performance. 1993 was certainly an exceptionally weak year for WWF. Bret was probably the only one who was consistently reliable in trying to uplift the in-ring product and save it from complete mediocrity. Good match. ***

After taking another break in late ‘93, Curt Hennig returned to the ring in 1997, but he was physically no longer the same, and wasn’t able to give the spectacular performances he used to be able to give during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. In spite of winning the U.S. Title and also the WCW World Tag Team Title (with Barry Windham), his WCW run was rather disappointing. Of course, his back and knee injuries made it very hard for him to live up to his reputation. His lifestyle also didn’t help things, especially his substance abuse habits, which only worsened his health even more.

Curtis Michael Hennig sadly passed away on 2/10/03 at the age of 44 due to cocaine intoxication after already suffering from a heart condition.

Conclusion…

Going into this project, I was open to the idea that this could potentially be a disappointment. However, watching Hennig matches turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable. Hennig showed the potential to become a very good worker as early as late 1982. However, it wasn’t until (late) 1986 that he reached that status of actually being a very good worker. 

I think what I learned from working on this article is that his years as Mr. Perfect were less perfect than I remembered them being (especially the ‘90s). However, I learned that his work during the years 1986-1989 was generally very good and his best years.

I also realized that his SummerSlam ‘91 match  not only happened while he was severely injured, but it even happened just a couple of years after his peak era. Hennig clearly respected Bret Hart so much and Bret was really coming into his own as a singles wrestler in 1991. That’s why in his SummerSlam ‘91 match against Bret, Hennig channeled his peak self to deliver a super memorable performance (which is something he was not able to do anymore later that decade).

Maybe the most interesting part about doing these Redefine columns has been that there’s always a wrestler who stands out unexpectedly along with or even more than the wrestler I’m doing the redefining and re-aligning on. When I did the Redefine article on Barry Windham, Harley Race was the one who stood out. This time, while watching Curt Hennig matches, I realized that I had forgotten/overlooked how cool Nick Bockwinkel was. And Bockwinkel was certainly one of Hennig’s most fascinating opponents.

In closing, Hennig wasn’t an all-time great worker when you look at the bigger picture. When I grew up on WWF, all I watched was WWF, and that’s why I used to think Hennig was a truly great worker (and if you're only watching WWF, that’s certainly plausible). However, even though that is no longer the case, as I’ve been watching so much variety from so many different eras and areas, WWF matches generally have merely become nostalgia pieces as opposed to essential viewing material. That being said, it was nice to see that one of my old favorites was indeed a very good worker during his best years (1986-1989) and that some of his work still holds up as memorable.