WWE: 15 Greatest Technical Wrestlers – Number 13

We kicked off the series with the idea of giving our opinions about 15 greatest technical wrestlers in the history of the WWE, and we have come down to number 13. Few wrestlers have created an impact in the world of professional wrestling due to their technical ability, and fewer did that without ever becoming the WWE champion. Today, we look back at such a superstar, who not only was a great talent in the ring, but is also considered one of the few under-rated superstars, and one of the greatest wrestlers to have never won the WWE title. He was one of the most charismatic superstars in the history of the business, and was the amalgamation of great in-ring psychology and good mic skills. You can say he was the ‘perfect’ superstar, and he is none other than ‘Mr. Perfect’ Curt Hennig.

“Everybody would check their egos at the door when they came to a building that Curt Hennig was in, because you couldn’t out-work him, you couldn’t outshine him and you couldn’t out-perform him. He was the best of the best.” – Hulk Hogan on Curt Hennig

It is very rare for a performer to be regarded highly by his peers. Very few superstars are heralded as one of the greatest in-ring performers by the other superstars in a business where one wants to step over the other. There is a reason Hennig was universally popular and became a stuff of legends. Bret once famously said that when he performed with Curt, it was like a night off. Curt was one of the most technically sound wrestlers on the roster, and not only that, but he was a work horse and had the best work ethic. Curt Hennig was one of the few wrestlers who wanted to put other wrestlers over. The fact that Curt wanted Bret to win the Intercontinental title from him, thus being directly responsible for Bret’s rise to fame proves the fact that he looked out for the business instead of himself.

Curt is a former AWA World champion, holding the title for well over a year, and was a two time WWF/E Intercontinental champion. WWE claimed Curt to be one of the greatest Intercontinental champions of all time! Curt went undefeated for a year in the WWF when he debuted, and later won the Intercontinental championship. Perhaps, the greatest Intercontinental title match in the history of the WWF happened in ’91, when Mr. Perfect faced Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, in a ‘passing of the torch match’ at Summerslam from the mecca of Sports Entertainment, Madison Square Garden. The fact that Curt Hennig worked the match hurt, after breaking his tailbone and enlarging his disks proved just how gifted he was. The match was heralded universally, and this paved way for Bret to become the face of the WWF.

“The matches we had together – every single darn one – was a classic. We had a trust and respect for one another that I don’t see in the wrestlers today. I can never recall not coming back after a match with Curt when we weren’t both grinning from ear to ear, hugging and shaking hands.” – Bret Hart on Curt Hennig

After ’91, Curt was sidelined for nearly two years, and even though he returned to action, his career was already shortened by his injury. Curt later left the WWF for WCW, but continued to suffer with nagging injuries. Although Curt could still outperform almost the entire locker room, his injuries and his addiction soon caught up with him and he was released after a brief stint with the WWF in ’02. It was clearly evident at this point that Curt had some problems with his demons, and he needed help. But he was then signed by NWA TNA, and he got into a brief program with Jeff Jarrett. But things went south from there and Curt was found dead in his hotel room in ’03.

The World not only lost a tremendous wrestler, but a great human being. To this day, people fondly remember Mr. Perfect, and his technical expertise which is often said to be ahead of his time. Curt’s son, Joe Hennig was signed by WWE, and he now competes under the name of ‘Curtis Axel’, as a tribute to his legendary father. For all the old school fans, Curt Hennig will always be a name they were fond of as a kid. He was inducted into the WWE HoF in ’07, and although he could never win ‘the big one’, he will always be known as ‘Simply perfect’.

15 Greatest Technical Wrestlers – Number 14

15 Greatest Technical Wrestlers – Number 15