PWTorch.com reader Michael M. asks: I really enjoyed the question you and Bruce had recently on a "Bruce Mitchell Audio Show" (VIP) asking why certain wrestlers never had a WWF Title run. My question is why wouldn't Curt Hennig be a good choice for even a transitional champion run in his first WWF stint? Ted DiBiase's gimmick was he was the Million Dollar Man and Bruce said that's one reason why he didn't need a title run. Well, Curt Hennig's gimmick was he was Mr. Perfect, so wouldn't the WWF title around his waste help solidify his gimmick more than his ability to throw a football 60 yards down field to himself? He was a great worker, a good talker, and always had great heat. Am I crazy or was he not considered for a main event push against Hogan? Just wanted to know your thoughts.
He would have been a good transitional champion in WWE. He would have been very high on my list of wrestlers deserving consideration for at least a short run with the title. I'm not sure that Vince McMahon would have been against it, but timing-wise, it just didn't work out. Hulk Hogan was champ during Hennig's early time in the WWF. Yokozuna was the chosen heel to be WWF Champion after Hogan left. There were other strong pushed heels around such as Randy Savage, Razor Ramon, and Bam Bam Bigelow at the time, too. Hennig then ended up with serious back problems and cashed in on an insurance policy and became a color commentator for a long stretch of his prime.
Curt Hennig, circa late-'80s (photo by Wade Keller (c) PWTorch)
One thing working against Curt was that he wasn't a great interview. He was solid, but he was really an underachiever in that area who didn't really get beyond the two-dimensional Mr. Perfect cliches. He lacked that "connection" with fans on promos that takes someone to the next level, something Jake Roberts, Mr. Kennedy, and JBL did, but Billy Gunn/Kip James, Shawn Stasiak, and Test - just to grab a few examples - never had. Hennig was probably between those two groups in promo ability, and maybe could have risen to the occasion if given the spotlight. He also was a bit of an underachiever in the ring given how much talent he had. He just never rose to that four-star reliable level in terms of exciting, memorable matches that felt real and told a dramatic story. Part of the reason was WWE didn't demand that of talent yet, as that would come a couple years later, but it was noted that he wasn't a standout "show-stealer" when given good opponents in the early-'90s.
Then along came Shawn Michaels, who was better in every way than Hennig. Michaels emulated Hennig's bumps, patterning certain aspects of his style after Hennig when they both were in their formative years in the late-1980s AWA era (which I had the benefit of watching in person here in Minnesota). Michaels was the runaway choice to get the opportunties he did, even if Hennig was healthy. There was a "transition" torch-passing moment at SummerSlam '93 when Michaels beat Hennig which marked the end of Hennig's run as a second tier WWF heel and marked the launching point for Michaels's rise to a top heel. Hennig would eventually return to the ring in WCW and was just a role player as partying and drugs really took a toll on him leading up to his premature death.
If you have a subject you'd like me to address in a future "Ask the Editor" feature, send it to askthetorch07@pwtorch.com.
