Line #36 Wrestling/CurtHennig


1	[[quoteright:258:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/curtwithbelt.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:258:One of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time.\
3	Absolutely perfect.]]
4
5	->''"You have just witnessed perfection."''
6	-->--'''Mr. Perfect''', after winning a match
7
8	Curt Michael Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003) was a wrestler who debuted in Verne Gagne's Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation in 1981 after being trained by Gagne, Brad Rheingans and his dad Larry "The Ax" Hennig at the promotion's training camp. He'd later debut for [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} the WWF]] four months into his career and work there on and off until the early '90s, eventually developing his "Mr. Perfect" [[TheGimmick gimmick]]. He then left WWF behind, working for enterprises such as WWC, Wrestling/{{All Japan\|ProWrestling}}, Wrestling/{{New Japan\|ProWrestling}} and eventually winding up in Wrestling/{{WCW}} but was, and still is, counted among the best technical wrestlers in [=WWE=] history.
9
10	Among his in-ring achievements, he was a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-h.html AWA World Heavyweight Champion]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/awa/awa-t.html AWA World Tag Team Champion]] w[=/=]Wrestling/ScottHall, a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/ic.html WWE Intercontinental Champion]], a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-us-h.html WCW United States Heavyweight Champion]] and a 1x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-t.html WCW World Tag Team Champion]] w[=/=]Wrestling/BarryWindham. Briefly competed in Wrestling/{{TNA}} when it was still a member of the Wrestling/{{N\|ationalWrestlingAlliance}}WA. He passed away in 2003 from acute cocaine intoxication. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.
11
12	!!! Curt Hennig is the TropeNamer for:
13	* RapIsCrap: In 1999, he and his West Texas Rednecks recorded a novelty country song called ''"Rap is Crap (I Hate Rap)"'' as part of their feud with the No-Limit Soldiers. The Rednecks were meant to be the {{heel}}s in this feud and the Soldiers the {{face}}s, but many Wrestling/{{WCW}} fans, (Mostly Southerners who hated rap and saw the Soldiers as bullies) sided with the Rednecks, to the point that their song even got some radio airplay.
14	----
15	!!"These tropes are.... [[PunctuatedForEmphasis AB-SO-LUTELY PER-FECT!!!]]"
16	* TheAce: A most certain RealLife case, since he proved to be, if not at professional grade, at least in great shape and seasoned enough to compete in bowling, golf, darts, billiards, baseball, and football.
17	** As a face, his dexterity and swiftness were hard to match, and as the incredibly gifted technician that he was, could throw around any opponent with ease. All of this showing that "Mr. Perfect" is more than just a nickname.
18	** Even as a heel, he usually won cleanly, and both the face and heel commentators would laud his immense technical wrestling talent.
19	** Hennig was able to combine his on-mat savviness with his great promo skills to draw a ''lot'' of heat as the smug bastard who is not only better than you, but ''knows'' it and is more than happy to rub your nose in it.
20	* ArchEnemy:
21	** In the early [[TheEighties 80's]] WWE, a very young Curt had to endure quite interesting feuds against the likes of Wrestling/PlayboyBuddyRose, Wrestling/KillerKhan, and Wrestling/GregValentine.
22	*** In TheNineties, he and Wrestling/BretHart created veritable classics that set the pace for future technical wrestlers in main event grade matches.
23	*** ...and then, his famous betrayal of Wrestling/RicFlair.
24	** Nick Bockwinkel and Wrestling/JerryLawler in the [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation AWA]]'s tail end.
25	** Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage and Flair (...again!) in WCW.
26	* BadassBoast: The ring name says it all. He was able to slip "perfect" into his promos in all manner of ways, always with utter conviction.
27	* CallingYourAttacks: "Now, you're going to see a Perfect-Plex."
28	* CanonName: His real name was this at best for the vast majority of his Mr. Perfect gimmick.
29	* CatchPhrase: "I am what I say I am, and I say...I'm perfect."
30	* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder:
31	** In WWE, Hennig betrayed Flair (as his then-protegee), Razor Ramon, Wrestling/LexLuger, and Marc Mero.
32	** Likewise, in WCW, he did the same to DDP (his former manager at "The Diamond Exchange"), Flair ('''...YES, again!''') ''and'' the [=nWo=] Wolfpac.
33	* CombatPragmatist: Mostly subverted for his first few years of the Mr. Perfect gimmick. While he had managers who would cheat on his behalf, Hennig rarely cheated himself.
34	* TheCon:
35	** Mr. Perfect's eponymous "Perfect Hoax" back in 1996. For weeks, he stole Wrestling/TripleH's valets and caused him to lose numerous matches because of the subsequent distractions. Finally getting fed up with it, Triple H challenged the retired Hennig to a match; Hennig accepted. However, on the night of the match during an episode of RAW, Triple H ambushed Hennig backstage before the match and seemingly injured his knee, preventing him from continuing. Then-Intercontinental Champion "Wild Man" Marc Mero decided to fight Triple H in Hennig's place, putting his title on the line. In the match's climax, Triple H attempted to cheat using a steel chair, but Hennig ran in for the save and took the chair from Triple H... only to wallop Mero with the chair, allowing Triple H to pin him for the title. Afterwards, the duo revealed that the entire debacle was a plan to put the title on Triple H (and return him to a prominent stature within the company), while embarrassing Mero for stealing Sable from Triple H.
36	** Mr. Perfect was a point man for another one just four years prior. He and Wrestling/RicFlair orchestrated a plot to get the WWF Title back to Flair starting at Summerslam 92. Wrestling/RandySavage and the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior were both fan favorites, but also accused of selling out to Team Flair. Both Flair and Perfect liberally attacked both the challenger (Warrior) and the WWF Champion (Savage) during the match. Warrior won when Team Flair jumped the champion on the outside, but only by countout, meaning Savage was still the champion. Flair beat the Macho Man shortly after this to win the WWF title for the second time.
37	* ContrivedCoincidence: Too many to not scratch your head about between Curt and an old childhood friend of his, Wrestling/RickRude. Both of them were physically gifted men who excelled in every sport that they tried their hand in (boxing, judo, and arm wrestling in Rude's case), both of them got their most famous gimmick (a vain individual who loves to brag about it) in WWF, both of them suffered severe back injuries that cut their careers short, and both of them died by overdose.
38	* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Went undefeated from 1988 to 1990 in WWF to play up his "Perfect" gimmick. The streak ended rather anticlimactically with mid-carder Wrestling/BrutusBeefcake beating him to a pulp at Wrestlemania VI.
39	** He had lost to Wrestling/HulkHogan at some house shows a few months earlier, but none of those were televised.
40	* DemotedToExtra: As part of the nWo B-Team in WCW.
41	** While recovering from a vicious back injury between '91 and '92, Hennig served as a commentator and as Naitch's "executive consultant."
42	* EnemyMine: Got so fed up with Wrestling/BobbyHeenan's treatment in late 1992 that, for the ''Survivor Series'' that year, he teamed up with former rival Wrestling/RandySavage out of spite. They then won the match, and cemented the Mr. Perfect HeelFaceTurn.
43	* FinishingMove: ''[[SuplexFinisher The Perfect-Plex]]'', for it was almost impossible to kick out of. Nowadays it seems more like a NameOfPower move.
44	* HiredGuns: One of many brought into WWC by La Familia to defeat Wrestling/CarlitoColon for them, and temporarily successful.
45	* JackOfAllStats: Hennig used a combo of power moves, more agile attacks, and submission holds in his arsenal. In a meta-sense, Curt also had great psychology, variety of moves, promo skills, and a great general charisma about him.
46	* JerkJock: May have been the first notable one in professional wrestling since Wrestling/BuddyRogers. His success probably led to Wrestling/KurtAngle and Wrestling/JackSwagger's gimmicks.
47	* LargeHam: Maybe not to Hogan's or Savage's extent, but his promos were definitely ten pounds of cocky in a five pound bag.
48	* LightningBruiser: Agility? He could hit missile dropkicks and jump over opponents. Strength? Once Perfect-Plexed Wrestling/TheBigShow. Endurance? Could wrestle for long periods of time and put on great matches even with real injuries. (Remember, he wrestled through his Summerslam classic against The Hitman with a severe lower back problem.)
49	* LoveableRogue: In a time when nobody rooted for the bad guy, he was the asshole heel who was secretly admired by many fans. It's why his FaceHeelTurn was more seamless than others.
50	* MeaningfulName: Hennig had a nearly perfect combination of technical skill and promo charisma that few other wrestlers could match then or now.
51	* TheNicknamer: Coined Wrestling/ShawnMichaels' famous moniker, "The Heartbreak Kid." Interestingly enough, he was also the first to refer to Hunter Hearst Helmsley as Wrestling/TripleH.
52	* PowerStable:
53	** In AWA: "The Diamond Exchange" (w/Col. [=DeBeers=], Badd Company ([Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka]), and Wrestling/{{Madusa}}. Led by DDP and his "Diamond Dolls".)
54	** In WWF: The Heenan Family from 1990 to 1991.
55	** In WCW:
56	*** Wrestling/TheFourHorsemen
57	*** Wrestling/NewWorldOrder
58	*** The West Texas Rednecks (w/Kendall and Wrestling/BarryWindham, [[Wrestling/{{Virgil}} Curly Bill]], and Bobby Duncum Jr.)
59	*** The Powers That Be (led by Wrestling/VinceRusso.)
60	* RedBaron: "Mr. Perfect" was one of the many Red Barons used and abandoned by Jerry Stubbs, and was briefly Curt Hennig's Red Baron before becoming his official ring name.
61	** At the very beginning of his career, he was named simply "Cool Curt".
62	* RickyMorton: He served this role in the AWA, taking a beating in the ring only for Wrestling/ScottHall to save him at the last minute. Years later, Hall mentioned that Curt was so good at this role that fans would advise him to split from Curt, as he was "holding you down".
63	* SignatureMove:
64	** His dad's finisher; "The Ax", a swinging ''Running forearm smash''.
65	** ''Rolling neck whiplash'', having his opponent sitting up in the ring, usually in a daze, Curt would run up from behind, somersault over the other guy's back while performing a ''Cravate'' and yanking his victim's head hard. Interestingly, this was a maneuver brought into the continental States from the Pacific territories by none other than Wrestling/DonMuraco.
66	** A pelvic swing from ''Standing Headscissors'', giving a ''Neck crank'' variant to his opponent .
67	* TagTeam:
68	** (in AWA):
69	*** "Ax Attack", with his father, Larry "The Ax" Hennig. This tag team would continue across three different NWA territories.
70	*** "Gagne's Raiders", with Greg Gagne.
71	*** He was partnered with Wrestling/ScottHall at the brand's tail end.
72	** (In WWE):
73	*** Back in '81 he was paired with another young promise, Wrestling/EddieGilbert.
74	*** "The Perfect Team", with [[Wrestling/RandySavage Randy "Macho Man" Savage]], at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1992''.
75	*** With his "executive consultant", who was none other than [[Wrestling/LannyPoffo "The Genius"]].
76	*** w/ Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
77	* TheatricsOfPain: He had the ability to make his opponents look much better than they were. This was probably why he was used more to put lesser talents over, rather than being a Main Eventer.
78	** To be more specific, he was well-known for twirling in mid-air while taking powerful strikes (such as a clothesline). He also had his own variation of the "[[Wrestling/RicFlair Flair Flip]]" that he would work into most matches, especially before his back injury.
79	* TheTrickster: In RealLife, Curt loved to prank people not unlike Wrestling/OwenHart. Once he went to a party and crapped in the hosts' baby's potty and managed to convince them that their kid took an adult-sized shit.
80	** Whenever he was part of a show that took place in a high school, he would test all of the padlocks on the lockers. If one came off, he would use it to lock the gym bags of two wrestlers who hated each other together.
81	** Another one worthy of mention is when he put rubber bands over a couple of tube socks and shoved them down the front of his pants. Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon, who was notoriously visually impaired, didn't realize it, so Curt came out and wrestled a job match with what appeared to be a huge boner. Needless to say, Wrestling/VinceMcMahon was not happy about this and went to yell at Monsoon for allowing Curt to go out there like that. Curt promptly received a chewing out when he got backstage from an irritated Monsoon.
82	* UrExample: For the technically gifted wrestlers who lacked an outlandish character (though that part wasn't really true in his case) but made up for it due to his skill, he along with Bret Hart were this during the wrestling boom in the mid/late 80's. In a time where most wrestling in the WWF all had to have some cartoony vibe to it, Curt's gimmick was grounded in just being really good at whatever he did, and he was able to be over with the fans due to witnessing how good he really was. Guys like Wrestling/ChrisBenoit and Wrestling/AJStyles based their wrestling gimmicks on how good they were at wrestling, just like how Perfect did.
83	* VitriolicBestBuds: After turning face, he had this relationship with old adversary Bret Hart. They teamed together quite often, and bickered about who was better just as often.
84	* WrestlingFamily: Curt was the son of Larry "The Axe" Hennig, and later his own son Joe wrestled in WWE as Wrestling/CurtisAxel (formerly Michael [=McGillicutty=] of Wrestling/TheNexus). His daughter, Amy, is also a wrestler.
85	* WrestlingPsychology: Having to face a guy proven so good in almost every sport he tried his hand in is quite a heavy demoralization to carry into a match in the squared circle.

Context Wrestling / CurtHennig