Mr. Perfect dies at 44

bigdawg2003 · 02-10-2003, 06:04 PM

Link

Why are all of these wrestlers dying suddenly in their mid 40s?

Not to sound cold, but it is kinda fishy.

QuikSand · 02-10-2003, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bigdawg2003
Why are all of these wrestlers dying suddenly in their mid 40s?

Hmmm... I'm no expert on rasslin' but I've hear rumors that many of them take ::gasp:: steroids. That might be related, eh?

bigdawg2003 · 02-10-2003, 06:18 PM

oops, forgot to make my sarcasm obvious. My bad

But man, if Mr. Perfect is dying this young, how is Hulk Hogan still alive?

sabotai · 02-10-2003, 06:46 PM

Mr. Perfect was never a buff guy. I'm not so sure if he took steroids or not. He was no wear near as muscular as Hogan was in the 80's. He was always just 'in shape'. I dunno.

Maple Leafs · 02-10-2003, 06:47 PM

No doubt a lot of these guys are using steroids. Some of the current WWE guys are so big that they're clearly using something, probably several things.

That said, Curt Hennig wasn't one of the especially big guys, so this may not turn out to be steroid-related. A bigger problem is that because these guys have no union, travel a lot, and (usually) don't get paid if they don't perform, many of them get hooked on painkillers. It's possible that could be a factor.

It's sad. Henning was one of the guys who actually knew how to do more than kick, punch and flex his muscles.

Travis · 02-10-2003, 06:50 PM

If anybody was going to fall over dead from drug use, it'd be Scott Steiner. From what I've read, the drug he was (may still be on, can't remember the name) would basically kill you just by taking it if you were under 250 pounds.

bigdawg2003 · 02-10-2003, 07:18 PM

It's pretty hard for wrestlers to have any leverage considering the WWF pretty much has the wrestling industry monopolized. I'm fairly surprised the government hasn't investigated that.

Ryche · 02-10-2003, 08:01 PM

There are plenty of other places for wrestlers to go besides the WWE. There are numerous smaller and indy promotions around the US. And wrestling is huge in Japan as well so there is by no means a monopoly. WWE just pays the best.

The physical punishment the wrestlers undergo and the drugs they use to work through the pain is the primary reason for the large number of early deaths. It's a hazard of the profession.

Hennig's death does surprise and sadden me. He seemed in relatively good shape for his age and I remember meeting him when he came to town when I was like 7 or 8.

bbor · 02-10-2003, 08:36 PM

Wow.....

Hammer755 · 02-11-2003, 07:54 AM

Another sad day for 80's-90's wrestling fans.

But I would be willing to bet that most people who say he wasn't that buff remember him from his earlier days and not his most recent stint in WCW/WWF. He had become quite bulky and didn't resemble the Curt Hennig that started out in the AWA in the mid-80's. I would think that drastic of a change in body type would have to be the result of some supplemental medication, but I can't say for certain.

Ramzavail · 02-11-2003, 11:16 AM

I was a big Mr. Perfect fan.

I'll miss the Perfect plex and the wet curly hair.

and you can't forget the spit the gum, slap it into the crowd move

I loved that.

Maple Leafs · 02-11-2003, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Travis
If anybody was going to fall over dead from drug use, it'd be Scott Steiner.

Not to mention Triple H, who got huge right about the same time that his entire face mysteriously changed shape. Now he can't wrestle more than a few matches without a muscle tearing in two, but I'm sure he's completely clean.

(He's also dating the bosses daughter. In a few years, "Son-in-law of Vince McMahaon dies from growth hormone overdose" should make for a nice little scandal.)

TLK · 02-11-2003, 11:33 AM

Taken with respect from Ken Anderson at 411Wrestling.com:

Year In Wrestling Special - Mr. Perfect Is Dead
Posted By Ken Anderson on 02.11.03

Thirteen years ago, my Dad’s company was remodeling the Lee Civic Center in my hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. As a perk of the job, he could basically come and go as he pleased to any event, any time.

I still remember that day in second grade when he came home and told us that he had a surprise for us after school the next day if we cleaned up our rooms. We were excited, but had no idea as to what he had up his sleeve.

At 3:30 the following day, my Dad came to school and picked up me and my twin brother Jay (Bower) in his old Blazer. We stopped for a snack and then headed out for the surprise.

As we pulled into the back gates of the Civic Center, we saw the huge trucks emblazoned with the WWF logos, and immediately erupted in excitement.

The next three hours before show time consisted of hanging out with one of the Hebner’s as he set up the ring, fishing in the lake behind the arena with Jim Neidhart, and running from Earthquake.

The wrestlers were amused by these shy little twins awkwardly walking around the arena before the event. Most stayed in character for our benefit. My Dad hates wrestling and didn’t really understand most of what was going on (such as the Bushwhackers trying to lick his head… he would have NONE of it), but he did recognize the wrestler who’s action figure got more play than all of the other’s combined… Mr. Perfect.

We were way too shy to approach him, so my Dad took the liberty of mentioning to him what big fans of his that we were.

With a huge smile on his face, Hennig walked directly up to us, held out his hand, and asked what our names were. His response…

”Those names are PERFECT… like me.”

He motioned for us to come close, forming a miniature huddle. He looked both of us in the eye and said, “I’ve got a big match tonight against Bret Hart… I shouldn’t have any problems with him, but I need your help guys… you see him wrestle on TV every week… can you give me any tips?”

We peeked around to make sure no one was looking, and then whispered to Perfect that he should watch out for the “Scorpion Deathlock,” and the double axe-handle. Hennig nodded, listening intently to the advice that we gave him. Mr. Perfect thanked us for the advice and told us that he was going to win the match tonight for us.

As the huddle broke, Bret Hart put down his fishing pole and walked up to us. He told us that we shouldn’t be hanging out with “this loser.” Shyly, we stuck up for our hero. Hennig and Hart exchanged words before Hart went back to fishing, telling Hennig that he’ll “See him in the ring.” Hennig patted us on the back, thanking us again for our help. He gave us a wink and a smile and headed back to the arena.

The show itself was right on par with what you’d expect from an early 90’s WWF TV Taping: nearly five hours of the same jobbers getting their asses kicked five or six times in one night. My Dad would shake his head and grumble under his breathe to the Dad next to him what ******** it was to have the same guy come out still bruised and red from the previous match just to get his ass kicked again.

After nearly three hours of waiting though, the biggest match of the show was upon us: Bret Hart vs. Curt Hennig.

For twenty minutes, Hennig and Bret Hart waged war on one another. The highlight of the match, at least for us, came when Bret Hart came off the top turnbuckle with a double axe-handle. Hennig, having been warned of the dreaded move by a couple of puny marks, sidestepped, countered with a fist to the stomach, and looked over at us. He smiled, pointed to us, and mouthed “Thanks Guys.”

The match ended in a twenty minute draw, but both men came out looking like a million dollars. Bret Hart made his way back towards the dressing room as young girls grabbed onto his arms for dear life. Hennig eventually made his way back to his feet, stopping to grab his patented towel from the ring apron. We were in the second row clapping and cheering in our scrawny voices for Hennig when he began walking towards us with the towel. He smiled, tossed us the towel, and thanked us for the help, noting that he was just toying with "The Hitman" that evening.

Mr. Perfect smiled at my Dad before heading back to the dressing room to pack up and head on to the next city.

I was on an emotional high for weeks after that experience, all thanks to one man going above and beyond the call of duty and being nice to us. He could have easily just said, "I'm a heel, I don't need to pay any attention to these annoying kids," but he didn't. He took five minutes out of his hectic life to make two of his biggest fans happy.

Over the course of the next decade and a half, I gained and lost interest in wrestling more times than be counted, meeting many other wrestlers along the way.

None came close to Hennig. None.

On that particular April evening back in 1990, Curt Hennig was one of the genuinely nicest human beings I’d ever met.

____

HornedFrog Purple · 02-11-2003, 01:12 PM

I remember Mr. Perfect. His finisher was cool the Perfect Plex. I dont keep track of the WWF oops E anymore except my nephews who watch it. I have met 3 wrestlers, one was the Undertaker who gave my nephews two autographed photos in an airport when he was getting his shoes shined and Al Snow and Mark Henry who came by the firestation for some elementary school kids when last year when they came to Dallas. Those three guys were the nicest people.

Yeah wrestling is fake but the injuries they get arent, plus at least in my limited experience with them they are very friendly unlike some of the major sports athletes.

Qwikshot · 02-11-2003, 01:57 PM

Couldn't they join the actor's union? Seriously...I am sorry for his death and the death of many others in this 'sport'. Did anyone see the America Undercover on the fighting sport with the guy addicted to everything under the sun...amazing. Frightening..

bertogarce · 02-11-2003, 02:42 PM

I'm saddened to hear about the passing of Henning. I remember when he used to wrestle in the AWA before he hit it big in the WWF as Mr. Perfect. I was always a big fan Curt Henning.

02-10-2003, 06:18 PM	#3
bigdawg2003 High School Varsity Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Austin, Texas, USA	oops, forgot to make my sarcasm obvious. My bad But man, if Mr. Perfect is dying this young, how is Hulk Hogan still alive? __________________ I didn't even know Elvis was from Memphis. I thought he was from Tennessee.

02-10-2003, 06:50 PM	#6
Travis Pro Rookie Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Canada eh	If anybody was going to fall over dead from drug use, it'd be Scott Steiner. From what I've read, the drug he was (may still be on, can't remember the name) would basically kill you just by taking it if you were under 250 pounds. __________________ "I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it." - Rogers Hornsby

02-10-2003, 07:18 PM	#7
bigdawg2003 High School Varsity Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Austin, Texas, USA	It's pretty hard for wrestlers to have any leverage considering the WWF pretty much has the wrestling industry monopolized. I'm fairly surprised the government hasn't investigated that. __________________ I didn't even know Elvis was from Memphis. I thought he was from Tennessee.

02-10-2003, 08:01 PM	#8
Ryche College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Highlands Ranch, CO, USA	There are plenty of other places for wrestlers to go besides the WWE. There are numerous smaller and indy promotions around the US. And wrestling is huge in Japan as well so there is by no means a monopoly. WWE just pays the best. The physical punishment the wrestlers undergo and the drugs they use to work through the pain is the primary reason for the large number of early deaths. It's a hazard of the profession. Hennig's death does surprise and sadden me. He seemed in relatively good shape for his age and I remember meeting him when he came to town when I was like 7 or 8. __________________ Some knots are better left untied.

02-10-2003, 08:36 PM	#9
bbor Pro Starter Join Date: May 2001 Location: toronto	Wow..... __________________ Pumpy Tudors Now that I've cracked and made that admission, I wonder if I'm only a couple of steps away from wanting to tongue-kiss Jaromir Jagr and give Bobby Clarke a blowjob.

02-10-2003, 06:46 PM	#4
sabotai General Manager Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: The Satellite of Love	Mr. Perfect was never a buff guy. I'm not so sure if he took steroids or not. He was no wear near as muscular as Hogan was in the 80's. He was always just 'in shape'. I dunno.

02-10-2003, 06:47 PM	#5
Maple Leafs Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2002	No doubt a lot of these guys are using steroids. Some of the current WWE guys are so big that they're clearly using something, probably several things. That said, Curt Hennig wasn't one of the especially big guys, so this may not turn out to be steroid-related. A bigger problem is that because these guys have no union, travel a lot, and (usually) don't get paid if they don't perform, many of them get hooked on painkillers. It's possible that could be a factor. It's sad. Henning was one of the guys who actually knew how to do more than kick, punch and flex his muscles.

02-11-2003, 07:54 AM	#10
Hammer755 High School Varsity Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Houston, TX	Another sad day for 80's-90's wrestling fans. But I would be willing to bet that most people who say he wasn't that buff remember him from his earlier days and not his most recent stint in WCW/WWF. He had become quite bulky and didn't resemble the Curt Hennig that started out in the AWA in the mid-80's. I would think that drastic of a change in body type would have to be the result of some supplemental medication, but I can't say for certain. __________________ I failed Signature 101 class.

02-11-2003, 11:16 AM	#11
Ramzavail College Starter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Strong Island, NY	I was a big Mr. Perfect fan. I'll miss the Perfect plex and the wet curly hair. and you can't forget the spit the gum, slap it into the crowd move I loved that.

02-11-2003, 11:33 AM	#13
TLK Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Allen Park, MI	A Nice Little Story Taken with respect from Ken Anderson at 411Wrestling.com: Year In Wrestling Special - Mr. Perfect Is Dead Posted By Ken Anderson on 02.11.03 Thirteen years ago, my Dad’s company was remodeling the Lee Civic Center in my hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. As a perk of the job, he could basically come and go as he pleased to any event, any time. I still remember that day in second grade when he came home and told us that he had a surprise for us after school the next day if we cleaned up our rooms. We were excited, but had no idea as to what he had up his sleeve. At 3:30 the following day, my Dad came to school and picked up me and my twin brother Jay (Bower) in his old Blazer. We stopped for a snack and then headed out for the surprise. As we pulled into the back gates of the Civic Center, we saw the huge trucks emblazoned with the WWF logos, and immediately erupted in excitement. The next three hours before show time consisted of hanging out with one of the Hebner’s as he set up the ring, fishing in the lake behind the arena with Jim Neidhart, and running from Earthquake. The wrestlers were amused by these shy little twins awkwardly walking around the arena before the event. Most stayed in character for our benefit. My Dad hates wrestling and didn’t really understand most of what was going on (such as the Bushwhackers trying to lick his head… he would have NONE of it), but he did recognize the wrestler who’s action figure got more play than all of the other’s combined… Mr. Perfect. We were way too shy to approach him, so my Dad took the liberty of mentioning to him what big fans of his that we were. With a huge smile on his face, Hennig walked directly up to us, held out his hand, and asked what our names were. His response… ”Those names are PERFECT… like me.” He motioned for us to come close, forming a miniature huddle. He looked both of us in the eye and said, “I’ve got a big match tonight against Bret Hart… I shouldn’t have any problems with him, but I need your help guys… you see him wrestle on TV every week… can you give me any tips?” We peeked around to make sure no one was looking, and then whispered to Perfect that he should watch out for the “Scorpion Deathlock,” and the double axe-handle. Hennig nodded, listening intently to the advice that we gave him. Mr. Perfect thanked us for the advice and told us that he was going to win the match tonight for us. As the huddle broke, Bret Hart put down his fishing pole and walked up to us. He told us that we shouldn’t be hanging out with “this loser.” Shyly, we stuck up for our hero. Hennig and Hart exchanged words before Hart went back to fishing, telling Hennig that he’ll “See him in the ring.” Hennig patted us on the back, thanking us again for our help. He gave us a wink and a smile and headed back to the arena. The show itself was right on par with what you’d expect from an early 90’s WWF TV Taping: nearly five hours of the same jobbers getting their asses kicked five or six times in one night. My Dad would shake his head and grumble under his breathe to the Dad next to him what ******** it was to have the same guy come out still bruised and red from the previous match just to get his ass kicked again. After nearly three hours of waiting though, the biggest match of the show was upon us: Bret Hart vs. Curt Hennig. For twenty minutes, Hennig and Bret Hart waged war on one another. The highlight of the match, at least for us, came when Bret Hart came off the top turnbuckle with a double axe-handle. Hennig, having been warned of the dreaded move by a couple of puny marks, sidestepped, countered with a fist to the stomach, and looked over at us. He smiled, pointed to us, and mouthed “Thanks Guys.” The match ended in a twenty minute draw, but both men came out looking like a million dollars. Bret Hart made his way back towards the dressing room as young girls grabbed onto his arms for dear life. Hennig eventually made his way back to his feet, stopping to grab his patented towel from the ring apron. We were in the second row clapping and cheering in our scrawny voices for Hennig when he began walking towards us with the towel. He smiled, tossed us the towel, and thanked us for the help, noting that he was just toying with "The Hitman" that evening. Mr. Perfect smiled at my Dad before heading back to the dressing room to pack up and head on to the next city. I was on an emotional high for weeks after that experience, all thanks to one man going above and beyond the call of duty and being nice to us. He could have easily just said, "I'm a heel, I don't need to pay any attention to these annoying kids," but he didn't. He took five minutes out of his hectic life to make two of his biggest fans happy. Over the course of the next decade and a half, I gained and lost interest in wrestling more times than be counted, meeting many other wrestlers along the way. None came close to Hennig. None. On that particular April evening back in 1990, Curt Hennig was one of the genuinely nicest human beings I’d ever met. ____ Last edited by TLK : 02-11-2003 at 11:34 AM.

02-11-2003, 01:12 PM	#14
HornedFrog Purple Hattrick Moderator Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Fort Worthless, Tx	I remember Mr. Perfect. His finisher was cool the Perfect Plex. I dont keep track of the WWF oops E anymore except my nephews who watch it. I have met 3 wrestlers, one was the Undertaker who gave my nephews two autographed photos in an airport when he was getting his shoes shined and Al Snow and Mark Henry who came by the firestation for some elementary school kids when last year when they came to Dallas. Those three guys were the nicest people. Yeah wrestling is fake but the injuries they get arent, plus at least in my limited experience with them they are very friendly unlike some of the major sports athletes. __________________ King of All FOFC Media!!! IHOF: Fort Worthless Fury- 2004 AOC Deep South Champions (not acknowledged via conspiracy)

02-11-2003, 01:57 PM	#15
Qwikshot Pro Starter Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: ...down the gravity well	Couldn't they join the actor's union? Seriously...I am sorry for his death and the death of many others in this 'sport'. Did anyone see the America Undercover on the fighting sport with the guy addicted to everything under the sun...amazing. Frightening.. __________________ "General Woundwort's body was never found. It could be that he still lives his fierce life somewhere else, but from that day on, mother rabbits would tell their kittens that if they did not do as they were told, the General would get them. Such was Woundwort's monument, and perhaps it would not have displeased him." Watership Down, Richard Adams

02-11-2003, 02:42 PM	#16
bertogarce Mascot Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Boulder	I'm saddened to hear about the passing of Henning. I remember when he used to wrestle in the AWA before he hit it big in the WWF as Mr. Perfect. I was always a big fan Curt Henning.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)