DVD Review: WWE The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig

Submitted By James Walsh on 10/07/08

Credit: James Walsh & the Wrestling Epicenter: As a kid, I saw Curt Hennig appear in the WWF as Mr. Perfect and believed he was what he said he was... Absolutely perfect... And, as an imperfect being, that meant I naturally had to hate him. But, even as a non-smart (do we call them dumbs?) fan, I respected him because I knew when his match came up, I was going to see something pretty damn cool. Curt Hennig was a second generation wrestler. It just seemed natural for Curt Hennig to be in that ring. And, unlike so many that have desperately tried to copy the way he moves in that ring, none of what Curt Hennig did was dangerous to the other wrestlers or unnecessary. He was the human pinball. He would fly for his opponents like nobody before him and nobody since. And, his offense was damn cool too. I went in to the DVD with a lot of reservations. After the WWE's Confidential program and the falsehoods of the Rise and Fall of ECW DVD, I was not at all certain what I was about to watch would be presented in the way that I would have done it. But, I was pleasantly surprised for the most part. The major interviewees of the documentary are Larry "The Ax" Hennig (Hennig's father) as well as Curt Hennig's wife and son. But, a surprising person who seems to have the most emotional stories about Hennig is Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. Together, along with other commentaries by Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Greg Gagne, and others, the DVD does have a strong panel to tell the story of "Mr. Perfect". A lot of the stories told are told on the emotional frunt... They're meant to pull at the heart strings. And, they do that well. But, a lot is also complimenting Curt Hennig's resolve and how good he really was. Bret Hart even made a cameo to put over the fact that Hennig was injured at Summerslam 1991 but worked the match hurt, and well for that matter, because of the respect he had for Bret himself. The AWA and WCW were given a somewhat decent amount of time on the DVD... I think the AWA more so than WCW. But, it wasn't a "WCW was a terrible place that used to eat babies and scalp kittens" as it sometimes feels on WWE programming (see the entire series of Confidential and the Rise and Fall of ECW as previously cited.) Regardless, WCW was mentioned. And, a fair amount of time was spent on it. When discussing the return of Mr. Perfect in 2002, some of what was said was good and fair. Edge said he was excited to see Hennig in the ring and cherishes his match with him. Chris Jericho said, and I quote, "Wow, Mr. Perfect's back... And he's awesome!" That was the thought of every fan watching too... Why he didn't get pushed I will never understand. Some said he was glad to have the job and knew he was there to put over young talent. But, I don't think that was the right thing to do... At least, not in that way... As a slight diversion from the DVD review, let me rant about the above. WCW presented its older or established stars in a light where it was the task of the younger guys to find a way to get around the older star's experience edge. How would you, a 22 year old kid, take on a ring veteran of almost as many years as you were alive who also is in as good of shape as you are? Instead, the WWE seems to think if you're over 40, you suddenly spend more time in the ring thinking about the Country Chicken Buffet and hope your wife is digging in her purse backstage to find you a butterscotch hard candy while the young guys beat on you. In principle, I understand why. In practice, I think that sucks. Hennig was in his early 40's in 2002. I can see why that would have been a concern. But, why not utilize him in programs with young stars? Make him competitive still and this way when a young star defeats the veteran who was one of the best Intercontinental champions of all time, it really does mean something. Jobbing out to Taz and veryone he wrestled was just plain stupid. Wrestling is NOT boxing, folks. It is NOT MMA. You can be a good pro wrestler into your 50's or even 60's to some degree. Why the predjudice of age is so strong these days is beyond me. Never before has wrestling been so removed from appearing to be a legitimate sport and yet never before has it tried to copy the ebb and flow of them so closely. Hennig's death was presented in a strange light. The way Shawn Michaels and others discussed it, it sounded like it was a suicide. I don't know the details of his death. But, I never was under the illusion that it was a suicide. I always thought it was what so many of my favorite wrestlers and musicians die of... Trying to do the same "party" things they did 20 years prior and it catching up with them. Regardless, I was torn up whe it happened as just a fan. I can't imagine what these people felt knowing him. What would I have done differently? I think the only things that I was even slightly disappointed in was that "The Genius" Lanny Poffo wasn't there to offer his perspective. For health reasons, Bobby Heenan's mentions were basically cut from other productions. But, Poffo spent the majority of 1989, 1990, and 1991 on the road with Hennig. He should have been there to discuss him. It is really strange. The past few months, I have been putting together "mix tapes" of some of my favorite bands and then finding out that a "Best Of" is being released with just about the same songs that I chose. This DVD is no different. If I were to piece together a "Best of Curt Hennig" collection, I think I would have included just about all these matches and only added a few more. You know the house show matches Bret Hart mentions were better than the Summerslam match? We get to see one of them on this DVD! What more could you ask for? All in all, I think this was a fair, accurate, and professional take on the life of a childhood hero who was what he said he was after all. He was absolutely Perfect. :: DISCUSS THIS POST ON THE FORUMS! :: SEE MICKIE JAMES & THE DIVAS NUDE! :: BUY WRESTLING DVD'S THROUGH OUR STORE! :: GO BACK TO THE HOME PAGE WRESTLING EPICENTER STORE IS OPEN! THE HOTTEST WRESTLING DVD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE! We've got hundreds of pro wrestling DVD's at your fingertips! All your favorite stars such as Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Sting, Ric Flair, Bruiser Brody, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Harley Race, Andre the Giant, Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Booker T, & countless others! We've also got the Divas! 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