The WCW tenure of Curt Hennig extended his career with another run in a top promotion. Many fans only think of Hennig’s time as Mr. Perfect in WWE when discussing his career, but Hennig had a lot of noteworthy moments in WCW. The in-ring work of Hennig always delivered as his calling card with strong promos also coming from the legend.
WCW placed Hennig in a few bigger storylines throughout his time there than WWE did. The Mr. Perfect name was no longer allowed to be used, but Hennig still wrestled the same style. WCW’s creative didn’t always put him in a position to succeed, as seen with the mixed results. Hennig had the following WCW moments become forgotten over the past two decades.
8 Betraying DDP As Free Agent
The start of Curt Hennig’s time in WCW saw him introduced as a tag team partner for Diamond Dallas Page. WCW required a partner for Page during his feud against the New World Order, and Hennig arrived as a new major free agent looking for an opportunity.
The partnership was short-lived as Hennig ended up walking out on DDP after a disagreement. WCW showed that Hennig was going to lean towards the heel side of things with this move so early into his debut. The matches between Hennig and Page were some of Curt’s best in WCW.
7 Resurfacing Rivalry With Bret Hart
The best rivalry for Curt Hennig in WWE came against Bret Hart when they feuded over the Intercontinental Championship. An argument can be made that they had the best match in WWE history up to that point at SummerSlam 1991.
Hart signing with WCW in late 1997 led to him being placed in a few upper mid-card feuds to start his run. Hennig and Bret continued their history of going at each other when entering a feud. Hart won the matches against Hennig, but WCW gave Curt some revenge when defeating Davey Boy Smith and Jim Neidhart.
6 Tag Title Win With Barry Windham
The return of Barry Windham to WCW in the late ‘90s saw him joining Curt Hennig to form a tag team as the mutual enemies of Ric Flair. Both Hennig and Windham were among the most respected wrestlers of the time, but WCW didn’t have major plans for either in singles roles.
A tournament to crown new WCW Tag Team Champions ended with Windham and Perfect holding the gold together. The heels feuded with Flair’s proteges of Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko when they were representing the Four Horsemen.
5 Turning On The Wolfpac For NWO Hollywood
WCW following through on splitting up the New World Order saw the Wolfpac version becoming the hottest act in the company. Top names like Kevin Nash, Lex Luger, Sting and Randy Savage on the same team felt like an all-star lineup.
Curt Hennig and his manager Rick Rude were forgotten original members of the Wolfpac. However, their heel characters didn’t fit in, so Hennig turned on Wolfpac member Konnan to defect to nWo Hollywood. Rude and Hennig continued their heel act as the first names to jump ship from one nWo group to the other.
4 Ric Flair's Last Great WCW Feud
The fake out of Curt Hennig joining the Four Horsemen only to betray them for the New World Order is likely the biggest moment of his time in WCW. However, fans often forget that it turned out to be one of the final major programs of Ric Flair.
WCW sent Flair home for many months in 1998 and had him in disappointing programs against Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan and Vince Russo in his final run. The emotional comeback to get revenge on Hennig after the betrayal was Flair’s final great feud in WCW.
3 Part Of The Reason Fans Turned On Master P
Eric Bischoff signing Master P to a short-term deal showed how much he believed in the celebrity adding interest to the product. WCW placed Master P with Rey Mysterio and Konnan as the No Limit Soldiers faction feuded with Curt Hennig’s new group.
Hennig speaking out against rap music led to him forming the West Texas Rednecks group both as a faction and country music band. The fans enjoying Hennig over Master P played a noteworthy role in the rapper failing to get over in WCW.
2 Emotional Interview After Rick Rude's Passing
The passing of Rick Rude was a huge blow to the wrestling world when the legend passed away in 1999. Curt Hennig was the closest friend of Rude in WCW and felt upset about the lack of talent who showed up to his funeral service.
An interview for WCW’s website saw Hennig upset with the broadcaster for springing such a heavy question on him without warning and making his point. Rude and Hennig had a bond that went beyond the ring with Hennig showing that during this forgotten segment.
1 First Challenger To Goldberg's WCW Championship Reign
WCW trusted Curt Hennig in an important role as a challenger to the world title when Goldberg first became WCW Champion. Goldberg was less than a year into his debut when beating Hulk Hogan for the WCW Championship and was a flawed wrestler in the ring.
Other main eventers struggled to have a Goldberg match since it was mostly selling. Henning received the first few title shots to put over Goldberg in relatively short matches. The credibility of Hennig was strong enough to challenge Goldberg, but he was experienced enough to lead the limited Goldberg.
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