Five Matches That Curt Hennig Should've Had At Wrestlemania

Curt Hennig -- one of the greatest WWE superstars to have never been WWE Champion.

He didn't need a snake to intimidate his opponents. He didn't need to name his following. He didn't really need any gimmicks because, much like Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen, most of the things he said he was doing on TV were things that you could guarantee he really did.

Just like you could guarantee that Flair's robes cost more than all the cars you own if Flair said anything of that sort, you could guarantee that if Curt Hennig as Mr. Perfect said he was going to do something perfectly, he was going to do something perfectly.

I've yet to see anything in his career, other than the West Texas Rednecks, that wasn't a representation of Curt Hennig's skills or personality (although the Rednecks probably represented how much of a funny guy Hennig could be.)

Sad to say, however, he suffered injuries, as all wrestlers do from time to time, and he unfortunately died in 2002, though he was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Shockingly, in Wrestlemania history, Hennig has only had four Wrestlemania matches:

-- Owen Hart (Blue Blazer) in his Wrestlemania debut

-- Brutus Beefcake in a loss at Wrestlemania 6

-- The Big Boss Man in a DQ loss at Wrestlemania 7 (nothing to be sour about, he kept the Intercontinental belt)

-- Lex Luger in a Wrestlemania 9 loss (the last Mania appearance of Hennig as a wrestler)

So, let's say hypothetically that Henning had five more Mania matches before leaving the WWE.

Who could stand up to Perfection in "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig? Let's see who could (in no particular order) hang with Mr. Perfect.

1. Perfect Vs. "The Rocket" Owen Hart

Owen's Mania debut was also Perfect's Mania debut, but at this time, most fans knew The Hitman and The Anvil as tag team partners, not knowing the family relationship between Hart and Neidhart, and also not knowing that Bret had a little brother until Owen's Wrestlemania 8 appearance.

Needless to say, I don't recall Owen Hart ever facing Hennig once Owen Hart became... well, Owen Hart.

When Jim Ross said at the 1997 WWF Survivor Series that some people called Owen the "Real Hitman" of the Hart family, due to "putting HBK on the shelf" and nearly ending Stone Cold Steve Austin's career at Summerslam earlier that year, he might as well have said that as an "off the record" remark. Owen, in some people's eyes really was better than Bret in some ways despite never winning "the big one" himself.

I don't know if Owen would have had the Sharpshooter first, or if Hennig would have gone for the Perfect-Plex first, but this would have been a wrestling clinic at Wrestlemania. Both men were excellent wrestlers with aerial ability and technical skill.

With these two, I doubt anyone would care how long this one went because both men were skilled enough to where their in ring ability could keep the audience excited. Sadly, Owen suffered an accident at Over The Edge in 1999, and many say it was a real mistake to go on with the show despite the accident, but Owen I don't think would have had it any other way.

Maybe not Owen, but we wouldn't have cared. If you weren't wrestling, there was no show for some of the crowd in the arena that night.

2. Perfect Vs. Shawn Michaels

This match took place at Summerslam 1993 and ended in a count out, thus causing then-IC champ Michaels to retain the belt.

In case you were wondering, yes, a regular title match in the WWE today still requires a three count or a tap out in order for the belt to change.

So, what if Michaels didn't attack Perfect after his WM9 match with Lex Luger? What if through one act or another, it was Michaels who either cost Perfect his match with Bret Hart at the King Of The Ring, or made it so that Perfect couldn't participate as part of Razor Ramon's team at the '93  Survivor Series?

I think Perfect Vs. Michaels could have happened at Wrestlemania 10, Perfect's back pending, along with other things, but this still would have been a good match to see at the 10th annual Wrestlemania.

Would this have been the ladder match everyone's been talking about? Well again, that would depend on how healthy Curt's back was. If it was, then maybe it would be, but then again, that match would have benefitted Michaels more than Perfect, because Michaels started his rise to the top as one high-flying half of The Rockers, so he would have had little to no problem taking some risks from a 15-foot ladder.

Actually, I forget how tall the ladder was in the actual ladder match.

Anyway, if it wasn't a ladder match, no worries. Shawn was proving to be more than just a cocky son of a gun. He could have some good straight-up matches with some of the best in the WWE.

Perfect would be no excepption.

3. Perfect Vs. Ted Dibiase

When Ted Dibiase had won his first WWE World Tag titles with Irwin R. Schyster, Perfect had started to co-manage Ric Flair and commentate. If that hadn't happened -- either Perfect's injuries causing him to retire or Dibiase winning the tag team belts -- this match would rival Hart Vs. Piper at Wrestlemania 8, leaving fans to decide if Hart Vs. Piper was better than Dibiase Vs. Perfect.

Dibiase wasn't exactly a slouch at the wrestling game either. He also could go with some of the top of the heap in the WWE from late 1991 to early 1992.

Then again, he had outstanding feuds with Jake Roberts, Brutus Beefcake, Hulk Hogan, and Randy Savage, and he had some good matches with guys like the Ultimate Warrior and Jim Duggan.

The big question of this match would be whether or not wealth would overcome perfection, or to put it differently: would Dibiase be too much for Curt Hennig? No one will know the answer when it comes to Curt and Ted Sr., but there's always hope for Curt's son Joe if he can somehow get himself in a feud with Ted Jr.

Hennig- Bret Hart III

This really needs no explanation. Ask a fan who has seen WWE from the Hulk Hogan days until now, and that fan will tell you that Bret Hart Vs. Curt Hennig at Summerslam 1991 was a solid definition of what it's supposed to mean to be the Intercontinental Champion.

In other words, that match was awesome.

Hennig Vs. Hart II at the 1993 King Of The Ring was another match that was a classic example of technical wrestling at its best in pro wrestling or sports entertainment.

This match is one that I think could have been the back up plan for an Iron Man match at Wrestlemania 12 if Shawn wasn't as popular as he was back in 1996.

Like every other match on this list, this would show the ability to wrestle and the ability to execute exciting offense from both men, although if what happened with Michaels at Wrestlemania 12 happened with Hennig, and Bret couldn't get a submission win, Perfect could score his Perfect-Plex on Bret, thus gaining the victory.

5. Curt Hennig Vs. Kurt Angle

This match should have happened after Curt came back at the 2002 Royal Rumble and held his own against the best in the WWE at the time. As a matter of fact, this match could have happened at Wrestlemania 18, and the fans would have enjoyed it because of the talent involved, what with both men being wrestlers and all, but Hennig got into a few feuds with RVD, Austin, and a tag team with... Shawn Stasiak.

Wow. That's what was in Hennig's last appearance, Think of what could have been.

Again, anothe wrestling showcase, mixed in with the one "I" Angle never stepped into the ring without: his Intensity.

The Angle Slam Vs. The Perfect-Plex... Makes you wonder how it would have gone down, doesn't it?

It certainly does for me.

Anyone have any thoughts on who you think Hennig would have had one more good Wrestlemania match with or disagree with any of these ideas? Leave a comment