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The Perfect Memory of Curt Hennig
PWTorch.com Guest Editorial
By Dan Taylor
PWTorch.com reader
The passing of Curt Hennig earlier today will no doubt bring about many
memories of his greatest moments to the forefront. Some will remember
his Intercontinental and U.S. Title
victories, his matches with Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA World
Title, the vaunted "perfect record" that went unblemished for years,
or perhaps even the West Texas Rednecks and "Rap is Crap." But when
I think of Curt Hennig, I can proudly say that I remember something
about him that nobody else does. I remember an 11-year-old boy.
Hennig was in the middle of his most triumphant
run in WWF/WWE, and on this night in 1990 he found himself in
Providence, Rhode Island, hours away from the next chapter in
his program with Hulk Hogan. "Mr. Perfect" would be wrestling Hogan
that night in the main event of a house show, but his main objective
at the moment was grabbing a pre-match meal at the cafeteria of the
hotel where he was staying.
As he was eating, he was approached by the 11-year-old boy, who was
looking for an autograph. The young man had no idea how rare a moment
of peace and quiet could be for someone in
the wrestling business. He didn't understand that he was intruding on a
man who was trying to enjoy his dinner before he went to work. All this
boy knew was that Mr. Perfect was in the same room as him, and he
wanted an autograph.
Was Hennig upset? Quite the contrary. When the boy approached him, he
smiled and invited him to sit. He agreed to sign an autograph only if
the boy met his one condition: he had to
prove that he was a "real fan" of Mr. Perfect, as he said he was.
Surely he would have signed the autograph no matter what the wide-eyed
boy said, but he couldn't resist the chance to stay "in character" and
be the consummate wrestling villain without actually being a villain at
all.
Hennig was visibly taken aback when the boy talked in detail about
matches with Jerry Lawler and Nick Bockwinkel that happened when he was
five years old in the AWA, a federation which wasn't even on television
in the area at the time. After spending more than twenty minutes of his
time talking to the boy, whom he referred to at one point as "the
Perfect Fan," he finally signed
the autograph, punctuating it by tossing the pen in the air and
catching it in his dress shirt pocket. The trick with the pen worked
"perfectly," but who would expect any less?
That 11-year-old boy grew up to be a 24-year-old man, one who has
continued to follow the career of Curt Hennig wherever he went and felt
compelled to share the greatest moment of his young life with fellow
Torch readers upon hearing of Hennig's untimely passing. I wish I could
have met him one more time, shaken his hand, and told him how much that
one act of courtesy that he most likely wouldn't even remember meant to
me.
Curt Hennig was my childhood hero for his actions inside the squared
circle, and a role model of mine for many
years thereafter because of his actions outside it. He will certainly
be sorely missed by his friends, family, and fans. Especially
"the Perfect Fan."
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