10 Most Controversial WWE Firings Ever
5. Mr. Perfect
To the joy of everyone in attendance, 'Mr. Perfect' Curt Hennig made a dramatic return to WWE at the 2002 Royal Rumble. Hennig made it all the way to the final three before being ousted by eventual winner Triple H. The result wasn't as important as the performance, as the legendary Hennig seemed to have rolled back the years after stagnating in WCW. Brief feuds with top stars followed before Hennig moved down the card, but fans were more than happy to see the iconic former-Intercontinental Champion back.
It all came shuddering to a halt in May 2002. The roster had just completed a gruelling European tour and were heading back to the US, on a journey that became known as the 'Plane Ride From Hell'.
The name isn't an exaggeration. The ride was a perfect storm of madness, alcohol and primal macho behaviour. Ric Flair got drunk and exposed himself. Sean Waltman chopped off Michael Hayes' ponytail. Goldust attempted to serenade ex-wife Terri Runnels over the PA, but not before sexually harassing a stewardess.
In amongst it all, close friends Curt Hennig and Brock Lesnar had a friendly grapple that soon turned into something a little more competitive. The two Minnesota-natives were soon going hell for leather on a plane that was actually flying through the sky, ramming into the sides of the air bus and generally making everyone a little nervous. They got a little bit too close to the emergency exit before wrestlers rushed in to separate the two.
The two were in deep trouble when the plane landed, but Lesnar's status as the next big thing gave him a security that the veteran Hennig simply didn't have. Perfect was released, never to return. He passed away the following year.