Curt Hennig was a big star for the WWF in the early 1990's, his battles with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart are legendary. The former Intercontinental Champion left the WWF in 1996 and moved on to WCW. Hennig, who was supposedly retired with a devastating back injury, began wrestling for the group in 1997. He didn't move as quickly or bump as recklessly as he had in the past but Hennig was, as they say, a 'hell of a hand'. He continued to wrestle for WCW until Summer 2000, when his contract expired. After a short run in the ephemeral XWF, vignettes began airing hyping Hennig's return at the 2002 Royal Rumble. For fans who hadn't been paying attention to non-WWF matters, this was quite a shock. Wasn't Mr. Perfect retired almost a decade ago? Entering the Rumble at no.25 to a thundering reaction, Perfect held his own with the WWF's best and was one of the final three men in the Rumble being eliminated by eventual winner Triple H. Curt's performance coupled with the favourable reaction to his appearance meant that he was offered a full-time contract by the WWF. Unfortunately Hennig's subsequent WWF run was nothing to write home about. He mainly appeared on Sunday Night Heat and on low-level Raw matches in losing efforts. He was fired as a result of his drunken behaviour on the notorious 'Plane Ride From Hell' in May 2002. Hennig's unlikely comeback might have been anti-climatic but, for one night at the 2002 Royal Rumble, it was simply Perfect.
