Did WWE miss the boat by not teaming Hennig and Angle?

[SirLucas]

The perfect opportunity would have been in 2002. I think their amateur wrestling styles would have complimented each other. This didn't have to been a long term team like the Hardys or Dudleys, but rather a pairing to showcase what they can do together. But unfortunately, Hennig was brought in to be a jobber to the stars.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

I feel like that would’ve been such a waste of Angle at that time

[BlackoutCreature]

I mean, I liked Hennig and wish the WWE would've done more with him during that run, but he looked pretty checked out for most of it. Again, that could've just been because they weren't doing anything all that interesting with him, but I'm not really seeing how 2002 Curt Hennig was gonna do all that much to help a red hot Kurt Angle.

[lildude8218]

I read this as "Hennig and Andre" and was really confused.

[The Rick Jericho]

The Perfect Angle.

Them on Smackdown winning the new SD tag titles would've been great.

[Milkman Norm]

1990 Hennig vs 2000 Angle would have been insane

[Deleted]

Hennig was messed up around this time. It's fun to imagine him getting a strong run but let's be honest, it would've lasted a few months tops.

You couldn't possibly rely on him when he was on the drugs like that.

[Mozenrath]

Had he stuck around and not screwed up, he probably would have been paired with Brock more than Kurt, but sure, I could have maybe seen it at some points. I do question if Kurt would have, though.

[dangerousdanpotato]

Hennig looked really good in the Rumble and I think a lot of us felt pretty excited about his prospects. If you'd have told me the next day the plan was for a Kurt Angle/Mr. Perfect tag team for a couple of months leading to a split and WrestleMania match I'd have been salivating. It would have been a better feud for Kurt than a half-baked afterthought match with Kane.

Sadly, as others have said, Hennig wasn't quite the Mr. Perfect of old, nor even what he'd been in WCW just a few years prior. Still, I'd have loved to have seen it.

[tafkaga]

I think if you wanted to pair Hennig with someone at this time, it should have been someone who would make him look good, like a power guy. Hennig wasn't in Angle's league at this time.

[Jindrak Mark]

I think they had something bigger in mind for him. He was booked really strong and looked great in his return at the Rumble. They must have saw something they didn't like behind the scenes though because within weeks he was getting squashed in a minute by Austin then shipped off to Sunday Night Heat.

In an ideal world if he doesn't have the issues he did you get Angle/Perfect at Wrestlemania 18. Angle ended up having a pretty forgettable match with Kane. It wouldn't be a classic like prime Perfect v Bret or anything but Kurt at that time could probably still get a very good match out of him.

[tirtefaa]

Feb 4, 2023 16:07:21 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

I feel like that would’ve been such a waste of Angle at that time

To be fair, so was Kane vs. Kurt at WrestleMania.

The problem was that this is essentially a heel vs. heel program, and I just don't think it would work as is. Mr. Perfect returning as a face I think actually does more damage to him if they were going to use him to put over other talent, and Kurt has just turned heel a few months prior, so it would be silly to turn him again. It might work as a Triple Threat match though.

[msc]

Mr Perfect mega-fan in the house. Curt was never the same post-1993 back issues, true, but equally, his work fell off a cliff around 2000 when WCW binned him. He looked out of sorts on the international tour. Came back for the 2002 Rumble in good shape and put in his best work since the Horsemen/Rednecks tag matches. Got a job out of it. Was back to slumming it within weeks, even when he got briefly paired with real life close mate Bossman. Drink, drugs and bad back - lousy combination.

I think if he'd lived long enough he'd have come back in some capacity during the brand split, if he'd sobered up, but, well, he didn't. Still pissed off at that.

When he came back I had big ideas for him and Kurt Angle and the likes then he was gassed going 60 seconds with Rikishi. Sad end for a legit GOAT in ringer.

[TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out]

Feb 5, 2023 13:41:10 GMT -5 tirtefaa said:

Feb 4, 2023 16:07:21 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

I feel like that would’ve been such a waste of Angle at that time

To be fair, so was Kane vs. Kurt at WrestleMania.

The problem was that this is essentially a heel vs. heel program, and I just don't think it would work as is. Mr. Perfect returning as a face I think actually does more damage to him if they were going to use him to put over other talent, and Kurt has just turned heel a few months prior, so it would be silly to turn him again. It might work as a Triple Threat match though.

That's because Angle was being saved for Sting but the deal fell through

[tirtefaa]

Feb 5, 2023 16:14:55 GMT -5 TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out said:

That's because Angle was being saved for Sting but the deal fell through

They could have added him to the Undisputed title match, I mean it couldn't have hurt to make it a Triple Threat.

Kane could face Big Show instead or something.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

Perfect just didn't have much left in the tank by that point and Angle being put in feud with him would've been a total waste of him. I think it's one of those things where they had to know what they were getting with Hennig. He was a guy who had been wrestling since the early 80's (albeit with long periods of inactivity from 92 to 97), worked a style in that he took a lot of big bumps, and was 44 by that point. And this was long before the days of guys like AJ Styles and Bobby Lashley wrestling deep into their 40's and still performing at a high level. Back then guys still being good at that age was pretty much unheard of. Heck still wrestling at all in WWE on a full time basis at that age was super rare.

I do find it odd that they gave him that strong showing in the Rumble and then did nothing to follow up. I mean they had him outlast and do much better then guys like Booker T, RVD, Big Show, and Kane in that match. They had to have had some kind of plans for him. I guess maybe it was a case of there being something they were seeing backstage they didn't like.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I think their characters don't really fit each other.

Angle had a goofy streak even as the wrestling machine. Perfect's character took everything far too seriously for that to work

[johnnyk9]

It could’ve been an interesting team

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Feb 6, 2023 10:31:11 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

I think their characters don't really fit each other.

Angle had a goofy streak even as the wrestling machine. Perfect's character took everything far too seriously for that to work

Hennig was fresh off showing his comedy chops in WCW with the West Texas Rednecks, if he needed to do that in the WWF, he could have.

[El Pollo Guerrera]

If they did a thing with Hennig like the Buddy Landel redemption angle in SMW 1995... Hennig steps out and proclaims his past digressions and then say he's got one more shot at the top and he's going to make the best of it... that would lead to a feud with Kurt Angle.

That would've been something.