Eric Bischoff: "This how I got Mr Perfect Curt Hennig to quit WWE for WCW"

Eric Bischoff talks about the process of hiring Mr. Perfect from WWE to join WCW
FULL SHOW: • Video
#ericbishcoff #83weeks #wcw

[@Delski82]

Man when he joined NWO in war games………I’ll never forget that moment!!! So awesome!!! RIP Curt Hennig

[@samg8760]

Didn’t he come in with some hand cuffs?

[@daviddejong779]

I was there. My roommate and I were painted black (not black face) with NWO on our chests and giant NWO sign. It was right in flair country. We honestly thought we were going to get jumped leaving that place. It was awesome!

[@FourThreeEight]

Perfect's exit in 1996 from WWF was genuinely disappointing.

[@Scorch1028]

Curt Hennig was mis-used in WCW from 1997 to 2000. He was a very skilled performer who should have held both the TV championship and World championship during his time in WCW.

[@brobsty1856]

He was US champ which was the 2nd highest belt. He was involved in big angles. By that time the TV belt wasnt very important.

[@chrisgullett4332]

No he was not. He even had that West Texas Rednecks gimmick that was more over than anything for several months. That West Texas Rednecks is a classic organic heel wrestling angle that people are supposed to hate, but they end up loving. Kurt was out there singing that song called Rap Is Crap. It was comedy gold.

[@ShadowAngel606]

World Champion 🤣🤣🤣🤣 No way. He was over the hill and nowhere near the level he was in AWA and WWF.

[@chrisgullett4332]

@@ShadowAngel606 In 97 he was not even 40. Wrestlers are hitting their prime at the age he was.

[@ShadowAngel606]

@@chrisgullett4332 That's mostly wrong. And doesn't change the fact, that Hennig had massive back problems and cashed in his loyds of london insurance policy which prevented him from wrestling for a couple years. This was widely reported back then across all newsletters and even talked about in shoot interviews by Hennig's friends.

[@justinmartin1831]

I remember reading that Curt was angry with Vince because they had him get involved physically in the match with HHH and Mero and Loyds was going to cancel his policy hence why he started wrestling again in WCW. So he blamed.Vince for this and getting his policy cancelled. He had to get back in shape and didnt show up in WCW until almost a year after he left WWF.

[@digitalmarketinghumans]

PERFECT ( *throws towel behind and catches it* )

[@actionpcsportscommunity]

(spits gum, bats it out of the air with his open hand)

[@pantangela]

I always try and miss.

[@ryandeffley7652]

The Mr. Perfect vignettes are still some of the funniest stuff the WWF produced. They even showed him excell at darts and horseshoes. 😂

[@suicidality2744]

When Curt Hennig first appeared on Nitro June 30, 1997 the fans barely reacted to him.

[@mox19380]

probably because he'd barely wrestled in 3-4 years. hennig was OK in the role of manager or outside interference guy but his real talent was being in the ring so after 3-4 years of not being an in ring performer the lust had worn off.

[@suicidality2744]

@@mox19380 And Bischoff still stupidly handed him a million dollar a year contract. And why not? It wasn't his money.

[@curthennig9448]

It was a boneheaded call by WCW to have him come out to the ring as a Nitro was going off the air. Raven also came out at the end of this show. How do you expect that to have an impact? Not surprised though considering the lack of brain power when it came to booking ideas over at Dub C Dub.

[@suicidality2744]

@@curthennig9448 Yep

[@ShadowAngel606]

@@suicidality2744 Wasn't anywhere near that much 1997: $203,698 1998: $471,876 1999: $485,595 2000: $182,633 Wage + Licensing + Merchandise.

[@Johnny82Utah]

1997 Curt was my favorite year of his. He was a top guy in the nWo my favorite faction of all-time.

[@CubbiesMLB]

That US title's peak started with Hennig. He really made the title mean more that it had in years. Diamond Dallas Page became one of the biggest babyfaces in WCW by beating Hennig for the strap at Starcade. So 1997 was one of Hennigs best years without a doubt

[@Johnny82Utah]

@@CubbiesMLB yup forgot to mention him making the US title more relevant than in years, probably since Luger held it.

[@shawnwest9383]

1990 Curt was on top of the world

[@Johnny82Utah]

@@shawnwest9383 until he lost to the beefer at Mania VI, still went on to win IC gold though and program with Kerry and Warrior.

[@shawnwest9383]

@@Johnny82Utah I was 18 in 1990 I was there and I remember Mr P was the man period

[@garethcullen9604]

It seemed to be mostly all Minnesota wrestlers taking that Lloyds of London deal.

[@MikeDest]

Would make for a good Dark Side of the Ring episode.. Especially with Rude thinking he could get the policy refunded by Eric because they were buddies. Unrealistic.

[@DavidxBoyd]

I wonder if they bought them during their AWA stint

[@CurvaGrande]

RIP. Mr.Perfect should have won the world title in WWE and WCW.

[@travismiller4320]

Just got stuck in that stupid period in which Hogan had to be champion I guess

[@gossamer1234]

wwf sure. but not wcw at the point he was there.

[@bridgetbonds5169]

I wonder if Eric met any other wrestlers kids?

[@BluntVille]

Flair Won all 3@EBC-ENT

[@BluntVille]

I was just saying flair might be the only one to hold all 3!! everything back then sept ecw title lol@EBC-ENT

[@Therealgeoffchilds]

Hennig was used like everyone else, just another wwe face to shock us to watch wcw, but then was never used, and when the smoke cleared off the nWo, everyone went back to watching WWE

[@hectorlopez1069]

He should have won the wwf championship belt for a while.

[@enigmaticpsychocw]

Sadly there are too many stars for everyone to get a crack at being champion.

[@enigmaticpsychocw]

@@Nintendomaster91 ah they were pushing new stars during that time. No way Hennig would have been given the belt then. Now maybe back in 1991

[@alanguages]

Mr. Perfect should have been WWF champion at WrestleMania XI and main eventing against Shawn Michaels. In hindsight, Diesel should never have been champion.

[@enigmaticpsychocw]

@@alanguages all I’m saying is there’s no way Vince would have made Perfect champion in 1995. Plus Perfect didn’t even want to wrestle in 1995 because of his Lloyds of London contract

[@alanguages]

I am aware the circumstances with his insurance. Hindsight though the New Generation era Mr. Perfect fit in with it the best. If the stars were aligned, that would have been the best time for him to be champion.@@enigmaticpsychocw

[@TravisBrady-wn8fr]

The original plan was for abdullah the butcher to be "Mr Perfect" but kerry von erich didnt want to wrestle the man that ate his foot

[@sandyunderpants4376]

I always thought Curt stopped wrestling in the WWF because of his chronic back injury. It's hard to believe that Vince wanted him on the sideline because he was too old. He was always one of the biggest stars in the company and a great wrestler, and the fact that after WCW folded Curt came back as an in ring jobber for WWE until he died really makes me question what the real story was. No way Vince just asks him to sit in the booth if he was healthy enough to perform. We heard the story of Vince pressuring Shane Douglas to work a popcorn match with a broken back because it was an essential match for the MSG house show that night, then why keep Mr. Perfect out of the ring for YEARS?!?

[@kazman_6899]

DX could have been HBK, HHH, Perfect and Rude.

[@hatchetmouth8211]

Because Perfect worked for Hogan's outlaw promotion XWF briefly after WCW and ECW folded.

[@sandyunderpants4376]

@@hatchetmouth8211 I had to look up XWF because I never heard of it before, but I feel like I just entered an alternative reality. Rowdy Roddy Piper was feuding with Sable for control of the XWF? And Jerry Lawler was doing commentary with Tony Shiavone, and Jimmy Hart was the President and Viscera was the Worlds Champion? OMG, how did I never know about this!!?!?

[@curthennig9448]

@@sandyunderpants4376 You didn't miss anything as this company only lasted for about 2 months. Pretty much November and December of 2001. They couldn't land any type of a TV deal. Once Vince got wind he made sure to bring Hogan back and then he stole Curt who was going to be the focal point of the XWF.

[@ShadowAngel606]

Hennig did stop because he got paid out by Loyds of London. Whatever Bankrupt Bischoff claims is, as usual, just a lie.

[@darylmixan8170]

Offered him wayyyy more money and an easier workload... The Perfect way.

[@reynaldoreyes9927]

11/8/1996 ( WWF- House Show ) Buffalo, New York: Marine Midland Arena: Mr.Pefect ( Curt Hennig ) No Show This WWF Event Mr Perfect was to manage Hunter Hearst Helmsley (WWF IC Champion ) vs. Mark Mero

[@Bluecrew0420]

Bishoff with the Ross fro 😂😂 oddly fits Eric

[@TheBaitShopGuy]

That type of signing (an ex top WWF star to WCW) in the 90s was happening a lot. WCW did well with guys like Duggan and Savage, Luger, Beefcake around 95' imo they still had a lot to offer in the ring.

[@ShadowAngel606]

At the same time Bankrupt Bischoff fired Austin, HHH, Foley and others because they had no potential. Ask yourself if the likes of Duggan and Beefcake really were the better choice.

[@TheBaitShopGuy]

@@ShadowAngel606 Well this thread was about wcw signing former veteran wwf stars. Its not about younger wrestlers who LATER became stars in another wrestling organization.

[@travismiller4320]

It was basically a trade, without being a trade in normal sports sense. WCW needed name recognition and WWF wanted younger stars. It worked out for WCW in short term, but WWF in long term.

[@travismiller4320]

@@ShadowAngel606HHH wasn’t fired he just said he wasn’t resigning with WCW because he wanted to work more house shows and get more experience

[@enigmaticpsychocw]

Well Luger basically just dipped out on Vince and the WWF to resign with WCW. He was still young and Vince had no intention of losing him to WCW but he made the mistake of not keeping him under contract. He just had a word of mouth agreement with Lex. Which is what led to Vince making all of his stars sign paper contracts lol 😂

[@dadvastator967]

Great show!! Eric Ross adds a real creative feel to the show.

[@pulsarstargrave256]

Hmmm, why would former AWA workers have any bad feelings about Vinnie Mac, who raided their talent pool and tried to take over their markets?

[@maxxdahl6062]

Tried and did take over their market, by stealing it.

[@charleskerkow3917]

The best artwork I’ve seen on a conradcast

[@MLV3645]

Mr Perfect WAS A Great Gimmick

[@nathanwanner..44]

Kurt was and will always be one of the best technical wrestlers ever. Nuff said....

[@secef316]

I agree, Angle rules. But this video is about Curt Hennig.

[@bushman9315]

Curt Hennig vs Greg Gagne for the belt I think...it ended with Curt hitting Greg with a roll of quarters. I always remember that as one of the greatest matches I have ever seen as a kid.

[@curthennig9448]

Curt vs. Bockwinkel for the title in May 1987 at the Cow Palace. Supposedly a roll of dimes given to him by Larry Z to KO Nick.

[@darylmixan8170]

The bad thing about WCW is they had deep pockets and didn't care about accountability... I think they just wanted to drain Vince of talent... Stars or regular guys didn't have to work in WCW if they didn't want to. There were some guys on the payroll 2-3 years after they were sent home. Some low card guys made $150k a year for 3 extra years

[@TheHannibalTV]

Great stories

[@QuentinDude]

I-always-felt-like-Bret-Hart-shouldve-led-some-kind-of-new-Horsemen-group-when-he-came-into-WCW....Hart,Hennig,Flair,Bulldog-wouldve-been-a-interesting-combo-to-feud-with-the-nWo-at-that-time

[@moubear32]

*singing* A long long time ago, I used to watch a wrestling show. The body slams and would make me quiver with every blow that was delivered. Now we're singing bye bye pro wrestling guys, bought a ticket to the ring but the action was dry, them good ol boys we're making luchadors fly, thinkin they would be wrestling till they die, they would be wrestling till they die. 😔 My ode to a once great proffesion gone forever.

[@rizzalater72]

Bischoff came from the AWA just as Curt did.

[@curthennig9448]

Bischoff was mowing Verne's lawn on the side and selling hamburger out of a truck at night on Hennepin Avenue.

[@joeriveracomedy]

Bischoff would look better as Di Ser Piero in front of the canvas.

[@user-sl4yd3tz9p]

Curt should of held the T.V title

[@jeffreyb6165]

Bischoff knows exactly how much Curts policy was worth. He actually pretty much let it slip moments later in the conversation, but yeah.....typical Eric.

[@Gary_Youtube1]

Whats up with all the Minnesota boys no showing/ breaking contracts? From rude all the way to lesnar, they all pulled this lol

[@BrandonH58]

I previously lived near the west coast and met 3 dudes from Minnesota who I felt all 3 were cocky and rude. They didn't have anything to show for this attitude either. Recently, I moved to the Midwest, and everyone I met from Minnesota feels fake, and rude for some reason hahaha. I've asked my friends from the Midwest what it's about, but I'm the only one that seems to feel this.

[@Gary_Youtube1]

@@BrandonH58 it's in the water or something lol

[@BrandonH58]

@@Gary_KZbin1 For real! 🤣

[@Micfri300]

​@BrandonH58 maybe because their state is so geographically beautiful that they find others to be hilarious

[@Gary_Youtube1]

@@Micfri300 haha, didn't think of that lol.

[@GlorifiedTruth]

Right before my very eyes I thought that you were only fakin' it And like before my heart was takin' it Baby what a big surprise Right before my very eyes Oh, oh, oh, woah, oh Yesterday it seemed to me My life was nothing more than wasted time But here today you've softly changed my mind Baby, what a big surprise Right before my very eyes, oh, oh Oh, woah, oh, oh Just to be alone Was a little more than I could take Then you came to stay, oh Hold me in the morning Love me in the afternoon Help me find my way, hey yeah Now and then just like before I think about the love I've thrown away But now it doesn't matter anyway Baby what a big surprise Right before my very eyes Oh, oh, oh, woah, oh Baby what a big surprise Right before my very eyes Oh, oh, oh, woah, oh Baby what a big surprise Right before my very eyes Oh, oh, oh, woah, oh Baby what a big surprise Right before my very eyes Oh, oh, oh, woah, oh Baby what a big surprise

[@crownprincesebastianjohano7069]

To put it to rest about the Mandela Effect: Curt HENNIG was Curt's legal name and proper spelling. Hennig. People pronounced it "Henning" because Hennig isn't as easy or pleasing to say. But it is Hennig even if everyone mispronounced it, a lot like how Mike Rotunda is Rotunda, not Rotundo, though in his case he was billed as Rotundo at times. HENNIG.

[@AdolfsGirl]

nonsense even 83 weeks disagrees with you, they always spelled it curt henning cause that was his name.

[@AdolfsGirl]

even Conrad just called him Henning but the subtitles on, that was his name period.

[@johnnybeefum]

People are pretty f&ck*ng stupid. This shouldn't come as a surprise that they can't get it right but this one isn't even up for debate. It doesn't matter who or how many pronounce it wrong. It's always been "Hennig" period.

[@JasonBuckman]

​@@AdolfsGirl His real name was Curtis Michael Hennig.

[@AdolfsGirl]

@@JasonBuckman we dont care about the official version now, its Been Mandela effected, that's the whole pointe, do you still not get it.

[@jkpwd]

Curt and Lex was the only wrestlers who was members of nWo & The Horsemans (David flair doesn’t count) 😂

[@dougsimmons2344]

They shoulda put henning and piper with anderson and flair.

[@bridgetbonds5169]

Hi Eric my name is Bridget and I’m from Michigan and I am your biggest fan of you and Vince McMahon and I would really wanted to meet you for the first time and hope that you send me a video thank you

[@zachdelong1039]

I was in high school in the 1990’s in Michigan and it was illegal to figure four any part of your opponents body. Not sure when this rule was made but I remember a teammate being disqualified for doing it

[@FrancisJFox]

Curt jobbing to Goldberg in 30 seconds is one of the biggest tragedies in WCW..

[@Stahloz]

In regards to the Rick Rude Lloyd's of London contract. He took that deal! To ask Eric to pay the 350k in one payment isn’t fair. The higher ups would never agree to that. Then Eric getting asked to leave his funeral? Not fair man! He would have felt so shit.

[@jaymartinez311]

this guy went to school with everybody 😂

[@curthennig9448]

Amazing isn't it. I don't think his wife went to school with Curt either. Randy Hennig should have put the Gagne sleeper on Easy E. and that would have been the end of it. Or Larry could have came out of the bleachers and gave him the Axe.

[@MortonT1958]

The crew of wrestlers from Robbinsdale, MN is pretty extensive. Bischoff went to a rival high school.

[@user-qv3dj1pl4f]

For you that dont know vince Mcmahon bribed a network producer to take wcw off of television

[@gregorykrug8034]

That Bob-Ross-inspired image is great! Curt Hennig was great! I hated when they gave him the "Mr Perfect" gimmick. To have a legendary second-generation wrestler not use the family name is pretty shitty imo.

[@user-no6wd4rz4z]

Here's the deal with Lloyd's of London I'm a retired welder and had to pay them a monthly policy for insurance through them for certification in certain countries it was just a money scam they ran for decades cause if anyone was getting sued over my welding wasn't me was a corporation not the individual but we worker's basically covered our employer what a joke

[@Chaz4543]

Mr. Perfect was a character so of course WCW getting Curt Henning and not Mr. Perfect wasnt going to have the same effect and it didnt.

[@orangemaniabrother2232]

Always been Hennig, as long as I've known of him 91 and onwards

[@fredrubble4305]

@veganhigler6541Fruitcake

[@SlasherLink119]

​@veganhigler6541There was no Mandela Effect... It has always been spelled "Hennig", but most people pronounced it Henning, either because it's a weird spelling for the pronunciation, or they've just all pronounced it wrong the whole time, IDK which...It's not impossible that he stopped correcting people years ago on it...

[@SlasherLink119]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3fGYp2Yn5iomM0si=E_5lbtGGJ2JEnZtE Here's an interview where the interviewer calls him "Henning", but he calls himself "Hennig"...It's not a Mandela Effect, people just mispronounce his name...

[@awesomebeast7509]

@veganhigler6541That’s not what a Mandela effect is. It’s just a spelling error. Get some more protein in you and eat a steak. The lack of protein from your veggie diet is really getting to your brain

[@IamLegend32]

Henning made a huge mistake going to WCW. He was on the verge of making an in ring return in the then WWF, and he would have been one of it's biggest stars heading into the Attitude era.. Instead, he went to WCW. I remember watching his debut at Bash at the Beach live - when he came out there was literally no reaction from the crowd. For whatever reason, he just didn't resonate with the WCW fans. I believe the same thing would have happend to Shawn Michaels if he would have jump shipped to WCW.

[@cjmoss51]

In the words of Raven: What a mark

[@ShadowAngel-lt8nw]

Amazing how nobody seems to be able to spell his name right. Also lol about Bankrupt Bischoff claiming he got Hennig away from the WWE, when it was Larry Hennig who started the negotiations.

[@FabianZettl]

It has always been Hennig

[@SlasherLink119]

​@veganhigler6541False, cite your sources...It was always Hennig...

[@SlasherLink119]

​@veganhigler6541kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3fGYp2Yn5iomM0si=E_5lbtGGJ2JEnZtE Here's an interview where the interviewer calls him "Henning", but he calls himself "Hennig", it's a mispronunciation that he probably gave up correcting...

[@AdolfsGirl]

​@@SlasherLink119his wrestling buddies, wwf themselves on magazines, vhs tapes, wwf announcers, and articles online matches our memories

[@AdolfsGirl]

​@@SlasherLink119nonsense the interviewer calls him henning, the comments below kept calling him henning and curt called himself henning.

[@maroof1]

The mistake WCW made was making Curt heel. He should of been a baby face and held that title

[@theoneandonly7895]

Don’t know if it was injury or some type of legal issues but I can’t remember Curt hennig doing anything in wcw other that losing and being part of the nwo as a supporting wrestler or an extra. Point is he was misused in wcw and had a forgettable career in wcw.

[@frankcouste4785]

That could be why Rick did it. Very depressing. Greed will get you in the end. Never take the fast money think before you act, especially when involves money. God bless.

[@AFMountaineer2000]

Amd what did you do with one of the best technical wrestlers of the 80s and 90s? Not a goddamn thing

[@fjbxrplover]

How did Bischoff get into wrestling. I heard he was running a karate school and assume Sonny Onoo who had a good sport karate career might have got him into it. Anyone know?

[@curthennig9448]

He gave Verne and Greg free Ninja Suits so they hired him into the AWA marketing offices.

[@1_Fish.2_Fish.Red_Fish.]

Thought it was 84 weeks.

[@rizzalater72]

Curt may have been skilled but he was no Ricky Steamboat.

[@curthennig9448]

The other way around man!

[@rizzalater72]

@@curthennig9448 You wish!

[@rizzalater72]

@@curthennig9448 I remember when Curt Hennig was a no talent bum jobber. Steamboat was a star from his rookie year.

[@DavidxBoyd]

Abrupt mid sentence ending - quality work 🙄

[@mattswrestlingcollectibles2220]

What a war!!! I wish 2 companies could fued like this today! Doesn't have to be wwe or aew could be anyone. Tna, nwa, njpw, mlw, ect. The hype within that period was wild! Glad I got to live it out twords the end.

[@travismiller4320]

It was awesome. Reliving the War on Wrestling Bios brings back a lot of memories. Just getting to May of 1999…😢

[@mattswrestlingcollectibles2220]

@@travismiller4320 I follow them aswell. Great content!

[@Cubaricanator2.0]

We miss u Hennig

[@Oleoay]

Kinda a misleading video title, right? Seems like Eric didn't try to get Curt to quit.

[@garyk2629]

Yet you didn't put the world championship on him.

[@SunilPatel-yo9di]

Wired Afro

[@user-qv3dj1pl4f]

Kevin nash, scott hall, hulk hogan made wrestling relevant again but eric bischoff ran it into the ground

[@exodusoneprime]

Actually Ted Turner ran it to the ground when he sold it and the new people took over. They had bigger plans and new things to change but once they took over they wanted it gone and Eric said flat out that they wanted to devalue it and get rid of it because they wanted to make money elsewhere. Ted Turner gave up

[@billcopley4113]

Lol

[@keltrepes2534]

Bisch Ross....?

[@neomanrex]

And utterly failed to use him properly. Like most talents.

[@stormydavis8546]

He then completely WASTED Hennig in WCW just as bad as he did with Bret Hart, eric was clueless back then and has only gotten worse

[@MrTJohnston]

This guy sure does have a lot of fluff in his stories. Get to the point!!

[@curthennig9448]

His life is full of fluff. Con Man!

[@thenerveensemble7810]

My favourite Curt Hennig gimmick was the rap is crap gimmick.

[@Vsvstubbs]

WCW misused everyone

[@AdolfsGirl]

Curt Henning was his name the Mandela effect is real, even 83 weeks spelled it Henning they only changed it when people brought up the Mandela effect.

[@hyperchord]

There's an old photo of him with his father holding a shirt bearing his last name

[@shilledoutbyfers2445]

Or why not make Rude a mid carder despite his look & ability in the ring even with injury? We could have him in the NWO that way he could never challenge the golden goose. Be just like ole times in WWF!! And we could pay him a little extra to carry Hogans bags, make Hogan look even cooler!! Cause that’s what it’s all about, got to keep the golden goose happy & on top!! And considering the fact that Hogan could barely wrestle at all, we could have easily paid off his Loyds of London if let’s just say Undertaker, who might have took the golden goose spot, had really broken his neck?? Just allot of BS to ponder

[@cheesecakemousetrap]

None of that made any sense, hon. Why pay off an insurance settlement so Rude can carry Hogan’s bags? That’s why Beefcake was there. Crying about a golden goose is just childish, hon.

[@packfresh1]

Eric... ditch conman conrad. Hes USING YOU. Go do your own show.

[@salvagemonster3612]

Never got the appeal of Curt. His dad was much better. He just was blah

[@curthennig9448]

Recheck the video!

[@thirdgenerationtrucker8922]

Curt was a punk.

[@lonzodreyella]

eric bischoff screwed curt hennig if u think about it eric the real reason why wcw is history why he the blame...well he did fire steve austin and the rest was history . its bad enough wwe screwed curt hennig but wcw made him worst by putting him on that stupid rap is crap tour whitch would have been great today because rap music today is garbage.

[@qaf1115]

Bischoff is insufferable. Got 60sec in and had to stop. Awful storyteller. So self important.

[@bobbylincoln7869]

curt hennig wore a wig toupee

[@caspianshows]

Really?

[@Blackjacksarmory]

Rap is crap

[@jacksizzle8937]

Bischoff acts as if Curt Henning leaving the WWE was like pulling teeth lol, the WWE was failing, everyone was jumping ship, so calm down Bischoff, anyone would leave a company to get paid more money and work half the time

[@curthennig9448]

ATM Eric was the easy destination for all of them. Double the pay and half the working dates.