Curt Hennig lived in the spotlight of the squared circle for almost three decades, performing for sold out crowds at arenas like Madison Square Garden and Boston Garden. He wrestled the greats like Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart and Ric Flair, and the not-so-greats like Dennis Rodman. In an era loaded with sub-par wrestling, he was a standout both in and out of the ring. He made time for the fans – whether it was chatting with them before a show or even just signing autographs for them when he was in a rush. He was one of wrestling’s good guys, regardless of the character he portrayed. He was Mr. Perfect.

On Monday, Feb.10, in a hotel room in Brandon, Fla., Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig’s career – and his life – came to an end. Hennig flew into the Tampa area on Sunday evening, did some publicity interviews for the Florida State fair where he was scheduled to wrestle that Monday and headed back to his hotel. Mickey Jay, a referee with Jimmy Hart’s All-Star Wrestling show who had traveled to Florida with him, checked in with Hennig Monday morning, and they made plans to meet for lunch around 1 p.m. Curt never showed up. A hotel housekeeper found his body shortly after.

Hennig’s career in professional wrestling was a fluke, something he fell into when an injury while playing football at the University of Minnesota led him to Verne Gagne’s wrestling camp in Minnesota for rehabilitation.

“It was grueling – 500 squats a day, miles of running, different kinds of exercises,” Hennig said in an interview in the May 2002 edition of RAW magazine. “I knew from the moment I got through with that camp that this was going to be my life. I just knew it.” Curt was the son of Larry “The Axe” Hennig, a legendary wrestler in the 1960s, and the sport was in his blood. “I wasn’t expecting to be a pro wrestler,” Hennig continued. “I just wanted to get back in shape.”

After a brief stint in the then-World Wrestling Federation, Hennig worked the Pacific Northwest territory before making his way back to Minnesota, the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and his roots. He achieved major success in the regional promotions, and it didn’t take long for the WWF to stand up and take notice a second time. When they knocked this time, Hennig was more than happy to answer the door.

“If that door opens up and you pass it up, you’re a fool,” Hennig, in 2002, said about the offer to re-join the roster. “And I wasn’t about to be a fool.”

Curt signed a contract with the WWF, and created “Mr. Perfect” with the help of the Federation head, Vince McMahon. He stayed with the WWF for a number of years, until a back injury – then a re-injury a few years later – forced him to step away from the sport. Wrestling lore states that in 1996, he was planning a return to the ring when word leaked out to Lloyd’s of London, the company that insured his back in case of injury, that he was planning a return to the ring – against doctor’s orders. The company cancelled his policy. Feeling he had been betrayed by the WWF, Hennig chose to sign with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the WWF’s direct competitor. He eventually re-signed with the WWF for one last run in 2002.

As word of his death spread through the wrestling community Monday night, it was not his in-ring success that came to mind when everyone thought of Curt Hennig. His fellow wrestlers talked about his infectious sense of humor, his passion for fishing and hunting, his love for his four children.

“A bridge between the past and the future of our business has been lost,” said Sean Waltman, a former WWE superstar said in a guest editorial on pwtorch.com. “Wrestling has lost probably the last guy from the old ‘guard’ that wanted to still teach the new guys the right way.”

Curt Hennig was not as perfect as his character name proclaimed, and it is not my intent to use this column to canonize him. He made mistakes, both in and out of the ring, but he was only human. All we know for sure, right now, is that the Hillsborough Country Sheriff’s declared his death was not a suicide, and there were no signs of foul play.

On Feb. 10, none of the speculation surrounding Curt’s death mattered as promoter Jimmy Hart stood in the middle of the ring and broke the news to the crowd that had gathered for that night’s show. The 20 other wrestlers scheduled to perform that night stood ringside, their heads bowed, as Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig was remembered with a moment of silence. Some cried; some just stood in stunned shock.

Then the bell was rung 10 times in tribute.

And the show went on.

Some information for this column was gathered from the St. Petersburg Times.

Emilie Duggan-Hicks is a Collegian Columnist.