Hennig vs. Hart for the I-C Title
Jim Baines
between Bret "Hitman" Hart and "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig at SummerSlam. This
is one match that's NOT easily predictible. It's a rare occassion when I would
NOT be pulling for Bret Hart. This is one of them.
In a non-title match, Hart would have my unconditional support. But I think
Hennig deserves to hold onto the I-C belt a little longer. By the time Summer-
Slam arrives, he will have the belt 13 months and 11 days over his two I-C
reigns. This is the same amount of time Pedro Morales held the I-C belt, and
only three others have held it longer: Randy Savage (13 & 21), The Honky Tonk
Man (13 & 26), and the Ultimate Warrior (14 months). Hennig is clearly a
better wrestler than the Honky Tonk Man and UW, while Savage is arguable.
I simply think Hennig should hold the distinction of being the longest reigning
Intercontinental Champion; he deserves it. Beside, he has a little less than
two years on his contract with the WWF; I would think they would have him keep
the belt a little longer.
Hart is an excellent wrestler, no doubt about it. But he just came off a
second title reign (WWF World Tag Team) less than 5 months ago. The HitMan
is popular enough in that he doesn't NEED the title. Perhaps someday, but not
right now.
The final reason why Hennig should remain champ is RIVALRIES. There are far
more face I-C contenders than heel I-C contenders. Hennig could defend the
belt against Davey Boy Smith, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Kerry Von Erich,
Roddy Piper, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, even Sid Justice! Who would Hart face?
There aren't many heels: Hennig (if he loses), Irwin R. Shyster, Jacques
Rougeau (whatever The Mountie becomes after SS), and MAYBE Ric Flair. In
fact, giving Hart the title to set it up for Flair could be possible, but
can you see these other guys as I-C champs? I purposely left out the "parts
unknown" heels (Warlord, Barbarian, Berserker), because those aren't I-C champs
either. In fact, we may be seeing (I hope!) Brutus Beefcake beating Hennig
at WrestleMania VIII.
Until then, I hope Hennig keeps the belt. Sean Mooney said on the last Prime
Time that Hart and Hennig are the two best WRESTLERS (emphasis by Mooney) in
the WWF. I'm a bit surprised they actually said that, but I sure don't argue
with it. Should be a great match! Your thoughts?
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
|\ Jim Baines, a.k.a. "Sportscaster" IO6...@MAINE.MAINE.EDU
|/ Grad Student, U of Maine. GO BLACK BEARS!
\ |\ "Hey Monsoon, there are THREE natural disasters: Typhoon,
\|/ Earthquake, (points at Jameson) Germ Warfare!!" --Bobby Heenan
Ephraim Rotter
Hart (if he does win) to face...as far as I know, the new commers will
be:
Steve "Dr. Death" Williams
"Big Bully" Nick Busick (wrestling as the Repo Man)
The Dynamite Kid (setting up a reunion of the bUlldogs at the next
Wrestlemania?)
"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair
I think there were one or to others...
--Eph
Gary Will
>Hennig deserves to hold onto the I-C belt a little longer. By the time Summer-
>Slam arrives, he will have the belt 13 months and 11 days over his two I-C
>reigns. This is the same amount of time Pedro Morales held the I-C belt, and
>only three others have held it longer: Randy Savage (13 & 21), The Honky Tonk
>Man (13 & 26), and the Ultimate Warrior (14 months). Hennig is clearly a
>better wrestler than the Honky Tonk Man and UW, while Savage is arguable.
>Intercontinental Champion
He'd have to hold it a bit longer to get the "longest reigning"
distinction. In order, the longest-reigning IC champions have been
(combined, for those with 2 reigns):
1. Pedro Morales 599 days =19.7 months
2. Don Muraco 530 days =17.5 months
3. Tito Snatana 474 days =15.6 months
4. Honky Tonk Man 454 days =15.0 months (one reign)
5. Ultimate Warrior 432 days =14.2 months
6. Randy Savage 414 days =13.6 months (one reign)
As of SummerSlam, Curt Hennig will have held the belt for 406 days.
If he can keep the title until March 6, 1992 he will become the new
longest-reigning IC champion. But he'd have to get by so many PPVs to
do this, that it seems pretty unlikely.
--Gary Will
Robert E. Hodge
>In a non-title match, Hart would have my unconditional support. But I think
>Hennig deserves to hold onto the I-C belt a little longer. By the time Summer-
>Slam arrives, he will have the belt 13 months and 11 days over his two I-C
>reigns. This is the same amount of time Pedro Morales held the I-C belt, and
>only three others have held it longer: Randy Savage (13 & 21), The Honky Tonk
>Man (13 & 26), and the Ultimate Warrior (14 months).
I think, in the face of this historical evidence alone, you should expect a
title change. Vince is a man of habit...
--
++++ Bob Hodge ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ "The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing." +
+ - Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180 a.d.) +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kenneth S. Stith
> Jim Baines wrote:
>>In a non-title match, Hart would have my unconditional support. But I think
>>Hennig deserves to hold onto the I-C belt a little longer. By the time Summer-
>>Slam arrives, he will have the belt 13 months and 11 days over his two I-C
>>reigns. This is the same amount of time Pedro Morales held the I-C belt, and
>>only three others have held it longer: Randy Savage (13 & 21), The Honky Tonk
>>Man (13 & 26), and the Ultimate Warrior (14 months).
>
> I think, in the face of this historical evidence alone, you should expect a
> title change. Vince is a man of habit..
Actually I don't think the I-C title is going to change hands for two
reasons. First, it is a real good bet that Legion of Doom is going to
win the tag-team belts from the Nasty Boys. If that happens and Hart
wins the I-C then all the belts will be held by faces. That is not
usually a good thing to have for a sustained period of time. My second
reason is that I believe there is going to be on title change already
(tag). Titles don't seem to change hands that fast in the WWF even
though I will agree that I-C is probably the fastest, I think Perfect
will hold onto it for a little while longer. (I do think he will lose
is this year though.) BTW is everybody like me hoping for a 1-hour time
limit draw? (ok ok...everybody stop laughing...it could happen)
--
Ken Stith
kst...@eve.wright.edu
The Master
Look for Hennig to drop the strap to Hart in a quick
match. Hennig is suffering from a legit back injury,
and is going to have to take some time off to heal.
It is unknown whether Hennig will get the strap back
when he recovers.
nuff said
POSTED FROM THE GREAT STATE OF NEVADA
================================================================================
+Where men are MEN.... reply to: lsm...@unssun.nevada.edu
+And sheep are nervous.
Chris Vergonis
>
> Look for Hennig to drop the strap to Hart in a quick
>match. Hennig is suffering from a legit back injury,
>and is going to have to take some time off to heal.
>It is unknown whether Hennig will get the strap back
>when he recovers.
>
really upsetting because Hennig-Hart could've been the best WWF match in
years, but now it looks as if we'll be lucky if it goes five minutes.
It was one of the only matches at Summer Scam that I was looking forward
to -- I bought my $50 ringside seats before the card was announced, and
Hennig-Hart was a lonely bright spot on an otherwise dismal card.
David West, UNO ACE Asst. Director, Information Systems
Legion of Doom is guaranteed to get the tag team titles. Last weekend, the
WWF did a little foreshadowing goof like ones that have been discussed here.
When was it? During the little interview segments of LOD and Nasty Boys.
Nasty Boys' interview was second and they focused on beating LOD. LOD's on
the other hand was about how they have reached the pinnacle of the profession
by defeating cleanly the teams of Rockers, Power & Glory, and the NASTY BOYS!
Hmmm...a little goof there I believe...
Mr.Perfect won't lose the tit Vince rarely has both the IC and tag titles
change hands in the same PPV, and if he does, it usually offsets (heel/face).
Remember, the next PPV is NOT Wrestlemania! It's Survivor Series. Before we
all discuss what will happen at the next Wrestlemania, let's talk about the
possible teams for Survivor Series.
Looking at Survivor Series, and who is coming into the league, I see Flair as
starting out under Coach. Why? The Perfect Team - Mr.Perfect, Flair, and
the Beverly Brothers...
Of course, Nasty Boys and the Natural Disasters on one team.
What other teams can everyone else see??
--Emperor Lightfinger