"Vince McMahon had enough of him" - Jim Ross explains why WWE fired 2-time Intercontinental Champion
Jim Ross has revealed that Vince McMahon “had enough” of Curt Hennig (a.k.a. Mr. Perfect) following his plane fight with Brock Lesnar.
Several WWE Superstars were reprimanded after a drunken flight, known as “The Plane Ride from Hell,” from England to the United States in May 2002. Jim Ross, WWE’s former Head of Talent Relations, was responsible for firing anyone who stepped out of line.
Speaking on VICE’s Dark Side of the Ring, Ross said he fired Hennig because McMahon grew tired of his backstage antics.
“It wasn’t a tough decision on my part to cut some guys from the roster, because it’s what Vince McMahon told me to do. And the guy that writes the checks has the last say. I was troubled by Curt’s firing. I just thought he had a bad night with the boys. He had a reputation of becoming a practical joker, and Vince had enough of him,” Ross said.
“Things started to break…The middle of the seat came completely off.”
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Former WWE referee Mike Chioda also appeared in the episode. He said Hennig would likely have been rehired by WWE had he not passed away in 2003 at 44.
Jim Ross on the seriousness of Curt Hennig’s fight with Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar on the advice he learned from Curt Hennig from his 2011 book, Death Clutch:
"Curt taught me something that sticks with me to this day, in the wrestling business, you have to "get in to get out." I can still hear him say the line." https://t.co/aDc0cnVppg
Curt Hennig attempted to joke around with Brock Lesnar during the flight by squirting shaving cream on his head. Lesnar, a close friend, chased after the two-time Intercontinental Champion and began fighting him on the plane.
Jim Ross clarified that the two men were play-fighting, but the joke went too far as they approached the emergency exit.
“One of our illustrious agents said, ‘You need to come back here.’ So I go back there and they’re play-fighting. It’s just they were play-fighting in the emergency exit room. I’m not a mechanical engineer, I don’t know what it takes to pop that security door, but I didn’t wanna find out at 30,000 feet above in the air,” Jim Ross added.
In the same episode, former WWE Superstar Tommy Dreamer said that Lesnar slammed Hennig into the emergency door, causing a “big boom” sound. At that point, other members of the roster stepped in and broke up the fight.
Please credit Dark Side of the Ring and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.