Henning may have been more talented than Nash or Sid when it came to quickly and swiftly executing moves but since when did that mean someone should be champion? Mr. Perfect was not an active WWF wrestler when Diesel and Sid were champion so I don't see how their reigns are relevant. If you want Perfect to have been champion you're going to need to take away from the reign of Hogan, Warrior, or Hart.
I'm not saying that these big men aren't talented. These big men do have their appeal to audiences and their own positive attributes, no doubt. What I am sayin' is that Mr. Perfect was a great talent who should've been champion at some point[before the injury, which most people are twisting to make it seem as if I'm talking about Hennig while injured being champion. Taking it outta context].
Glad to see you have a good sense of humor including Warrior in that list. That's proving my main merit vs. big man basis for debate for me. Warrior was perhaps the worst talent[and I use that word very loosely here] to ever wear the WWF Title and he certainly could've been overlooked at the time he was made champion in favor of Hennig.
I can only assume you're criticizing a vague response because someone not being the right fit as champion is absolutley a good reason not to make them champion. In fact it's the most logical reason.
People see things how they want to. I'm not tryin' to change that, nor would I want that. My logic is that a consistently great performer like Hennig should've been WWF Champion at some point. The mere fact that he was never made champion is a travesty in my view. I'm sure you and others may not agree, which is fine. Though I disagree that it's a logical reason hardly. Guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
What about Savage? He wasn't a big man but he got two title reigns, one that lasted a full year. The theory that Vince wanted big men as champion is valid but also blown out of proportion. Savage proved that popularity and charisma is more important than size.
Once again, you twist contexts and gloss over certain points I made prior. I did mention that not all WWF Champions of the time were "big men" by standards of that time. Including Bret & Shawn covered that, which I was including all others not named as well that happen to fall into that category. Savage is a great example of that. He wasn't necessarily a tall man, but was a decently weighted guy[big enough to qualify as 'heavyweight']. Just to reiterate, I never claimed that Vince "only wanted big men" as his WWF Champion. I said that Vince was a bigger fan of the bigger talents. I will grant you though, that Macho Man was a champion for the smaller talents during a time when big men dominated. Which goes back to my earlier point about different talents having different positive attributes. Savage's was obviously popularity and charisma. He was also quite adaptable and great inside the ring and being able to work with just about anyone.
That's great but I don't see how it's relevant to determining the champion.
First off, it's a preference topic. You either legitimately wanted to see a great talent like Mr. Perfect as WWF Champion or you didn't. However, I was merely pointing out that my logic was that he was massively over and an easy talent to work with. This was largely when wrestling was becoming more about political association and backstage politics more than actual merit or skill. To that end, Hennig was an excellent in ring performer who was also the rare combo of a great character, different look, and awesome mic skills. I will admit to being somewhat biased in this aspect of the topic. How anyone like a Perfect can come along and not be included as champion is beyond my comprehension as a wrestling fan. Maybe some things just weren't meant to be.
If he didn't get injured he may very well have become champion eventually. The timing wasn't right for him. It's not like he was snubbed throughout his career. Far from it. He was one of the better IC champions during the Hulkamania era. Don't underestimate that. Despite not winning the world title Perfect enjoyed his share of success.
IF is the main word in that sentence. If Hennig had not gotten injured, he may well have become WWF Champion. And yes, timing is everything in wrestling. Anyone who has ever became champion had the right combination of talent and timing. The Mr. Perfect character had been established long before his injury though. At some point after he lost the IC Title, he could've easily transitioned into the WWF title picture. Which is usually the natural progression for the upcoming WWF talents from that era. Bret & Shawn are key examples of that. Even Savage. I'm not saying Perfect didn't enjoy success because he did. I'm just saying that I believe he was capable of much more as the WWF Champion and it's a real shame McMahon didn't give him that shot. Again, maybe it just wasn't to be. The fan in me always wonders what if though; which is essentially why this forum and these topics are made. Everyone here is in the forum to either share their views of the times back then or to ask "what if?". I'm not whining about the fact that Hennig wasn't champion, just merely inserting that it's a shame he never got the opportunity to do so. Which alot of people are missing the meaning outright or are twisting to fit their trivial and petty attempts at starting the cliche old "big man/little man" arguement. Which was never my intention to bring up. I do think it is essential to include that viewpoint though because it was a big factor in whom the title was put on during that era in pro wrestling[NWA/WCW and WWF, not just one company]. I won't apologize for being a "Mr. Perfect"/Curt Hennig fan and wondering what might've been and what I believe should have been. Although I do understand the majority will view my debate on this how they want and most likely not agree.
He wasn't over nearly as much as Hogan and Warrior. If Perfect were wrestling instead of announcing in 1996 he might have gotten a brief reign trading the title back and forth with Michaels. He just wasn't going to get it over Hogan or Warrior.
If you look at certain points in Hennig's career, he was just as popular as those guys. Maybe not more "over" than Warrior or Hogan in specific. Not denying the presence of those two. Just like there's no comparing their lack of in-ring skills when presented next to Hennig. I've never based anything I believe on size. If a big man can go out there and perform, I'm just as happy to take notice of their matches as well. I'm more of a fan that appreciates ring talent over big talkers or physical specimens like Hogan/Warrior, which is why I believe Hennig should've become WWF Champion. I will agree that during the time Hennig could've won the title it was probably next to impossible for him to pull it off. That's more of the "what might've been" part of me talking.
No offense, I have nothing against you, but it seems like you're the one presenting opinion as fact. I don't think anyone has a bias against Henning but I think you probably have a bias toward him. If he's one of your favorites that's great. I liked him too. He was awesome, no doubt. I just think your feelings as a fan appear to be clouding your judgment. Perfect had a great WWF career as a two time IC champion. That's more than a lot of guys from his era got.
No offense taken. I never present anything I say as 100% fact. I simply base what I reply with from my prospective as a fan. Every poster here has their own personal favorites and those they dislike as well. When you look at Hennig's overall appeal and ability from a professional standpoint, I cannot think of one single reason NOT to have made him WWF Champion. That's the beauty of fan forums; if you can think of even ONE good reason, quote me on it and state it. I, for one, welcome the opinion of others and do not believe my viewpoint to be the only relevant one. If you read everything I've said up until this point, you'll notice I never say this is fact or this isn't. Everything is from my own personal views as a fan of "Mr. Perfect". I will agree though that Hennig isn't the only singles wrestler from his generation to miss the opportunity and at least he got 2 IC titles to prove he was indeed a worthy champion.
I think Mr. Perfect could have been a good world champion. That doesn't mean he should have been world champion given all the factors. I hope you understand the difference.
His injury did play a major role in Perfect not becoming WWF Champion. And I'm sure there were other things all spinning at that time to prevent it as well[probably things we fans will never know about]. And I do understand that just because someone should become champion doesn't mean they will. However, I simply believe that when people look at wrestling 20 years from now they'll notice how inconsistent the business was to certain talents. People will wonder, "hey, why was The Ultimate Warrior WWF Champion and Mr. Perfect wasn't?". Yes, popularity had alot to do with Warrior's rise. When you see a greatly talented individual like Hennig not winning a world title in stark contrast to an untalented and undeserving Warrior winning one, you have to wonder why[or at least I do]. Maybe it's just one of those things in wrestling that is what it is; no rhyme or reason just not meant to be. But, that's the reason I post here in the old school forum; to wonder what could've been if things went down differently. And that's the difference between a blind mark and an opinion of a smart fan who simply thinks things could've been better.
I'm guessing with that whole thing, you don't judge merely based on merit or actual ability[SHOCKING! 
]. Honestly, I don't think you give Perfect credit for being as skilled as he was. I don't believe fans would have minded at all if Mr. Perfect had been WWF Champion instead of Warrior. People were already beginning to become bored with big men who couldn't measure up to the smaller guys whom they could work circles around. Fans were already transitioning into becoming "smart fans" who appreciated actual ability over physical size alone. FYI, comparing Owen/Shawn to Perfect/Warrior is wrong on so many levels. Not the least of which was the amount of dues Perfect paid over decades and years of dedication to his craft. Although the same principal would still apply with Owen winning the title instead of Austin. I will grant you that the moment would've been alot different and maybe not as impactful. But who says different has to mean worse? For each scenario you pitch, each one could've had its own domino effects for the positive for the overall course of the pro wrestling business as a whole. Especially if guys that never won the WWF Title like Owen or Curt Hennig won and had become the forerunners of the technical generation of skilled workers that would've eventually caught on anyway. Imagine what potentially great matches could've replace those lame and boring Hogan & Warrior matches with unworthy challengers if Perfect had been challenging big names like a Hogan or Warrior. No doubt that an already impressive legacy of "Mr. Perfect" would've been that much better if that had happened. That's just the way I see it, though.