Number 2: AWA Championship Against Curt Hennig
When I went back and began to watch matches from Lawler, this one stood out to me. I agree in an article with The Score’s Arda Ocal, who also praised this match. Hennig was young, brash, and challenging the top guy. Lawler, who was always the professional, basically took this feud and made it so much better than people expected. The match was excellent, the Memphis crowd showed sympathy for their hometown boy, and the match really deserves to be in the conversation for Lawler’s best match ever. Before bolting to the WWE, Hennig brought every piece of wrestling to the table here. He easily could have packed it in and head to WWE, but these two wanted to tell a story simply in the ring. When Lawler would defeat Hennig, it was something special. It was not controversial like his AWA Championship in 1982, or even his first belt, but Lawler and Hennig created magic when they easily could have packed it in.
