Well, actually, there were lots of guitarists that could kick Hendrix's ass in his time. VAI is talented, but lots of other guys had the ability to do what he did in his time, it's just the time and place that he was in that made hime the star he is.
What made Hendrix a star were how he treated his strat when he set it on fire in England, because he was unnoticed when he was in the states (this is history, not my opinion)... Does it have anything to do with music? He had musical abilities and great songs etc... But this story about the strat and his showmanship made him a legend.