Curt Hennig
Biography
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who performed under his real name for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), WWE, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). In WWE, he found his greatest success as Mr. Perfect, a nickname introduced in his second run with the company which gradually became his official ring name. Hennig used the same ring name in his third and final run, however, his real name was widely acknowledged. He was the son of wrestler Larry "The Axe" Hennig, and father to current WWE superstar Joe "Curtis Axel" Hennig. Hennig is recognized by WWE as a one-time world champion, having held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship for 373 days (the seventh-longest reign in history). He won three additional world championships: the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship once, and the i-Generation World Heavyweight Championship twice. A two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, Hennig has been named by WWE as one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time, and was the longest-reigning champion of the 1990s. In addition to winning multiple championships in WCW during the late 1990s, he served as the enforcer of the Four Horsemen, a member of the New World Order, and leader of stable and country music group, West Texas Rednecks, who recorded the tongue-in-cheek song, "Rap is Crap", later described by WWE as a "stunningly popular and infectious earworm." Hennig returned to WWE for a brief period in 2002, being one of the last three men remaining at the Royal Rumble. He later challenged for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in TNA, prior to his death on February 10, 2003. WCW described Hennig as "one of the best all-round competitors this business has ever produced"; WWE, in a posthumous publication, hailed him as a "flawless technician" who "brought the Intercontinental Title a new level of credibility during his two reigns and set a higher standard for technical wrestling in WWE." He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007 by former Major League Baseball third baseman, and longtime friend, Wade Boggs. A number of Hennig's peers consider him to be one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time; former on-screen rival Hulk Hogan remarked: "Everybody would check their egos at the door when they came to a building that Curt Hennig was in, because you couldn't out-work him, you couldn't outshine him and you couldn't out-perform him. He was the best of the best." On February 10, 2003, Hennig was found dead in a Florida hotel room. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office declared acute cocaine intoxication to be the cause of his death. His father said that steroids and painkillers also contributed to his death.
WWE aired a video tribute as well as words from friends and former co-workers Jerry "The King" Lawler and Jim Ross on Raw following the news of Hennig's death. TNA paid tribute to Hennig by displaying his wrestling singlet and a framed photo as he was employed by TNA at the time of his death. A tribute song about Hennig, "My Perfect Friend", was featured on the 2003 "Macho Man" Randy Savage album Be a Man. Other peers including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels have also commended Hennig's in-ring talents.
Personal info
Gender
Male
Birthday
1958-03-28
Place of birth
Robbinsdale, Minnesota, USA
Images
Cast
WWE WrestleMania V
1989
7.30
WWE Global Warfare
1993
0.00
Battle of the WWE Superstars
1990
0.00
WWE Grudges, Gripes & Grunts
1993
0.00
WWE Wrestling Grudge Matches
1993
0.00
WWE WrestleFest '90
1990
0.00
WWE U.K. Fan Favourites
1993
0.00
WWE SuperTape vol. 3
1991
10.00
WWF Smack 'Em, Whack 'Em
1993
0.00
WWE SuperTape vol. 4
1991
0.00
WWF SuperTape
1990
0.00
WWF SuperTape vol. 2
1990
0.00
WWE Wrestling's Hottest Matches
1992
0.00
WWE Invasion '92
1992
0.00
WWE Invasion of the Bodyslammers
1993
0.00
WWE Rampage '91
1991
0.00
WWE World Tour 1991
1991
0.00
WWE WrestleMania VII
1991
7.50
WWE Royal Rumble 1991
1991
7.00
WWE Royal Rumble 1990
1990
5.86
WWE Royal Rumble 2002
2002
6.76
WWE SummerSlam 1989
1989
6.60
WWE WrestleMania VI
1990
8.40
WWE Survivor Series 1990
1990
8.20
WWE Survivor Series 1992
1992
8.40
WWE SummerSlam 1991
1991
7.80
WWE Survivor Series 1988
1988
8.50
WWE SummerSlam 1990
1990
6.30
WCW SuperBrawl IX
1999
0.00
WCW Souled Out 1999
1999
0.00
WCW Uncensored 1999
1999
0.00
WCW The Great American Bash 1999
1999
0.00
WCW Road Wild 1999
1999
6.00
WCW Bash at the Beach 1999
1999
10.00
WCW Mayhem 1999
1999
0.00
WCW Fall Brawl 1999
1999
1.00
WCW Starrcade 1999
1999
0.00
WWE U.K. Rampage 1993
1993
9.00
WCW Slamboree 2000
2000
10.00
Bad Guys
1986
7.00
AWA Christmas Show 1984
1984
0.00
AWA Christmas Show 1987
1987
0.00
WCW Bash at The Beach 1997
1997
9.00
WCW Road Wild 1997
1997
6.00
WCW Fall Brawl 1997
1997
0.00
WCW Halloween Havoc 1997
1997
0.00
WCW World War 3 1997
1997
7.00
WCW Starrcade 1997
1997
6.00
WCW Spring Stampede 1998
1998
10.00
WCW Uncensored 1998
1998
10.00
WCW Bash at the Beach '98
1998
9.00
WCW Road Wild 1998
1998
8.00
WCW Fall Brawl 1998
1998
0.00
WWF: WrestleFest '93
1993
0.00
AWA Super Clash
1985
7.90
Fan Favorites
1989
0.00
Bret Hart: The Dungeon Collection
2013
10.00
The Best of the WWF: volume 19
1989
0.00
The Best of the WWF: volume 20
1989
0.00
WWE Wrestlemania X8
2002
8.20
WWE Survivor Series Showdown '90
1990
4.00
Biography: Bret "Hitman" Hart
2021
9.00
Ready to Rumble
2000
5.24
WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit
1990
0.00
AWA SuperClash II
1987
10.00
Superstars of Yesteryear
2003
0.00
Rodman Downunder
2006
0.00
The Lost Episodes of the XWF
2005
5.00
WWE: Edge: A Decade of Decadence
2008
6.90
Owen: Hart of Gold
2015
7.20
WWE Hall of Fame 2007
2007
9.20
AWA StarCage
1985
8.50
The True Story of WrestleMania
2011
8.30
Legends Never Die
2006
0.00
AWA: WrestleRock '86
1986
10.00
WWE WrestleFest
1988
5.00
WWE Royal Rumble 1989
1989
5.00
WWE Survivor Series 1989
1989
7.90
WWE Survivor Series Showdown '89
1989
5.90
MECW Inaugural Show
2001
0.00
AWA Battle by the Bay
1986
0.00
WWE SummerSlam Fever
1990
0.00
AWA The Brawl in St. Paul
1986
0.00
WWE The Main Event IV
1990
0.00
WWE SummerSlam Spectacular 1992
1992
0.00
WWE SummerSlam 1992
1992
8.10
WWE Royal Rumble 1993
1993
6.67
WWE King of the Ring 1996
1996
9.00
WWE Survivor Series 1991
1991
7.80
WWE March to WrestleMania IX
1993
0.00
WWE March to WrestleMania VIII
1992
0.00
WWE WrestleMania VIII
1992
8.20
WWE WrestleMania IX
1993
6.30
WCW The Great American Bash 1998
1998
8.00
WCW Starrcade 1998
1998
0.00
WWE King of the Ring 1993
1993
8.40
WWE SummerSlam 1993
1993
6.20
WWE WrestleMania X
1994
8.00
WCW Clash of The Champions XXXV
1997
5.50
AWA Christmas Night 1987
1987
0.00
WWF Summer Flashback!
1997
10.00
WCW Uncensored 2000
2000
0.00
SWS WrestleFest
1991
0.00