Curt Hennig
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.
Born: 28 March 1958 • Died: 10 February 2003
Played In
Biography: WWE Legends
Curt Hennig (archive footage)
Dark Side of the Ring
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Randy Savage Unreleased: The Unseen Matches of The Macho Man
Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living
Self
Brock Lesnar: Eat, Sleep. Conquer. Repeat
Mr. Perfect
Living On A Razor's Edge: The Scott Hall Story
WWE: The U.S. Championship: A Legacy of Greatness
Curt Hennig (archive footage)
Owen: Hart of Gold
Mr. Perfect
It's Good To Be The King: The Jerry Lawler Story
Himself
WWE: 150 Best Pay-Per-View Matches, Vol 1
Mr. Perfect
WWE: Best of WWE at Madison Square Garden
Mr. Perfect
Bret Hart: The Dungeon Collection
Mr. Perfect
The True Story of WrestleMania
WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time
Curt Hennig
Survival Of The Hitman
Mr. Perfect (archive footage)
WWE: Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '90s
Mr. Perfect
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
Mr. Perfect
WWE: Edge: A Decade of Decadence
Mr. Perfect
WWE: The History Of The Intercontinental Championship
Mr. Perfect
The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect
WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary
Mr. Perfect
WWE Hall of Fame 2007
Mr. Perfect
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
Mr. Perfect
Rodman Downunder
Legends Never Die
Mr. Perfect (archive footage)
WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
Self
WWE: Bret 'Hitman' Hart - The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be
Mr. Perfect
The Lost Episodes of the XWF
WWE: The Best of the Intercontinental Championship
Mr. Perfect (archive footage)
Superstars of Yesteryear
WWE Wrestlemania X8
Mr. Perfect
WWE Royal Rumble 2002
Mr. Perfect
MECW Inaugural Show
AJPW Giant Baba Memorial Spectacular
WCW Slamboree 2000
Curt Hennig
Ready to Rumble
Curt Hennig
WCW Uncensored 2000
Curt Hennig (Lumberjack)
WCW Starrcade 1999
Curt Hennig
WCW Mayhem 1999
Curt Hennig
WCW Fall Brawl 1999
Curt Hennig
WCW Road Wild 1999
Curt Hennig
WCW Bash at the Beach 1999
Curt Hennig
WCW The Great American Bash 1999
Curt Hennig
WCW Uncensored 1999
Curt Hennig
WCW/nWo Superstar Series - nWo 4 Life
Curt Hennig
WCW SuperBrawl IX
Curt Hennig
WCW Souled Out 1999
Curt Hennig
WCW Starrcade 1998
Curt Hennig (Appearance)
Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows
Self (archive footage)
WCW Fall Brawl 1998
Himself
WCW Road Wild 1998
Curt Hennig
WCW Bash at the Beach 1998
Curt Hennig
WCW The Great American Bash 1998
Manager
WCW Spring Stampede 1998
Himself
WCW Uncensored 1998
Himself
WCW Thunder
Curt Hennig
WCW Starrcade 1997
Himself
WCW World War 3 1997
Himself
WCW Halloween Havoc 1997
Curt Hennig
WCW Fall Brawl 1997
Curt Hennig
WCW Clash of The Champions XXXV
Himself
WCW Road Wild 1997
Curt Hennig
WWF Summer Flashback!
Mr. Perfect
WCW Bash at The Beach 1997
Himself
WWE Sunny
Mr. Perfect
WWE In Your House 11: Buried Alive
Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE King of the Ring 1996
Mr. Perfect (Referee)
WCW Monday Nitro
Shawn Michaels: Hits from the Heartbreak Kid
Mr. Perfect
Bret "Hit Man" Hart
Mr. Perfect
WWE WrestleMania X
Mr. Perfect (Referee)
WWE Grudges, Gripes & Grunts
Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam 1993
Mr. Perfect
WWE Global Warfare
Mr. Perfect
WWE UK Fan Favorites 1993
Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE UK Fan Favorites 1993
Mr. Perfect
WWE Invasion of the Bodyslammers
Mr. Perfect
WWE Bashed in the USA
Mr. Perfect (Host)
WWE King of the Ring 1993
Mr. Perfect
WWE Smack 'Em Whack 'Em
Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE U.K. Rampage 1993
Mr. Perfect
WWE UK Rampage '93
Mr. Perfect
WWE WrestleMania IX
Mr. Perfect
WWE March to WrestleMania IX
Mr. Perfect
WWE WrestleFest '93
Mr. Perfect
WWE Wrestling Grudge Matches
Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE Royal Rumble 1993
Mr. Perfect
Raw
Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series 1992
Mr. Perfect
WWE Wrestling's Hottest Matches
Mr. Perfect
The Ultimate Warrior
Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam 1992
Mr. Perfect (Ringside)
WWE SummerSlam Spectacular 1992
Mr. Perfect (Executive Consultant)
3rd Annual Battle of the WWE Superstars
Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE WrestleMania VIII
Mr. Perfect (Executive Consultant)
WWE March to WrestleMania VIII
Mr. Perfect
WWE Invasion '92
Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE Survivor Series 1991
Mr. Perfect (Executive Consultant)
WWE Survivor Series Showdown 1991
Mr. Perfect
WWE Rampage '91
Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam 1991
Mr. Perfect
WWE World Tour 1991
Mr. Perfect
Wrestling's Greatest Champions
Mr. Perfect
2nd Annual Battle of the WWE Superstars
Mr. Perfect
WWE SuperTape: Volume 4
Mr. Perfect
WWE Greatest Hits
Mr. Perfect
SWS WrestleFest
Mr. Perfect
WWE WrestleMania VII
Mr. Perfect
WWE Superstars & Stripes Forever: The March to WrestleMania VII
Mr. Perfect
WWE Funniest Moments
Mr. Perfect
WWE SuperTape: Volume 3
Mr. Perfect
WWE Royal Rumble 1991
Mr. Perfect
WWE The Main Event IV
Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series 1990
Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series Showdown '90
Mr. Perfect (Appearance)
WWE SummerSlam 1990
Mr. Perfect
Battle of the WWE Superstars
Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam Fever
Mr. Perfect
WWE SuperTape: Volume 2
Mr. Perfect
WWE WrestleFest '90
Mr. Perfect
WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit
Mr Perfect
WWE WrestleMania VI
Mr. Perfect
WWE SuperTape: Volume 1
Mr. Perfect
WWE Royal Rumble 1990
Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series 1989
Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series Showdown '89
Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam 1989
Mr. Perfect
Fan Favorites
Mr Perfect
The Best of the WWF: volume 20
Mr. Perfect
The Best of the WWF: volume 19
Mr. Perfect
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: May '89
Mr. Perfect
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: April '89
Mr. Perfect
WWE WrestleMania V
Mr. Perfect
WWE Royal Rumble 1989
Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series 1988
Mr. Perfect
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: October '88
Curt Hennig
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '88
Mr. Perfect
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: September '88
Mr. Perfect
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: August '88
Curt Hennig
WWE WrestleFest
Mr. Perfect
Clash of the Champions
Curt Hennig
AWA Superstars
Curt Hennig
AWA Christmas Show 1987
Curt Hennig
AWA Christmas Night 1987
"Cool" Curt Hennig
AWA SuperClash II
Curt Hennig
AWA All-Star Wrestling
Curt Hennig
AWA The Brawl in St. Paul
Curt Hennig
WWF Wrestling Challenge
Mr. Perfect
WWF Superstars
Mr. Perfect
AWA Battle by the Bay
Curt Hennig
AWA WrestleRock 1986
Curt Hennig
Bad Guys
Wrestler
AWA Championship Wrestling
Curt Hennig
AWA Super Clash
Curt Henning
PNW 60th Anniversary Wrestling Extravaganza
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
Mr. Perfect
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
AWA StarCage
Curt Hennig
WWE Pay Per View
WWF Prime Time Wrestling
AWA Christmas Show 1984
Curt Hennig
AWA Arena Shows
Curt Hennig
WWF All-Star Wrestling
Curt Hennig
WWE Old School
Curt Hennig
WWE Old School
Mr. Perfect