Curt Hennig

Curt Hennig

  • Birthday: 1958-03-28
  • Deathday: 2003-02-10
  • Place of birth: Robbinsdale, Minnesota, USA
  • Also know as: Mr. Perfect

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.

Filmography

WWE SuperTape vol. 3

1991

As Mr. Perfect

AWA Christmas Show 1987

1987

As Curt Hennig

The Best of the WWF: volume 19

1989

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Fall Brawl 1997

1997

As Himself

WCW World War 3 1997

1997

As Himself

AWA SuperClash II

1987

As Curt Hennig

WWE Hall of Fame 2007

2007

As Mr. Perfect

Battle of the WWE Superstars

1990

As Mr. Perfect

WWF: WrestleFest '93

1993

As Mr. Perfect

Fan Favorites

1989

As Mr Perfect

WWE Royal Rumble 1990

1990

As Mr. Perfect

AWA Battle by the Bay

1986

As Curt Hennig

WWE King of the Ring 1996

1996

As Mr. Perfect (Referee)

WWF SuperTape vol. 2

1990

As Mr. Perfect

WWE Survivor Series 1992

1992

As Mr. Perfect

WWE The Main Event IV

1990

As Mr. Perfect

WWE WrestleMania VII

1991

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Souled Out 1999

1999

As Curt Hennig

WWE: The Best of the Intercontinental Championship

2005

As Mr. Perfect (archive footage)

WWE March to WrestleMania VIII

1992

As Mr. Perfect

WWE WrestleMania IX

1993

As Mr. Perfect

WWE SummerSlam 1991

1991

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Starrcade 1997

1997

As Himself

WCW Uncensored 1998

1998

As Himself

WWE Royal Rumble 1989

1989

As Mr. Perfect

WWE SummerSlam 1992

1992

As Mr. Perfect

WWE WrestleMania X

1994

As Mr. Perfect (Referee)

WWE WrestleFest '90

1990

As Mr. Perfect

WWE SummerSlam 1990

1990

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Uncensored 1999

1999

As Curt Hennig

WWE SummerSlam Fever

1990

As Mr. Perfect

WWE King of the Ring 1993

1993

As Mr. Perfect

WWE SummerSlam 1993

1993

As Mr. Perfect

WWE U.K. Rampage 1993

1993

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Halloween Havoc 1997

1997

As Curt Hennig

AWA: Brawl in St. Paul

1986

As Himself

WWE World Tour 1991

1991

As Mr. Perfect

WWE WrestleMania VI

1990

As Mr. Perfect

AWA StarCage

1985

As Curt Hennig

WWE Global Warfare

1993

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Road Wild 1997

1997

As Curt Hennig

Owen Hart of Gold

2015

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Road Wild 1998

1998

As Himself

WCW Fall Brawl 1998

1998

As Himself

WWE Royal Rumble 1991

1991

As Mr. Perfect

WWE Survivor Series 1990

1990

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Mayhem 1999

1999

As Himself

AWA: WrestleRock '86

1986

As Curt Hennig

WWE Survivor Series 1988

1988

As Mr. Perfect

WCW SuperBrawl IX

1999

As Curt Hennig

WCW Road Wild 1999

1999

As Curt Hennig

WWE Survivor Series 1989

1989

As Mr. Perfect

WWF Smack 'Em, Whack 'Em

1993

As Mr. Perfect (Manager)

WWE SummerSlam 1989

1989

As Mr. Perfect

WWE In Your House 11: Buried Alive

1996

As Mr. Perfect (Manager)

The Best of the WWF: volume 20

1989

As Mr. Perfect

WWE WrestleMania V

1989

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Starrcade 1999

1999

As Curt Hennig

WCW Slamboree 2000

2000

As Curt Hennig

WWE March to WrestleMania IX

1993

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Spring Stampede 1998

1998

As Himself

Legends Never Die

2006

As Mr. Perfect (archive footage)

WWE Grudges, Gripes & Grunts

1993

As Mr. Perfect

WWE SuperTape vol. 4

1991

As Mr. Perfect

Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows

1998

As Self (archive footage)

WWE Invasion '92

1992

As Mr. Perfect (Manager)

WWF SuperTape

1990

As Mr. Perfect

WWE U.K. Fan Favourites

1993

As Mr. Perfect (Manager)

WWE WrestleFest

1988

As Mr. Perfect

Bad Guys

1986

As Wrestler

WWE Royal Rumble 1993

1993

As Mr. Perfect

WCW Starrcade 1998

1998

As Curt Hennig (Appearance)

WWE Rampage '91

1991

As Mr. Perfect

Ready to Rumble

2000

As Himself

WCW Fall Brawl 1999

1999

As Curt Hennig

3rd Annual Battle of the WWE Superstars

1992

As Mr. Perfect (Manager)

WCW Bash at The Beach 1999

1999

As Curt Hennig

WWE Wrestling Grudge Matches

1993

As Mr. Perfect (Manager)

AWA: SuperClash '85

1985

As Curt Henning

WWE WrestleMania VIII

1992

As Mr. Perfect (Executive Consultant)

WWE Royal Rumble 2002

2002

As Mr. Perfect

WWE Survivor Series 1991

1991

As Mr. Perfect (Executive Consultant)

WWE: The U.S. Championship: A Legacy of Greatness

2016

As Curt Hennig (archive footage)

AWA Christmas Show 1984

1984

As Curt Hennig

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