Curt Hennig

Acting

Born Mar 28, 1958

From Robbinsdale, Minnesota, USA

Died Feb 10, 2003

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.

Curt Hennig

Known For

WWE Wrestlemania X8

WWE WrestleMania V

Ready to Rumble

Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows

WWE Survivor Series 1991

WWE WrestleMania VII

WWE WrestleMania VI

WWE WrestleMania X

WWE: Best of WWE at Madison Square Garden

WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time

Filmography — Acting

WWE Wrestlemania X8

WWE WrestleMania V

Ready to Rumble

Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows

WWE Survivor Series 1991

WWE WrestleMania VII

WWE WrestleMania VI

WWE WrestleMania X

WWE: Best of WWE at Madison Square Garden

WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time

WWE: The History Of The Intercontinental Championship

WWE: 150 Best Pay-Per-View Matches, Vol 1

WWE WrestleMania VIII

WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology

WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event

WWE: Edge: A Decade of Decadence

WWE Royal Rumble 1990

WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary

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

Bad Guys

WWE Royal Rumble 1989

WWE Royal Rumble 1991

WWE Rampage '91

WWE Survivor Series 1990

WWE Hall of Fame 2007

WWE King of the Ring 1996

Owen: Hart of Gold

It's Good To Be The King: The Jerry Lawler Story

WCW World War 3 1997

WWE King of the Ring 1993

WWE Royal Rumble 2002

WWE Superstars & Stripes Forever: The March to WrestleMania VII

WCW Starrcade 1997

WWE WrestleFest '90

WWE Royal Rumble 1993

WWE Survivor Series 1989

WWE Survivor Series 1988

Legends Never Die

WWE Survivor Series 1992

WWE WrestleMania IX

WWE SummerSlam 1989

Bret Hart: The Dungeon Collection

WCW Halloween Havoc 1997

WWE SuperTape: Volume 3

WWE SuperTape: Volume 1

WCW Fall Brawl 1997

WCW Road Wild 1998

WWE SummerSlam 1992

WWE WrestleFest

Brock Lesnar: Eat, Sleep. Conquer. Repeat

WWE World Tour 1991

WCW Road Wild 1997

WCW The Great American Bash 1999

WWE In Your House 11: Buried Alive

WWE SummerSlam 1993

WCW Uncensored 2000

WWE: Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '90s

WCW Bash at The Beach 1997

WCW Bash at the Beach 1998

WCW Starrcade 1998

WCW Souled Out 1999

WWE: Bret 'Hitman' Hart - The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be

AJPW Giant Baba Memorial Spectacular

WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: May '89

WCW The Great American Bash 1998

The Lost Episodes of the XWF

Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living