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.
Acted in
Biography: Bret "Hitman" Hart
2021
as Himself (archive footage)
Biography: WWE Legends
2021
as Curt Hennig (archive footage)
Dark Side of the Ring
2019
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Randy Savage Unreleased: The Unseen Matches of The Macho Man
2018
Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living
2017
as Self
Brock Lesnar: Eat, Sleep. Conquer. Repeat
2016
as Mr. Perfect
Living On A Razor's Edge: The Scott Hall Story
2016
WWE: The U.S. Championship: A Legacy of Greatness
2016
as Curt Hennig (archive footage)
Owen: Hart of Gold
2015
as Mr. Perfect
It's Good To Be The King: The Jerry Lawler Story
2015
as Himself
WWE: 150 Best Pay-Per-View Matches, Vol 1
2014
as Mr. Perfect
WWE: Best of WWE at Madison Square Garden
2013
as Mr. Perfect
Bret Hart: The Dungeon Collection
2013
as Mr. Perfect
The True Story of WrestleMania
2011
WWE: Top 50 Superstars of All Time
2010
as Curt Hennig
WWE: Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '90s
2009
as Mr. Perfect
WWE: The Best of Saturday Night's Main Event
2009
as Mr. Perfect
WWE: Edge: A Decade of Decadence
2008
as Mr. Perfect
WWE: The History Of The Intercontinental Championship
2008
as Mr. Perfect
The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect
2008
The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect
2008
WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary
2007
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Hall of Fame 2007
2007
as Mr. Perfect
WWE: Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology
2006
as Mr. Perfect
Rodman Downunder
2006
Legends Never Die
2006
as Mr. Perfect (archive footage)
WWE: The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
2006
as Self
WWE: Bret 'Hitman' Hart - The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be
2005
as Mr. Perfect
The Lost Episodes of the XWF
2005
WWE: The Best of the Intercontinental Championship
2005
as Mr. Perfect (archive footage)
Superstars of Yesteryear
2003
WWE Wrestlemania X8
2002
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Royal Rumble 2002
2002
as Mr. Perfect
MECW Inaugural Show
2001
AJPW Giant Baba Memorial Spectacular
2001
WCW Slamboree 2000
2000
as Curt Hennig
Ready to Rumble
2000
as Himself
WCW Uncensored 2000
2000
as Curt Hennig (Lumberjack)
WCW Starrcade 1999
1999
as Curt Hennig
WCW Mayhem 1999
1999
as Curt Hennig
WCW Fall Brawl 1999
1999
as Curt Hennig
WCW Road Wild 1999
1999
as Curt Hennig
WCW Bash at the Beach 1999
1999
as Curt Hennig
WCW The Great American Bash 1999
1999
as Curt Hennig
WCW Uncensored 1999
1999
as Curt Hennig
WCW/nWo Superstar Series - nWo 4 Life
1999
WCW SuperBrawl IX
1999
as Curt Hennig
WCW Souled Out 1999
1999
as Curt Hennig
WCW Starrcade 1998
1998
as Curt Hennig (Appearance)
Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows
1998
as Self (archive footage)
WCW Fall Brawl 1998
1998
as Himself
WCW Road Wild 1998
1998
as Curt Hennig
WCW Bash at the Beach '98
1998
as Curt Hennig
WCW The Great American Bash 1998
1998
as Manager
WCW Spring Stampede 1998
1998
as Himself
WCW Uncensored 1998
1998
as Himself
WCW Thunder
1998
as Curt Hennig
WCW Starrcade 1997
1997
as Himself
WCW World War 3 1997
1997
as Himself
WCW Halloween Havoc 1997
1997
as Curt Hennig
WCW Fall Brawl 1997
1997
as Curt Hennig
WCW Clash of The Champions XXXV
1997
as Himself
WCW Road Wild 1997
1997
as Curt Hennig
WWF Summer Flashback!
1997
as Mr. Perfect
WCW Bash at The Beach 1997
1997
as Himself
WWE In Your House 11: Buried Alive
1996
as Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE King of the Ring 1996
1996
as Mr. Perfect (Referee)
WCW Monday Nitro
1995
WWE WrestleMania X
1994
as Mr. Perfect (Referee)
WWE Grudges, Gripes & Grunts
1993
as Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam 1993
1993
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Global Warfare
1993
as Mr. Perfect
WWE U.K. Fan Favourites
1993
as Mr. Perfect (Manager)
Bret "Hit Man" Hart: His Greatest Matches
1993
as Curt Hennig
WWE Invasion of the Bodyslammers
1993
as Mr. Perfect
WWE King of the Ring 1993
1993
as Mr. Perfect
WWF Smack 'Em, Whack 'Em
1993
as Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE U.K. Rampage 1993
1993
as Mr. Perfect
WWE WrestleMania IX
1993
as Mr. Perfect
WWE March to WrestleMania IX
1993
as Mr. Perfect
WWF: WrestleFest '93
1993
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Wrestling Grudge Matches
1993
as Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE Royal Rumble 1993
1993
as Mr. Perfect
Raw
1993
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series 1992
1992
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Wrestling's Hottest Matches
1992
as Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam 1992
1992
as Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam Spectacular 1992
1992
as Mr. Perfect (Executive Consultant)
3rd Annual Battle of the WWE Superstars
1992
as Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE WrestleMania VIII
1992
as Mr. Perfect (Executive Consultant)
WWE March to WrestleMania VIII
1992
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Invasion '92
1992
as Mr. Perfect (Manager)
WWE Survivor Series 1991
1991
as Mr. Perfect (Executive Consultant)
WWE Rampage '91
1991
as Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam 1991
1991
as Mr. Perfect
WWE World Tour 1991
1991
as Mr. Perfect
2nd Annual Battle of the WWE Superstars
1991
as Mr. Perfect
WWE SuperTape vol. 4
1991
as Mr. Perfect
WWE WrestleMania VII
1991
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Superstars & Stripes Forever: The March to WrestleMania VII
1991
as Mr. Perfect
WWE SuperTape vol. 3
1991
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Royal Rumble 1991
1991
as Mr. Perfect
WWE The Main Event IV
1990
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series 1990
1990
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series Showdown '90
1990
as Mr. Perfect (Appearance)
WWE SummerSlam 1990
1990
as Mr. Perfect
Battle of the WWE Superstars
1990
as Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam Fever
1990
as Mr. Perfect
WWF SuperTape vol. 2
1990
as Mr. Perfect
WWE WrestleFest '90
1990
as Mr. Perfect
WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit
1990
as Mr Perfect
WWE WrestleMania VI
1990
as Mr. Perfect
WWF SuperTape
1990
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Royal Rumble 1990
1990
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series 1989
1989
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series Showdown '89
1989
as Mr. Perfect
WWE SummerSlam 1989
1989
as Mr. Perfect
Fan Favorites
1989
as Mr Perfect
The Best of the WWF: volume 20
1989
as Mr. Perfect
The Best of the WWF: volume 19
1989
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: May '89
1989
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: April '89
1989
as Mr. Perfect
WWE WrestleMania V
1989
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Royal Rumble 1989
1989
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Survivor Series 1988
1988
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: October '88
1988
as Curt Hennig
WWE Maple Leaf Wrestling: September '88
1988
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Wrestling at The Meadowlands: September '88
1988
as Mr. Perfect
WWE Los Angeles Wrestling: August '88
1988
as Curt Hennig
WWE WrestleFest
1988
as Mr. Perfect
AWA Christmas Show 1987
1987
as Curt Hennig
AWA Christmas Night 1987
1987
as "Cool" Curt Hennig
AWA SuperClash II
1987
as Curt Hennig
AWA The Brawl in St. Paul
1986
as Curt Hennig
WWF Wrestling Challenge
1986
as Mr. Perfect
AWA Battle by the Bay
1986
as Curt Hennig
AWA: WrestleRock '86
1986
as Curt Hennig
Bad Guys
1986
as Wrestler
AWA Super Clash
1985
as Curt Henning
PNW 60th Anniversary Wrestling Extravaganza
1985
Saturday Night's Main Event
1985
AWA StarCage
1985
as Curt Hennig
WWE Pay Per View
1985
as Mr. Perfect
WWF Prime Time Wrestling
1985
AWA Christmas Show 1984
1984
as Curt Hennig
SWS WrestleFest
as Mr. Perfect