Curt Hennig
Encyclopedia
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003), also known by the ring name
Mr. Perfect, was an American
professional wrestler
, manager
and color commentator
who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA), the American Wrestling Association
(AWA), World Championship Wrestling
(WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation
(WWF). He was the son of wrestler Larry "The Axe" Hennig
, and father to current WWE superstar Michael McGillicutty.
Among other accolades, he is a four-time world champion, having held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship
for over a year, the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship
once, and the i-Generation World Heavyweight Championship twice. He is also a two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion
. Considered one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time, Hennig was the longest-reigning champion of the 1990s and has been credited with helping bring the importance of the Intercontinental Championship close to that of the WWF Championship
during the decade. Although recurring back problems prevented Hennig from being considered for a WWF Championship reign, he challenged for the title and enjoyed success in managerial and color commentary roles when inactive from in-ring competition. In addition to championship success in WCW in the late 1990s, he was also a member of the New World Order
and later, wrestling stable and country music
group
, West Texas Rednecks
, who recorded their infamous, tongue-in-cheek
song, "Rap is Crap." Hennig returned to the WWF for a brief period in 2002, being one of the last three men remaining at that year's Royal Rumble
. He later wrestled for TNA, challenging for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
, prior to his death on February 10, 2003.
Described by WWE as a "tremendous talent" and "one of the best in-ring technicians of his generation", Hennig 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.
(AWA), the promotion which had made his father, Larry "The Axe" Hennig
a star. Hennig left AWA in 1982 and joined World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
. Eventually, he was paired-up in tag team
matches with another young upstart, Eddie Gilbert, himself the son of a wrestling legend (Tommy Gilbert).
with Scott Hall
by defeating "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin
and "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal
on January 18, 1986 in Albuquerque, New Mexico
.
Later, he resumed his solo career in the AWA, culminating in defeating the legendary Nick Bockwinkel
for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship
at SuperClash on May 2, 1987 with the help of Larry Zbzyszko, and turning villain
in doing so. Hennig, along with his father Larry "The Axe", would engage in a long feud with Greg Gagne
and his father, Verne Gagne
. He began being associated with Madusa Miceli
, the AWA World Women's Champion
since December 27, 1987. Hennig and Madusa joined the Diamond Exchange
, a stable led by Diamond Dallas Page
that also included Badd Company
and Colonel DeBeers
.
Hennig would hold the AWA World Heavyweight Title for about 53 weeks, before losing it to Jerry Lawler
on May 9, 1988. As many other promising-yet-underexposed AWA stars had before him (including Hulk Hogan
, Rick Martel
, and Bobby Heenan
), he left the AWA for the WWF.
, Steve Jordan
, and Mike Modano
, co-starred with Hennig in these vignettes.
Mr. Perfect - initially introduced as "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig - went undefeated for over a year, beating mid-card wrestlers including The Blue Blazer
, The Red Rooster
and Jimmy Snuka
. Although undefeated on television, Hennig fought Bret "Hit Man" Hart
to a draw at several house shows. Later in 1989, Mr. Perfect began appearing with Lanny Poffo
, who had turned heel earlier in the year and began competing as "The Genius," an arrogant scholar. That fall, Hennig began feuding with Hulk Hogan
over the WWF Championship
. In the first nationally televised contest of a rivalry that would span Hennig's WWF and WCW careers, he defeated Bret Hart on the November 6, 1989 edition of Prime Time Wrestling
, when he pulled Hart's tights during a roll-up, building momentum for an eventual meeting with Hogan. Their feud heated up when, after The Genius defeated Hogan by countout, Poffo and Hennig stole Hogan's title belt and destroyed it backstage. Although Hogan later pinned "Mr. Perfect" at several house shows, these were not taped and no reference was made to them on television. Hennig and Hogan were the last two men left in the 1990 Royal Rumble
, with Hogan getting the victory. Hennig's first one-on-one loss on television was to Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
at WrestleMania VI
at the Toronto Skydome
, though a week earlier he was pinned by The Ultimate Warrior in a taped show at Madison Square Garden.
as his new manager, Mr. Perfect went on to win the vacant Intercontinental Title
in the final round of a tournament in April 1990 by defeating two-time Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana
. He lost the belt to The Texas Tornado
four months later at SummerSlam
, but regained the title back on November 19, 1990, thanks to interference from Ted DiBiase
. This title win aired on the December 15, 1990 edition of WWF Superstars of Wrestling
. Perfect faced the Big Boss Man
at WrestleMania VII
, where a disqualification loss meant that he retained his title. The following month he was the winner of a 20-man Battle Royal
on Saturday Night's Main Event. Perfect held the Intercontinental Title until August 1991, when a broken tailbone and buldged discs forced him to drop the belt to Bret Hart
at SummerSlam
; In the month of May prior to this match, Heenan retired from managing, which led to "Coach" John Tolos
becoming Mr. Perfect's new manager. This was short-lived, as Perfect had actually retired from the ring a couple months before SummerSlam, but he just returned for one match to drop the title to Hart.
's "executive consultant" during Flair's two WWF Championship reigns. He also worked as a color commentator on WWF Superstars of Wrestling following Survivor Series 1991
until the Superstars before the next Survivor Series
, acting as a suitable heel
foil to Vince McMahon
's play-by-play.
turn when he had a falling-out with Ric Flair and Bobby Heenan (Flair's financial adviser) on the last Prime Time Wrestling
before Survivor Series 1992 after Randy Savage
asked Perfect to be his partner against Flair and Razor Ramon
at the 1992 Survivor Series. After initially laughing off Savage's decision, Perfect was swayed by Savage's cajoling and by Heenan's comments that Perfect wasn't capable of wrestling on that level anymore and demanded that Perfect follow orders and do as he was told. Immediately afterward, Perfect turned towards the camera to accept Savage's proposal, much to the horror of Heenan, who then slapped Perfect across his face. An infuriated Perfect responded by grabbing Heenan by his tie and pouring a full pitcher of water over Heenan's head. Perfect then stated that he was "back" as Savage's partner at the Survivor Series, much to the delight of the Prime Time Wrestling cast of Hillbilly Jim
, Jim Duggan
, and Vince McMahon
. Perfect returned to the ring at the Survivor Series and, despite some initial mistrust between them, he and Savage won the match by disqualification. Perfect later eliminated Flair from the 1993 Royal Rumble
and defeated Flair the next night on Monday Night Raw
in a "Loser Leaves the WWF Match". In reality, Flair gave his notice that he was going back to WCW shortly after Survivor Series and promised to put over Perfect before he left.
He then went on to feud with Lex Luger
, whom Heenan introduced into the WWF at the Royal Rumble. Luger won their match at WrestleMania IX
though both of Perfect's feet were clearly between the ropes. Afterwards, Perfect chased Luger backstage where he was jumped from behind by Luger's onscreen ally Shawn Michaels
. This feud with Michaels led to an Intercontinental Title match at Summerslam 1993
, which Perfect lost by countout due to interference from Michael's new bodyguard Diesel
. As stated in WWF Magazine, Perfect was responsible for coining Michaels' moniker, "The Heartbreak Kid".
Hennig also competed in the 1993 King of the Ring
tournament, losing in the semi-finals to eventual winner Bret Hart. He was then set to participate in the opening bout at 1993's Survivor Series
, but due to the re-emergence of his back injuries, was replaced by "Macho Man" Randy Savage and apparently had left the company.
, Mr. Perfect was the special guest referee for the title match between Lex Luger and Yokozuna
. Perfect disqualified Luger after Luger put his hands on him, instead of counting the pin. Perfect was set to start another feud with Luger (this time with Perfect as the heel) following WrestleMania, but plans were changed when Perfect's back problems flared up again. He left the Federation in the spring of 1994.
Hennig took a year off to recover from a back injury but before he returned to wrestling he took out a very big insurance policy with the company Lloyds of London. By December 1996 Hennig either wanted to return to in-ring action or the insurance company stopped paying him because his health was back to normal. He returned in 1995 as a color commentator at the Survivor Series
. The following weekend, Jerry Lawler
announced Perfect as his replacement on WWF Superstars, his second stint as a color commentator on the show with McMahon, this time with Jim Ross
added as the analyst. Later in 1996, McMahon left and Ross switched to the play-by-play role. Perfect also did color commentary with McMahon at the 1996 Royal Rumble
and the 1996 SummerSlam
with McMahon and Ross, and also at In Your House 10: Mind Games
with Ross and McMahon, and in the video game WWF In Your House
with McMahon. Mr. Perfect was once again called upon to serve as special referee for the WWF Championship match at 1996 King of the Ring between Shawn Michaels and the British Bulldog
.
Mr. Perfect was initially going to make his wrestling comeback on Monday Night Raw
in October 1996 against Hunter Hearst Helmsley
but was attacked by Helmsley backstage just moments before their match. It appeared Helmsley's attack left Perfect injured and unable to compete. This all turned out to be a ruse for the purpose of suckering "Wildman" Marc Mero
into defending his Intercontinental Championship against Helmsley. With help from Perfect, Helmsley won the Intercontinental Title from Mero, and Perfect was once again a heel. Perfect began to serve as a mentor to Helmsley and "hand picked" beautiful models to accompany Helmsley to the ring. Perfect disappeared from the WWF once again shortly before the 1996 Survivor Series
.
(WCW) in 1997, and since he could no longer be billed as Mr. Perfect as that moniker was trademarked by the WWF; he returned to wrestling under his real name for the first time since his AWA departure. Both the Four Horsemen
and the New World Order
(nWo) showed interest in recruiting him. Hennig made his official WCW debut at Bash at the Beach '97 as Diamond Dallas Page
's mystery tag-team partner. Hennig ended up turning on Page costing them the match. After feuding with Page for a month he joined the Four Horsemen, taking the spot of the retiring Arn Anderson
. Anderson's implorement that Hennig take "his spot" was the subject of the following week's parody of the Horsemen by the nWo, which lead to the WarGames match
. At Fall Brawl, Hennig was allegedly jumped backstage by the nWo and came to ringside mid-match with his arm in a sling. The whole thing turned out to be a setup as Hennig betrayed the Horsemen and joined the nWo, handcuffing the other Horsemen to the cage and then slamming the steel cage door into Ric Flair's head, afterward claiming he had "destroyed the Horseman" and as a further slap to Flair, claimed to be "the wrestler that made Minnesota famous". Two months after he joined the nWo, his childhood friend, Rick Rude, was also brought in. Hennig won the United States Title
from Steve McMichael
in September 1997 and defended it by defeating many superstars like Ric Flair, Lex Luger, The Giant
, Chris Benoit
, Jeff Jarrett
, and Diamond Dallas Page before losing it to Page in December of that year at Starrcade
.
He struggled with a knee injury for much of 1998. When the nWo broke into two different factions, the Wolfpac (red and black) and nWo Hollywood (black and white), both Hennig and Rude joined the Wolfpac. The two did not really fit in with the fan favorite Wolfpac faction, especially when Rick Rude would still get on the microphone and tell the fans to shut up. Hennig was not able to compete against Goldberg
at the Great American Bash that June, so he asked Konnan
to replace him. Konnan lost the match, and afterward both Hennig and Rude attacked him, removing themselves from the Wolfpac and joining nWo Hollywood. Despite his injury he faced WCW World Champion
Goldberg in a losing effort at Bash at the Beach. That September, Hennig was taken off WCW TV due to his injury. He returned at Starrcade
to aid Eric Bischoff
in defeating Ric Flair.
. Hennig and Windham lost to Ric Flair and Flair's son David
at Souled Out due to interference by Arn Anderson. After the match, the rest of the nWo came out and humiliated Flair by handcuffing him to the ring, and forced him to watch his son David take a beating from Hollywood Hogan
. Shortly afterward, Hennig was attacked by the nWo and thrown out of the group for no apparent reason other than Scott Hall
stating "it's time to trim the fat". Hennig went on to win the World Tag Team Title
with Barry Windham. Three months later, he became the leader of the West Texas Rednecks
with Barry, Barry's brother, Kendall
, and Bobby Duncum, Jr.
. They were supposed to be heels
to feud
with rapper Master P
's No Limit Soldiers
, but the southern WCW fans cheered them and the angle was soon dropped. The Rednecks recorded an infamous country song titled "Rap is Crap." After the Rednecks disbanded, Hennig turned face and feuded with Harlem Heat
and Shawn Stasiak
. During the feud, Stasiak called himself "Perfect Shawn" Stasiak, which was a ripoff of the "Mr. Perfect" gimmick. After Stasiak won the feud, Hennig briefly began coaching Stasiak. On November 21, 1999 at WCW Mayhem
in Toronto
's Air Canada Centre
, Hennig lost a retirement match to Buff Bagwell
. Hennig left WCW after his contract expired in the summer of 2000.
where he had a brief run. The promotion quickly went under due to the WWF buying out many of its major talent, including Hennig himself. Hennig wrestled a well-known match with Hulk Hogan in XWF, where Hogan defeated him.
, it was announced that Hennig would be returning as one of the 30 combatants. Hennig, now billed as "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, entered the Royal Rumble at #25, and was one of the final three competitors before being eliminated by Triple H. Mr. Perfect made a strong showing at the Rumble, hitting the Perfect-Plex on Kurt Angle
and holding his own with the WWF's best at the time. His performance, along with the positive reaction of the Atlanta
crowd, earned Perfect a full time contract with the WWF. He appeared the next night on Raw in a match with The Big Valbowski. He then had short feuds with Stone Cold Steve Austin
and Rob Van Dam
before forming a tag team with Shawn Stasiak
at house show
s throughout March and April as well as a tag team on television with The Big Boss Man
. Mr. Perfect was drafted to Raw during the first ever WWF Draft. However, he was released from the company on May 5, 2002 due to a physical confrontation with Brock Lesnar
. Among other incidents of drunkenness
, the tussle took place on the infamous "plane ride from hell."
to be the cause of his death. His father said that steroids and painkillers
also contributed to his death. Hennig was survived by his parents, Larry and Irene, two brothers, Randy and Jesse, and two sisters, Sandra and Susan, wife Leonice and four children, Joe, Amy, Kaite, and Hank.
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
and Shawn Michaels
have also commended Hennig's in-ring talents.
Hennig's widow
, Leonice, signed a WWE Legends contract on her husband's behalf. Hennig's two children, Joe and Amy are both professional wrestlers. Joe Hennig
works for WWE under the ring name "Michael McGillicutty"
Wade Boggs
, who appeared in a vignette with Hennig and was a friend of his, inducted him into the WWE Hall of Fame
on March 31, 2007. His wife, his four children, and his parents accepted the award on his behalf. On July 4, 2007, Hennig was posthumously inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa
. His father, who was inducted the prior year, represented him at the event.
On September 9, 2008, WWE released a two disc DVD set focused on Hennig titled The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect. Promotion for the video included Charlie Haas
spoofing Hennig's memorable sports vignettes at a Dave & Buster's
on Raw. Finding that he was incapable of performing those feats, Haas decided on one of his idols that "there was only one Mr. Perfect." The week after the DVD's release, its first week possible, it went to number one on the Billboard Recreational Sports DVD sales list.
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Mr. Perfect, was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, manager
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
and color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA), the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
(AWA), World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
(WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWF). He was the son of wrestler Larry "The Axe" Hennig
Larry Hennig
Larry "The Axe" Hennig is an American retired professional wrestler. He is the father of the late "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, the grandfather of Joe Hennig, and is best known for his work in the American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance and World Wide Wrestling Federation...
, and father to current WWE superstar Michael McGillicutty.
Among other accolades, he is a four-time world champion, having held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship
AWA World Heavyweight Championship
The American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association. All AWA trademarks, including the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, are now owned by WWE...
for over a year, the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship
WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship
The WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the top title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. The championship was established in July 1982, as the WWC World Heavyweight...
once, and the i-Generation World Heavyweight Championship twice. He is also a two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
. Considered one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time, Hennig was the longest-reigning champion of the 1990s and has been credited with helping bring the importance of the Intercontinental Championship close to that of the WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
during the decade. Although recurring back problems prevented Hennig from being considered for a WWF Championship reign, he challenged for the title and enjoyed success in managerial and color commentary roles when inactive from in-ring competition. In addition to championship success in WCW in the late 1990s, he was also a member of the New World Order
New World Order (professional wrestling)
The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
and later, wrestling stable and country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, West Texas Rednecks
West Texas Rednecks
The West Texas Rednecks was a professional wrestling stable and country music band in World Championship Wrestling in 1999. They are famous for recording of two songs, "Rap is Crap " and "Good Ol' Boys."-History:...
, who recorded their infamous, tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
song, "Rap is Crap." Hennig returned to the WWF for a brief period in 2002, being one of the last three men remaining at that year's Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2002)
Royal Rumble was the fifteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 20, 2002 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia...
. He later wrestled for TNA, challenging for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in the National Wrestling Alliance. Its lineage has been traced from the first World Heavyweight Championship, which traces its lineage to Georg Hackenschmidt's 1905 title and...
, prior to his death on February 10, 2003.
Described by WWE as a "tremendous talent" and "one of the best in-ring technicians of his generation", Hennig was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
in 2007 by former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
, and longtime friend, Wade Boggs
Wade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
. A number of Hennig's peers consider him to be one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time.
American Wrestling Association (1980–1982)
Known as "Cool" Curt Hennig, he began his career on January 30, 1980 in the American Wrestling AssociationAmerican Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
(AWA), the promotion which had made his father, Larry "The Axe" Hennig
Larry Hennig
Larry "The Axe" Hennig is an American retired professional wrestler. He is the father of the late "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, the grandfather of Joe Hennig, and is best known for his work in the American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance and World Wide Wrestling Federation...
a star. Hennig left AWA in 1982 and joined World Wrestling Federation (WWF).
World Wrestling Federation (1982–1984)
Curt Hennig started his WWF career in 1982. He established himself as a promising young performer against the likes of 'Playboy' Buddy RoseBuddy Rose
Paul Perschmann was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Playboy" Buddy Rose.-Career:Paul Perschmann was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the early 1970s...
. Eventually, he was paired-up in tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
matches with another young upstart, Eddie Gilbert, himself the son of a wrestling legend (Tommy Gilbert).
Return to AWA (1984–1988)
Hennig returned to AWA in 1984. He would eventually become one of the promotion's top stars in his own right, winning the AWA World Tag Team ChampionshipAWA World Tag Team Championship
The American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.-History :...
with Scott Hall
Scott Hall
Scott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
by defeating "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin
Jimmy Garvin
James Williams is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name "Gorgeous" Jimmy "Jam" Garvin and as a member of the legendary Fabulous Freebirds....
and "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal
Steve Regal
Steve Regal is a former professional wrestler, better known as "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal, who competed in North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association during the early 1970s and 1980s.-Professional wrestling career:Born in Ft...
on January 18, 1986 in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
.
Later, he resumed his solo career in the AWA, culminating in defeating the legendary Nick Bockwinkel
Nick Bockwinkel
Nicholas Warren Francis "Nick" Bockwinkel is a retired American professional wrestler. He mainly competed in the American Wrestling Association in the United States...
for the AWA World Heavyweight Championship
AWA World Heavyweight Championship
The American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association. All AWA trademarks, including the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, are now owned by WWE...
at SuperClash on May 2, 1987 with the help of Larry Zbzyszko, and turning villain
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
in doing so. Hennig, along with his father Larry "The Axe", would engage in a long feud with Greg Gagne
Greg Gagne (wrestler)
Gregory Alan "Greg" Gagne is a former professional wrestler and the son of Verne Gagne. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he achieved his biggest success as one half of the tag team The High Flyers with Jim Brunzell...
and his father, Verne Gagne
Verne Gagne
Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...
. He began being associated with Madusa Miceli
Debra Miceli
Debrah Ann Miceli is a Monster truck driver and former professional wrestler. She is best known under her ring names Madusa or Alundra Blayze. Her early career was spent in the American Wrestling Association, where she held the AWA World Women's Championship one time...
, the AWA World Women's Champion
AWA World Women's Championship
The AWA World Women's Championship was the female title in the American Wrestling Association from 1961 until 1990.-Title history:Silver-shaded lines in the history indicate periods of unknown lineage.-See also:*American Wrestling Association...
since December 27, 1987. Hennig and Madusa joined the Diamond Exchange
Diamond Exchange
The Diamond Exchange was a professional wrestling stable led by Diamond Dallas Page in American Wrestling Association, as well as in World Championship Wrestling where it was called the Diamond Mine.-AWA:...
, a stable led by Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor...
that also included Badd Company
Badd Company
Badd Company was a professional wrestling tag team in the American Wrestling Association in the late 1980s, which later went by the name the Orient Express. It is rumored that the team name was derived from the rock band Bad Company...
and Colonel DeBeers
Edward Wiskoski
Edward Wiskoski is a former American professional wrestler best known as Colonel DeBeers in the AWA . He also wrestled as Derek "The Mongoose" Draper and Mega Maharishi...
.
Hennig would hold the AWA World Heavyweight Title for about 53 weeks, before losing it to Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
on May 9, 1988. As many other promising-yet-underexposed AWA stars had before him (including Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Rick Martel
Rick Martel
Richard Vigneault is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation between 1980 and 1995 under the ring name Rick Martel...
, and Bobby Heenan
Bobby Heenan
Raymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
), he left the AWA for the WWF.
Mr. Perfect & Undefeated Streak (1988–1990)
Hennig returned to the WWF in the fall of 1988 as Mr. Perfect, an arrogant braggart villain who claimed to be able to accomplish difficult tasks "perfectly." In the weeks before his debut, Hennig shot several promos to get his persona of being superior in athletics or anything else he did. These clips showed him hitting half-court, three-point, and no-look basketball shots, bowling a score of 300, running the table in billiards, throwing then catching his own Hail Mary football pass, sinking a long golf putt, hitting home runs and making bulls-eyes in darts. Stars of various major league sports, including Wade BoggsWade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
, Steve Jordan
Steve Jordan (American football)
Steven Russell Jordan is a former American football tight end who played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings...
, and Mike Modano
Mike Modano
Michael Thomas Modano, Jr. is a retired American professional ice hockey player, who most notably played for the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars franchise. He is the all-time goal-scoring and points leader amongst American-born players in the NHL, as well as the last active player in the NHL...
, co-starred with Hennig in these vignettes.
Mr. Perfect - initially introduced as "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig - went undefeated for over a year, beating mid-card wrestlers including The Blue Blazer
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
, The Red Rooster
Terry Taylor
Terry Taylor , is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation...
and Jimmy Snuka
Jimmy Snuka
James William "Jimmy" Reiher is a semi-retired Fijian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka. Originally from the Fiji Islands, Snuka wrestled for several promotions in the 1970s and 1980s. Snuka is a two-time world heavyweight champion, having been a...
. Although undefeated on television, Hennig fought Bret "Hit Man" Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
to a draw at several house shows. Later in 1989, Mr. Perfect began appearing with Lanny Poffo
Lanny Poffo
Lanny Mark Poffo , better known by his ring name "Leaping" Lanny is an American professional wrestler. Poffo was born in Calgary, Canada, to Angelo Poffo, an Italian American Catholic, and Judy, a Jewish American. He is also the brother of wrestling legend "Macho Man" Randy Savage...
, who had turned heel earlier in the year and began competing as "The Genius," an arrogant scholar. That fall, Hennig began feuding with Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
over the WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. In the first nationally televised contest of a rivalry that would span Hennig's WWF and WCW careers, he defeated Bret Hart on the November 6, 1989 edition of Prime Time Wrestling
WWF Prime Time Wrestling
WWF Prime Time Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It aired on the USA Network from 1985-1993. A precursor to Monday Night Raw, Prime Time Wrestling was a two-hour long, weekly program that featured stars of the World Wrestling...
, when he pulled Hart's tights during a roll-up, building momentum for an eventual meeting with Hogan. Their feud heated up when, after The Genius defeated Hogan by countout, Poffo and Hennig stole Hogan's title belt and destroyed it backstage. Although Hogan later pinned "Mr. Perfect" at several house shows, these were not taped and no reference was made to them on television. Hennig and Hogan were the last two men left in the 1990 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1990)
Royal Rumble was the third annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 21, 1990 at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida....
, with Hogan getting the victory. Hennig's first one-on-one loss on television was to Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
Edward Leslie
Edward Harrison "Ed" Leslie is an American professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Brutus The Barber Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling under a variety of names, mainly as "The Disciple" of real-life best friend...
at WrestleMania VI
WrestleMania VI
WrestleMania VI was the World Wrestling Federation's sixth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event and the first to be held outside of the U.S...
at the Toronto Skydome
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
, though a week earlier he was pinned by The Ultimate Warrior in a taped show at Madison Square Garden.
Intercontinental Champion (1990–1991)
Enlisting Bobby HeenanBobby Heenan
Raymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
as his new manager, Mr. Perfect went on to win the vacant Intercontinental Title
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
in the final round of a tournament in April 1990 by defeating two-time Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana
Tito Santana
Merced Solis better known by his ring name Tito Santana, is an American professional wrestler whose heyday spanned from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, though he continues to appear on the independent circuit. He is best known from his time in the World Wrestling Federation...
. He lost the belt to The Texas Tornado
Kerry Von Erich
Kerry Gene Adkisson was an American professional wrestler under the ring names Kerry Von Erich, The Modern Day Warrior, and The Texas Tornado and was part of the Von Erich family of professional wrestlers...
four months later at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1990)
SummerSlam was the third annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 27, 1990 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The card featured ten televised matches, including two main events...
, but regained the title back on November 19, 1990, thanks to interference from Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
Theodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
. This title win aired on the December 15, 1990 edition of WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling
WWF Superstars of Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It debuted on September 6, 1986...
. Perfect faced the Big Boss Man
Ray Traylor
Ray Walter Traylor, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Big Boss Man and World Championship Wrestling under various ring names, most notably Big Bubba Rogers.-Early years:Traylor, a prison guard in...
at WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania VII was the seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 24, 1991 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California...
, where a disqualification loss meant that he retained his title. The following month he was the winner of a 20-man Battle Royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
on Saturday Night's Main Event. Perfect held the Intercontinental Title until August 1991, when a broken tailbone and buldged discs forced him to drop the belt to Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1991)
SummerSlam was the fourth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 26, 1991 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
; In the month of May prior to this match, Heenan retired from managing, which led to "Coach" John Tolos
John Tolos
John Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager.-Canadian Wrecking Crew:...
becoming Mr. Perfect's new manager. This was short-lived, as Perfect had actually retired from the ring a couple months before SummerSlam, but he just returned for one match to drop the title to Hart.
Color Commentator (1991–1992)
After losing the Intercontinental Championship, Hennig spent the next year plus, trying to recuperate from his injuries. While recovering, he acted as Ric FlairRic Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
's "executive consultant" during Flair's two WWF Championship reigns. He also worked as a color commentator on WWF Superstars of Wrestling following Survivor Series 1991
Survivor Series (1991)
Survivor Series was the fifth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on Thanksgiving Eve, November 27, 1991 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan...
until the Superstars before the next Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1992)
Survivor Series was the sixth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on November 25, 1992 at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio...
, acting as a suitable heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
foil to Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
's play-by-play.
Return as a wrestler (1992–1993)
Perfect began a return to wrestling and a fan favoriteFace (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
turn when he had a falling-out with Ric Flair and Bobby Heenan (Flair's financial adviser) on the last Prime Time Wrestling
WWF Prime Time Wrestling
WWF Prime Time Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It aired on the USA Network from 1985-1993. A precursor to Monday Night Raw, Prime Time Wrestling was a two-hour long, weekly program that featured stars of the World Wrestling...
before Survivor Series 1992 after Randy Savage
Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a...
asked Perfect to be his partner against Flair and Razor Ramon
Scott Hall
Scott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
at the 1992 Survivor Series. After initially laughing off Savage's decision, Perfect was swayed by Savage's cajoling and by Heenan's comments that Perfect wasn't capable of wrestling on that level anymore and demanded that Perfect follow orders and do as he was told. Immediately afterward, Perfect turned towards the camera to accept Savage's proposal, much to the horror of Heenan, who then slapped Perfect across his face. An infuriated Perfect responded by grabbing Heenan by his tie and pouring a full pitcher of water over Heenan's head. Perfect then stated that he was "back" as Savage's partner at the Survivor Series, much to the delight of the Prime Time Wrestling cast of Hillbilly Jim
Hillbilly Jim
Jim Morris , best known to fans as Hillbilly Jim, is an American professional wrestler and disc jockey. He was one of the World Wrestling Federation's most popular wrestlers of the mid-to-late 1980s.-Career:...
, Jim Duggan
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan , better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s, when it was known as World Wrestling Federation , and World Championship Wrestling...
, and Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
. Perfect returned to the ring at the Survivor Series and, despite some initial mistrust between them, he and Savage won the match by disqualification. Perfect later eliminated Flair from the 1993 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1993)
Royal Rumble was the sixth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 24, 1993 at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event was a Royal Rumble match, a battle royal in which two wrestlers...
and defeated Flair the next night on Monday Night Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
in a "Loser Leaves the WWF Match". In reality, Flair gave his notice that he was going back to WCW shortly after Survivor Series and promised to put over Perfect before he left.
He then went on to feud with Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
, whom Heenan introduced into the WWF at the Royal Rumble. Luger won their match at WrestleMania IX
WrestleMania IX
WrestleMania IX was the ninth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 4, 1993 and was the first WrestleMania event held outdoors...
though both of Perfect's feet were clearly between the ropes. Afterwards, Perfect chased Luger backstage where he was jumped from behind by Luger's onscreen ally Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
. This feud with Michaels led to an Intercontinental Title match at Summerslam 1993
SummerSlam (1993)
SummerSlam was the sixth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 30, 1993 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan....
, which Perfect lost by countout due to interference from Michael's new bodyguard Diesel
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
. As stated in WWF Magazine, Perfect was responsible for coining Michaels' moniker, "The Heartbreak Kid".
Hennig also competed in the 1993 King of the Ring
King of the Ring (1993)
King of the Ring was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . This was the first of 10 King of the Ring events that was produced as a pay-per-view. The event resulted from the WWF's decision to make its annual King of the Ring tournament into a...
tournament, losing in the semi-finals to eventual winner Bret Hart. He was then set to participate in the opening bout at 1993's Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1993)
Survivor Series was the seventh annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on Thanksgiving Eve, November 24, 1993 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts...
, but due to the re-emergence of his back injuries, was replaced by "Macho Man" Randy Savage and apparently had left the company.
Retirement & Departure (1994–1996)
At WrestleMania XWrestleMania X
WrestleMania X was the tenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York on March 20, 1994. The central focus of the pay-per-view was the WWF Championship, which was defended...
, Mr. Perfect was the special guest referee for the title match between Lex Luger and Yokozuna
Rodney Anoa'i
Rodney Agatupu Anoa'i was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna. The term yokozuna refers to the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling in Japan...
. Perfect disqualified Luger after Luger put his hands on him, instead of counting the pin. Perfect was set to start another feud with Luger (this time with Perfect as the heel) following WrestleMania, but plans were changed when Perfect's back problems flared up again. He left the Federation in the spring of 1994.
Hennig took a year off to recover from a back injury but before he returned to wrestling he took out a very big insurance policy with the company Lloyds of London. By December 1996 Hennig either wanted to return to in-ring action or the insurance company stopped paying him because his health was back to normal. He returned in 1995 as a color commentator at the Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1995)
Survivor Series was the ninth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
. The following weekend, Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
announced Perfect as his replacement on WWF Superstars, his second stint as a color commentator on the show with McMahon, this time with Jim Ross
Jim Ross
James William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator, former professional wrestling referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a commentator on the WWE Raw brand...
added as the analyst. Later in 1996, McMahon left and Ross switched to the play-by-play role. Perfect also did color commentary with McMahon at the 1996 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (1996)
Royal Rumble was the ninth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 21, 1996 at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California....
and the 1996 SummerSlam
SummerSlam (1996)
SummerSlam was the ninth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 18, 1996 at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.-Event:...
with McMahon and Ross, and also at In Your House 10: Mind Games
In Your House 10: Mind Games
In Your House 10: Mind Games was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on September 22, 1996 at the CoreStates Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
with Ross and McMahon, and in the video game WWF In Your House
WWF In Your House
WWF In Your House is a video game for the PlayStation, DOS, and Sega Saturn released in 1996. It was developed by Sculptured Software and published by Acclaim Entertainment.-Description:...
with McMahon. Mr. Perfect was once again called upon to serve as special referee for the WWF Championship match at 1996 King of the Ring between Shawn Michaels and the British Bulldog
Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith was a British professional wrestler, better known as "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, who was born in Golborne in North West England, United Kingdom. Smith is known for his appearances with Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling...
.
Mr. Perfect was initially going to make his wrestling comeback on Monday Night Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
in October 1996 against Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
but was attacked by Helmsley backstage just moments before their match. It appeared Helmsley's attack left Perfect injured and unable to compete. This all turned out to be a ruse for the purpose of suckering "Wildman" Marc Mero
Marc Mero
Marc Mero is an American retired amateur boxer and professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as Marc Mero and with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Johnny B. Badd...
into defending his Intercontinental Championship against Helmsley. With help from Perfect, Helmsley won the Intercontinental Title from Mero, and Perfect was once again a heel. Perfect began to serve as a mentor to Helmsley and "hand picked" beautiful models to accompany Helmsley to the ring. Perfect disappeared from the WWF once again shortly before the 1996 Survivor Series
Survivor Series (1996)
Survivor Series was the tenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on November 17, 1996 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York....
.
Four Horsemen & New World Order (1997–1998)
Hennig signed with World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
(WCW) in 1997, and since he could no longer be billed as Mr. Perfect as that moniker was trademarked by the WWF; he returned to wrestling under his real name for the first time since his AWA departure. Both the Four Horsemen
Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)
The Four Horsemen were a professional wrestling stable in the National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling that was disbanded in 1999. The original group featured Ric Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard...
and the New World Order
New World Order (professional wrestling)
The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
(nWo) showed interest in recruiting him. Hennig made his official WCW debut at Bash at the Beach '97 as Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor...
's mystery tag-team partner. Hennig ended up turning on Page costing them the match. After feuding with Page for a month he joined the Four Horsemen, taking the spot of the retiring Arn Anderson
Arn Anderson
Martin Anthony Lunde better known by his ring name Arn Anderson, is a former American professional wrestler and author. His career has been highlighted by his alliances with Ric Flair and various members of the wrestling stable, The Four Horsemen, in the NWA/WCW...
. Anderson's implorement that Hennig take "his spot" was the subject of the following week's parody of the Horsemen by the nWo, which lead to the WarGames match
WarGames match
The WarGames match was a gimmick match used originally in the National Wrestling Alliance and later held annually in World Championship Wrestling , usually at their Fall Brawl pay-per-view event in September.-History:...
. At Fall Brawl, Hennig was allegedly jumped backstage by the nWo and came to ringside mid-match with his arm in a sling. The whole thing turned out to be a setup as Hennig betrayed the Horsemen and joined the nWo, handcuffing the other Horsemen to the cage and then slamming the steel cage door into Ric Flair's head, afterward claiming he had "destroyed the Horseman" and as a further slap to Flair, claimed to be "the wrestler that made Minnesota famous". Two months after he joined the nWo, his childhood friend, Rick Rude, was also brought in. Hennig won the United States Title
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
from Steve McMichael
Steve McMichael
-World Wrestling Federation :After the end of his NFL career, he appeared at ringside in the WWF for Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania XI on April 2, 1995 in Hartford, Connecticut. Taylor was wrestling Bam Bam Bigelow and there were several football players at ringside to keep wrestlers from...
in September 1997 and defended it by defeating many superstars like Ric Flair, Lex Luger, The Giant
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
, Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
, and Diamond Dallas Page before losing it to Page in December of that year at Starrcade
Starrcade (1997)
Starrcade was the fifteenth annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view event. It was the tenth Starrcade event produced by World Championship Wrestling , and it took place on December 28, 1997 from the MCI Center in Washington, D.C...
.
He struggled with a knee injury for much of 1998. When the nWo broke into two different factions, the Wolfpac (red and black) and nWo Hollywood (black and white), both Hennig and Rude joined the Wolfpac. The two did not really fit in with the fan favorite Wolfpac faction, especially when Rick Rude would still get on the microphone and tell the fans to shut up. Hennig was not able to compete against Goldberg
Bill Goldberg
Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
at the Great American Bash that June, so he asked Konnan
Konnan
Carlos Santiago Espada Moises , also known as Charles Ashenoff and better known by his ring name, Konnan, is a Cuban professional wrestler and rapper of Puerto Rican descent...
to replace him. Konnan lost the match, and afterward both Hennig and Rude attacked him, removing themselves from the Wolfpac and joining nWo Hollywood. Despite his injury he faced WCW World Champion
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
The World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation . It existed within WCW between 1991 and 2001. Following the acquisition of WCW by World Wrestling...
Goldberg in a losing effort at Bash at the Beach. That September, Hennig was taken off WCW TV due to his injury. He returned at Starrcade
Starrcade (1998)
Starrcade was the sixteenth annual Starrcade professional wrestling pay-per-view event. It was the eleventh Starrcade event produced by World Championship Wrestling , and it took place on December 27, 1998 from the MCI Center in Washington, D.C....
to aid Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
in defeating Ric Flair.
West Texas Rednecks & Departure (1999–2000)
In early 1999, he began tagging with Barry WindhamBarry Windham
Barry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
. Hennig and Windham lost to Ric Flair and Flair's son David
David Flair
David Richard Fliehr better known by his ring name David Flair is a professional wrestler best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling , where he held the United States and World Tag Team championships...
at Souled Out due to interference by Arn Anderson. After the match, the rest of the nWo came out and humiliated Flair by handcuffing him to the ring, and forced him to watch his son David take a beating from Hollywood Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. Shortly afterward, Hennig was attacked by the nWo and thrown out of the group for no apparent reason other than Scott Hall
Scott Hall
Scott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
stating "it's time to trim the fat". Hennig went on to win the World Tag Team Title
WCW World Tag Team Championship
The World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
with Barry Windham. Three months later, he became the leader of the West Texas Rednecks
West Texas Rednecks
The West Texas Rednecks was a professional wrestling stable and country music band in World Championship Wrestling in 1999. They are famous for recording of two songs, "Rap is Crap " and "Good Ol' Boys."-History:...
with Barry, Barry's brother, Kendall
Kendall Windham
Kendall Windham is a former professional wrestler. He is the son of Blackjack Mulligan and the brother of Barry Windham.-Florida Championship Wrestling:...
, and Bobby Duncum, Jr.
Bobby Duncum, Jr.
Bobby Duncum, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling as a member of the West Texas Rednecks.-Professional wrestling career:...
. They were supposed to be heels
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
to feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with rapper Master P
Master P
Percy Robert Miller , better known by his stage name Master P or his business name P. Miller, is an American rapper, actor, entrepreneur, investor, and producer. He is the founder of the popular label No Limit Records, which went bankrupt and was relaunched as New No Limit Records through Koch...
's No Limit Soldiers
No Limit Soldiers
The No Limit Soldiers were a stable in World Championship Wrestling that was created after rapper Master P signed with the company. The Soldiers feuded extensively with the West Texas Rednecks.-History:...
, but the southern WCW fans cheered them and the angle was soon dropped. The Rednecks recorded an infamous country song titled "Rap is Crap." After the Rednecks disbanded, Hennig turned face and feuded with Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat was a professional wrestling tag team made up of two real-life brothers, Booker and Lane Huffman. Booker Huffman took the ring name of Booker T, and Lane Huffman took the ring name of Stevie Ray...
and Shawn Stasiak
Shawn Stasiak
Dr. Shawn Emile Stipich, DC, is an American chiropractor and former professional wrestler. He is best known under the ring name Shawn Stasiak and for his stints with World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment, where he is a fifteen time Hardcore Champion, and World Championship Wrestling, where he...
. During the feud, Stasiak called himself "Perfect Shawn" Stasiak, which was a ripoff of the "Mr. Perfect" gimmick. After Stasiak won the feud, Hennig briefly began coaching Stasiak. On November 21, 1999 at WCW Mayhem
WCW Mayhem
Mayhem was a professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Championship Wrestling and held in the month of November in 1999 and 2000. It is noted for being the first wrestling pay-per-view named after a video game, rather than the video game named after a pay-per-view.- 1999 :Mayhem 1999...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Air Canada Centre
Air Canada Centre
The Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar ....
, Hennig lost a retirement match to Buff Bagwell
Buff Bagwell
Marcus Alexander Bagwell is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Buff Bagwell. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling between 1991 and 2001, where he was a five time World Tag Team Champion.-Professional wrestling career: Bagwell...
. Hennig left WCW after his contract expired in the summer of 2000.
X Wrestling Federation (2001–2002)
Hennig was a franchise star for the short lived X Wrestling FederationX Wrestling Federation
Xtreme Wrestling Federation was an American professional wrestling promotion. The organization's heyday was from early November of 2001 to late February of 2002. Its birth coincided with the World Wrestling Federation's acquisition of AOL Time Warner's World Championship Wrestling. XWF's slogan...
where he had a brief run. The promotion quickly went under due to the WWF buying out many of its major talent, including Hennig himself. Hennig wrestled a well-known match with Hulk Hogan in XWF, where Hogan defeated him.
Return to WWF (2002)
During the build up for January's Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble (2002)
Royal Rumble was the fifteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 20, 2002 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia...
, it was announced that Hennig would be returning as one of the 30 combatants. Hennig, now billed as "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, entered the Royal Rumble at #25, and was one of the final three competitors before being eliminated by Triple H. Mr. Perfect made a strong showing at the Rumble, hitting the Perfect-Plex on Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
and holding his own with the WWF's best at the time. His performance, along with the positive reaction of the Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
crowd, earned Perfect a full time contract with the WWF. He appeared the next night on Raw in a match with The Big Valbowski. He then had short feuds with Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
and Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
before forming a tag team with Shawn Stasiak
Shawn Stasiak
Dr. Shawn Emile Stipich, DC, is an American chiropractor and former professional wrestler. He is best known under the ring name Shawn Stasiak and for his stints with World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment, where he is a fifteen time Hardcore Champion, and World Championship Wrestling, where he...
at house show
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
s throughout March and April as well as a tag team on television with The Big Boss Man
Ray Traylor
Ray Walter Traylor, Jr. was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Big Boss Man and World Championship Wrestling under various ring names, most notably Big Bubba Rogers.-Early years:Traylor, a prison guard in...
. Mr. Perfect was drafted to Raw during the first ever WWF Draft. However, he was released from the company on May 5, 2002 due to a physical confrontation with Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
. Among other incidents of drunkenness
Drunkenness
Alcohol intoxication is a physiological state that occurs when a person has a high level of ethanol in his or her blood....
, the tussle took place on the infamous "plane ride from hell."
Death and legacy
On February 10, 2003, Hennig was found dead in a Florida hotel room. He was 44 years old. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office declared acute cocaine intoxicationDrug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
to be the cause of his death. His father said that steroids and painkillers
Analgesic
An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....
also contributed to his death. Hennig was survived by his parents, Larry and Irene, two brothers, Randy and Jesse, and two sisters, Sandra and Susan, wife Leonice and four children, Joe, Amy, Kaite, and Hank.
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
Randy Savage
Randall Mario Poffo , better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling .Savage held twenty championships during his professional wrestling career and was a...
album Be a Man. Other peers including Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
and Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
have also commended Hennig's in-ring talents.
Hennig's widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
, Leonice, signed a WWE Legends contract on her husband's behalf. Hennig's two children, Joe and Amy are both professional wrestlers. Joe Hennig
Joe Hennig
Joseph "Joe" Hennig is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and working on the Raw brand, under the ring name Michael McGillicutty. He previously wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling...
works for WWE under the ring name "Michael McGillicutty"
Wade Boggs
Wade Boggs
Wade Anthony Boggs is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He spent his 18-year baseball career primarily with the Boston Red Sox, but also played for the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays...
, who appeared in a vignette with Hennig and was a friend of his, inducted him into the WWE Hall of Fame
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
on March 31, 2007. His wife, his four children, and his parents accepted the award on his behalf. On July 4, 2007, Hennig was posthumously inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz
Lou Thesz
Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was a United States professional wrestler and 18-time world heavyweight champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. Combined, he held the NWA Championship for 10 years, three months and nine days , longer than anyone else in history...
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
. His father, who was inducted the prior year, represented him at the event.
On September 9, 2008, WWE released a two disc DVD set focused on Hennig titled The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect. Promotion for the video included Charlie Haas
Charlie Haas
Charles "Charlie" Doyle Haas II is an American professional wrestler and former collegiate amateur wrestler. He competes on the independent circuit, and is signed to Ring of Honor , where he is one-half of the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions with Shelton Benjamin...
spoofing Hennig's memorable sports vignettes at a Dave & Buster's
Dave & Buster's
Dave & Buster's is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Each D&B has a full-service restaurant and a video arcade. As of July 1, 2009, the company had 57 locations across the United States and two in Canada. The company also licenses the D&B concept...
on Raw. Finding that he was incapable of performing those feats, Haas decided on one of his idols that "there was only one Mr. Perfect." The week after the DVD's release, its first week possible, it went to number one on the Billboard Recreational Sports DVD sales list.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
-
- Perfect-Plex (WWFWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
) / Hennig-Plex (WCWWorld Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
) (Bridging cradle suplex)
- Perfect-Plex (WWF
- Signature moves
- Atomic drop, sometimes inverted
- Backhand chop
- Bridging belly to back suplex
- DropkickDropkickA dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
, sometimes from the top rope - Figure four leglock
- Forearm smash
- Hip toss
- Indian deathlock
- Kneebar followed by a knee breaker (leaps up and drives the knee of his inside leg into the back of his opponent's knee)
- Knee drop
- Seated senton to force an opponent to the mat or to an opponent's leg draped over the first rope
- Sleeper hold
- Snapmare, often followed by a rolling neck snap
- Spear
- Spinning toe hold
- Standing headscissors into a swinging knee strike
- Swinging knee lift
- ManagersManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Madusa MiceliDebra MiceliDebrah Ann Miceli is a Monster truck driver and former professional wrestler. She is best known under her ring names Madusa or Alundra Blayze. Her early career was spent in the American Wrestling Association, where she held the AWA World Women's Championship one time...
- Diamond Dallas PageDiamond Dallas PageDallas Page , better known by his ring name "Diamond" Dallas Page , is an American retired professional wrestler, fitness instructor and actor...
- The GeniusLanny PoffoLanny Mark Poffo , better known by his ring name "Leaping" Lanny is an American professional wrestler. Poffo was born in Calgary, Canada, to Angelo Poffo, an Italian American Catholic, and Judy, a Jewish American. He is also the brother of wrestling legend "Macho Man" Randy Savage...
- Bobby HeenanBobby HeenanRaymond Louis "Ray" Heenan , better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan , is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
- Coach (John Tolos)John TolosJohn Tolos, nicknamed "The Golden Greek", was a Canadian professional wrestler, and professional wrestling manager.-Canadian Wrecking Crew:...
- Rick Rude
- Vincent / Curly Bill / ShaneMike Jones (wrestler)Mike Jones is an American professional wrestler, who most recently performed for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Virgil, where he appeared on its Raw brand as Ted DiBiase, Jr.'s personal assistant...
- Madusa Miceli
- NicknameNicknameA nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s- "The Perfect One"
- "Cool" Curt Hennig
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Theme of Exodus"Exodus (soundtrack)Exodus is a soundtrack album by Ernest Gold with the Sinfonia of London from the 1961 film Exodus directed by Otto Preminger.The main theme from the film has been widely remixed and covered by many artists such as Ferrante and Teicher, whose version went No. 2 on the Billboard Singles Chart...
by Ernest Gold (used only briefly; 1989) - "Perfection" (also known as "The Perfect Twist") by Jim JohnstonJim Johnston (composer)James Alan "Jim" Johnston is an American music composer who has been working for WWE since 1985. His work is often accredited to the names Jim Johnston, James A...
(WWF; 1989–1993, 1994, 1995–1996, 2002) - "Rock Energy (a)" from the Chappell Recorded Music Library (WCW; 1997)
- "Rockhouse" by Frank shelly (WCW; used while a part of the New World OrderNew World Order (professional wrestling)The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
; 1997–1998, 1998–1999) - "Wolfpac Theme" (WCW; used while a part of the nWo Wolfpac; 1998)
- "Road to Glory (b)" from the Chappell Recorded Music Library (WCW; 1999)
- "Rap is Crap" by the West Texas RednecksWest Texas RednecksThe West Texas Rednecks was a professional wrestling stable and country music band in World Championship Wrestling in 1999. They are famous for recording of two songs, "Rap is Crap " and "Good Ol' Boys."-History:...
(WCW; 1999) - "Good Ol' Boys" by the West Texas Rednecks (WCW; 1999)
- "Champion" by Dale Oliver (TNA; 2002–03)
- "Theme of Exodus"
Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling AssociationAmerican Wrestling AssociationThe American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
- AWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipAWA World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the highest ranked championship in the defunct American Wrestling Association. All AWA trademarks, including the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, are now owned by WWE...
(1 time) - AWA World Tag Team ChampionshipAWA World Tag Team ChampionshipThe American Wrestling Association World Tag Team Championship was professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.-History :...
(1 time) – with Scott HallScott HallScott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
- AWA World Heavyweight Championship
- Future of WrestlingFuture of WrestlingFuture of Wrestling is an American independent wrestling promotion based in southern Florida starting during the late 1990s. Founded by Bobby Rogers, the promotion was a predecessor of Full Impact Pro, Independent Pro Wrestling and NWA Florida and featured several top independent wrestlers...
- FOW Heavyweight ChampionshipFOW Heavyweight ChampionshipThe FOW Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title in American independent promotion Future of Wrestling. The title was created when "Ram Man" Johnny Evans won the title in Miami, Florida on May 1, 1998. It was defended throughout southern Florida, most often in Davie, Oakland Park,...
(1 time)
- FOW Heavyweight Championship
- i-Generation Superstars of WrestlingI-Generation Superstars of Wrestlingi-Generation Wrestling Superstars of Wrestling was a small series of professional wrestling shows in 2000.The roster consisted of wrestlers who had previously achieved fame in other promotions. The tour promoted a World Championship, an International Championship and a Tag Team...
- i-Generation World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- Main Event Championship Wrestling
- MECW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest WrestlingPacific Northwest Wrestling is the common name used to refer to several different professional wrestling companies, both past and present, based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The first such company was founded by Herb Owen in 1925...
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight ChampionshipNWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight ChampionshipThe NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
(1 time) - NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team ChampionshipNWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team ChampionshipThe NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S...
(3 times) – with Larry HennigLarry HennigLarry "The Axe" Hennig is an American retired professional wrestler. He is the father of the late "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, the grandfather of Joe Hennig, and is best known for his work in the American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance and World Wide Wrestling Federation...
(1), Buddy RoseBuddy RosePaul Perschmann was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Playboy" Buddy Rose.-Career:Paul Perschmann was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the early 1970s...
(1) and Pat McGheeScott McGheeGarfield "Gary" Portz, known by his ringname Scott McGhee, is a retired American professional wrestler and the son of Geoff Portz who competed in North American regional promotions during the 1980s and was a longtime mainstay of Florida Championship Wrestling.Originally working as a referee for...
(1)
- NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (1987)
- PWI ranked him #9 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1993
- PWI ranked him #55 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003
- PWI ranked him #98 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the "PWI Years" with Scott Hall in 2003
- World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
- WCW United States Heavyweight ChampionshipWWE United States ChampionshipThe WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
(1 time) - WCW World Tag Team ChampionshipWCW World Tag Team ChampionshipThe World Championship Wrestling Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling...
(1 time) – with Barry WindhamBarry WindhamBarry Clinton Windham is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and the son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan. He is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling ....
- WCW United States Heavyweight Championship
- World Wrestling CouncilWorld Wrestling CouncilThe World Wrestling Council is one of Puerto Rico's two main professional wrestling promotions, the other one being the International Wrestling Association....
- WWC Universal Heavyweight ChampionshipWWC Universal Heavyweight ChampionshipThe WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship and the top title contested for in the Puerto Rican professional wrestling promotion, the World Wrestling Council. The championship was established in July 1982, as the WWC World Heavyweight...
(1 time)
- WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship
- World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWF Intercontinental ChampionshipWWE Intercontinental ChampionshipThe WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
(2 times) - WWE Hall of FameWWE Hall of FameThe WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
(Class of 2007)
- WWF Intercontinental Championship
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Most Improved (1983)
External links
- WWE Hall of Fame profile
- Curt Hennig at the Online World of Wrestling
- tribute the Hall of Fame Curt Hennig - Absolutely Perfect
- "Mr.Perfect"Perfect Entertainer
- The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum's induction of Curt Hennig
- The 10 Greatest Modern Wrestlers: #8, Curt Hennig
- SLAM! Sports mourning the death of Hennig
- Petite Power Lifter