Curt Hennig
Acting
Biography
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who performed under his real name for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), WWE, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). In WWE, he found his greatest success as Mr. Perfect, a nickname introduced in his second run with the company which gradually became his official ring name. Hennig used the same ring name in his third and final run, however, his real name was widely acknowledged. He was the son of wrestler Larry "The Axe" Hennig, and father to current WWE superstar Joe "Curtis Axel" Hennig. Hennig is recognized by WWE as a one-time world champion, having held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship for 373 days (the seventh-longest reign in history). He won three additional world championships: the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship once, and the i-Generation World Heavyweight Championship twice. A two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, Hennig has been named by WWE as one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time, and was the longest-reigning champion of the 1990s. In addition to winning multiple championships in WCW during the late 1990s, he served as the enforcer of the Four Horsemen, a member of the New World Order, and leader of stable and country music group, West Texas Rednecks, who recorded the tongue-in-cheek song, "Rap is Crap", later described by WWE as a "stunningly popular and infectious earworm." Hennig returned to WWE for a brief period in 2002, being one of the last three men remaining at the Royal Rumble. He later challenged for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in TNA, prior to his death on February 10, 2003. WCW described Hennig as "one of the best all-round competitors this business has ever produced"; WWE, in a posthumous publication, hailed him as a "flawless technician" who "brought the Intercontinental Title a new level of credibility during his two reigns and set a higher standard for technical wrestling in WWE." He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007 by former Major League Baseball third baseman, and longtime friend, Wade Boggs. A number of Hennig's peers consider him to be one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time; former on-screen rival Hulk Hogan remarked: "Everybody would check their egos at the door when they came to a building that Curt Hennig was in, because you couldn't out-work him, you couldn't outshine him and you couldn't out-perform him. He was the best of the best." On February 10, 2003, Hennig was found dead in a Florida hotel room. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office declared acute cocaine intoxication to be the cause of his death. His father said that steroids and painkillers also contributed to his death. WWE aired a video tribute as well as words from friends and former co-workers Jerry "The King" Lawler and Jim Ross on Raw following the news of Hennig's death. TNA paid tribute to Hennig by displaying his wrestling singlet and a framed photo as he was employed by TNA at the time of his death. A tribute song about Hennig, "My Perfect Friend", was featured on the 2003 "Macho Man" Randy Savage album Be a Man. Other peers including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels have also commended Hennig's in-ring talents.
Known For
A regularly scheduled, live, year-round program featuring some of the biggest WWE Superstars.
Raw
WWE's flagship show of the early-90s featuring great in-ring action, news from the world of sports-entertainment, and more.
WWF Superstars
The biggest WWE Superstars of the late 1980s and early '90s settle their differences in the ring on "Wrestling Challenge"; featuring exciting matches and memorable interviews, this weekly television series captures an important era of WWE history.
WWF Wrestling Challenge
The American professional wrestling promotion WWE has been broadcasting PPV events since the 1980s, when its classic "Big Four" events (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series) were first established with the company's very first PPV being WrestleMania in 1985. The company's PPV lineup expanded to a monthly basis in the mid-1990s following the introduction of the In Your House series of pay-per views before expanding even further in the mid-2000s during the first WWE brand extension. Following WWE's original brand extension in 2002, the company promoted two touring rosters, Raw and SmackDown, representing its television programs, Raw and SmackDown. The traditional "Big Four" continued to showcase the entire roster, while the remaining PPV events alternated between Raw and SmackDown cards. In March 2007, WWE announced that all subsequent PPV events would feature performers from all brands. In 2008, all WWE PPV events began broadcasting in high-definition.
WWE Pay Per View
A professional wrestling television program produced by the World Wrestling Federation banner on NBC airing in place of Saturday Night Live. The series was made up entirely of star vs. star bouts in a time when weekly programming consisted primarily of established stars dominating enhancement talent.
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
Finding truth at the intersection of fantasy and reality in the veiled world of professional wrestling.
Dark Side of the Ring
Discover rarely-seen matches from the 1970s, '80s, and '90s featuring countless WWE Hall of Famers such as Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair.
WWE Old School
The stories behind some of the most memorable WWE Superstars of all time.
Biography: WWE Legends
The greatest WWE Superstars of the 1975s & 1982s, including Andre the Giant, Bob Backlund, and Bruno Sammartino compete in exciting matches.
WWF All-Star Wrestling
WCW's flagship show led to the famous Monday Night War. Featuring the nWo, Lex Luger, Ric Flair, Sting, and the Cruiserweights.
WCW Monday Nitro
At a time when matches between big-name Superstars are usually only seen on pay-per-view, WCW presents Clash of the Champions on free TV.
Clash of the Champions
WWF Prime Time Wrestling was 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 Federation. The program featured wrestling matches, interviews, promos featuring WWF wrestlers, updates of current feuds and announcements of upcoming local and pay-per-view events. WWE Hall of Famers Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan highlight the best of early-1985s WWE in Prime Time Wrestling.
WWF Prime Time Wrestling
Two slacker wrestling fans are devastated by the ousting of their favorite character by an unscrupulous promoter.
Ready to Rumble
WCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling.
WCW Thunder
The American Wrestling Association takes its unique brand of sports-entertainment to locations around the world; these classic AWA events feature the top competitors in the Minnesota-based territory, and many were never broadcast on television.
AWA Arena Shows
While "Mean" Gene Okerlund and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan invite Sean Mooney to join them for a game of golf, viewers are treated to a collection of exclusive matches featuring The Undertaker, Mr. Perfect, The Rockers and more classic WWE Superstars.
WWE Rampage '91
Broadcast nationally from the Showboat Hotel in Las Vegas, ESPN Championship Wrestling highlights the very best action found in the AWA. AWA Superstars such as Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, Nick Bockwinkel and more compete in the ring.
AWA Championship Wrestling
Royal Rumble (2002) was the fifteenth annual Royal Rumble PPV. It was presented by Square's Final Fantasy X. It took place on January 20, 2002 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The main event was the Royal Rumble match. The other matches were Chris Jericho versus The Rock for the Undisputed WWF Championship, Ric Flair versus Vince McMahon in a Street Fight, Edge versus William Regal for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, the team of Spike Dudley and Tazz versus the Dudley Boyz for the WWF Tag Team Championship, and Trish Stratus versus Jazz for the WWF Women's Championship.
WWE Royal Rumble 2002
The 1992 WWE Survivor Series was the sixth annual Survivor Series. It took place on November 25, 1992 at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio. Unlike previous Survivor Series events, Survivor Series 1992 placed a strong emphasis on one-on-one wrestling matches rather than tag team elimination matches. In the main event, Bret Hart defends his WWF Championship in a match against Shawn Michaels. The event also featured a highly-promoted match between the team of Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect and the team of Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. Two specialty matches also took place, with The Big Boss Man vs. Nailz in a nightstick on a pole match, and The Undertaker vs. Kamala in a Casket Match. Some of the matches were changed after they were first announced, as several wrestlers left the WWF shortly before the event.
WWE Survivor Series 1992
The 1989 WWE Survivor Series was the third annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1989 at The Rosemont Horizon in Rosemont, Illinois. This was the first Survivor Series event to feature team names. It was also the first Survivor Series to feature four-on-four tag matches instead of five-on-five. The main event was a four-on-four Survivor Series match where The Ultimate Warriors faced The Heenan Family. The undercard also featured Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Matches.