Curt Hennig

credit: Gallery1988.com

Real name: Curt Hennig
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 248 lbs.
Date of birth: March 28, 1958
Date of death: February 10, 2003
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Pro debut: January 30, 1980
Trained by: Verne Gagne
Finishing move: Perfect Plex

Biography

– Hennig hails from a wrestling family. His father, Larry ‘The Axe’ Hennig, competed across the AWA, WWWF and various NWA territories
– Hennig began his career in the AWA in 1980 as ‘Cool Curt Hennig’
– Hennig moved to the WWF in the summer of 1981, but would be out of the company by year’s end
– On April 27, 1982, Curt & Larry Hennig defeated Rip Oliver & Matt Borne to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles, but lost them back less than a week later
– On May 10, 1983, Hennig defeated Ali Hassan to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title and would retain over Hassan several times through the next week
– In late May, Hennig retained several times over Buddy Rose and The Assassin
– On July 7, Hennig defeated The Assassin to retain the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title
– On August 4, Hennig defeated The Dynamite Kid by DQ to retain the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title
– On August 20, Hennig again defeated Dynamite Kid to retain the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title
– On August 31, Hennig defeated Matt Borne to retain the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Title
– On November 5, Hennig & Buddy Rose defeated The Assassin & Rip Oliver to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles, but would lose them to The Assassin & The Dynamite Kid a week later
– Hennig travelled to New Japan at the end of 1983, competing alongside Bobby Duncum in that year’s MSG Tag League
– On December 23, Hennig & Pat McGhee defeated The Assassin & The Dynamite Kid to win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles
– On January 7, 1984, Hennig & McGhee defeated The Assassin & Rip Oliver to retain the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles and would do so three times more through the rest of January
– On February 2, Hennig & McGhee defeated The Assassin & Mike Miller to retain the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Titles
– In April 1984, Hennig began full-time with the AWA
– In late 1985, Hennig returned to Japan, this time competing in All Japan’s Real World Tag League alongside Nick Bockwinkel
– On January 18, 1986, Hennig & Scott Hall defeated Steve Regal & Jimmy Garvin to win the AWA Tag Team Titles
– On January 24, Hennig & Hall defeated Doug Somers & Spike Jones to retain the AWA Tag Team Titles
– On February 9, Hennig & Hall defeated The Long Riders (Bill & Scott Irwin) to retain the AWA Tag Team Titles
– Through the end of March, Hennig & Hall defended the AWA Tag Team Titles against The Long Riders, The Mongolian Stomper & Nord The Barbarian, Doug Somers & Buddy Rose and a combination of Boris Zhukov, Col DeBeers & Mr Go
– Hennig defeated Nick Bockwinkel at AWA SuperClash II to win the AWA World Title and would regularly defend against Bockwinkel & Greg Gagne through the end of September
– On October 5, 1987, Hennig defeated Jeff Jarrett to retain the AWA World Title
– On October 15, Hennig defeated Jerry Blackwell to retain the AWA World Title
– On October 18, Hennig defeated Wahoo McDaniel to retain the AWA World Title
– On October 23, Hennig defeated DJ Peterson to retain the AWA World Title
– On January 18, 1988, Hennig defeated Jerry Lawler to retain the AWA World Title
– On January 23, Hennig defeated Kevin Kelly to retain the AWA World Title
– On February 16, Hennig defeated The Grappler to retain the AWA World Title
– In the summer of 1988, Hennig returned to the WWF and would be repackaged as ‘Mr Perfect’ in October
– At Survivor Series 1988, Mr Perfect, Andre The Giant, Harley Race, Rick Rude & Dino Bravo defeated Jake Roberts, Tito Santana, Jim Duggan, Ken Patera & Scott Casey
– At WrestleMania V, Mr Perfect defeated The Blue Blazer
– At Summerslam 1989, Mr Perfect defeated The Red Rooster
– At Survivor Series 1989, The Rude Brood (Mr Perfect, Rick Rude, Jacques Rougeau & Raymond Rougeau) defeated Roddy’s Rowdies (Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka & The Bushwhackers)
– On the November 25 episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Hennig and tag partner The Genius stole the WWF Championship and destroyed the belt backstage
– On April 23, 1990, Mr Perfect defeated Tito Santana in the final of a tournament to win the vacant WWF Intercontinental Title. Following the match, Mr Perfect took on Bobby Heenan as his manager
– On June 26, Mr Perfect defeated Jim Brunzell to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title
– On July 16, Mr Perfect defeated Tito Santana to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title
– Mr Perfect lost the WWF Intercontinental Title to The Texas Tornado at Summerslam 1990, but regained it at a Superstars show in November, with the title change airing on December 15
– On March 11, 1991, Mr Perfect defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the WWF Intercontinental Title
– At WrestleMania VII, Mr Perfect retained the WWF Intercontinental Title against The Big Boss Man, losing the match by DQ
– Following his Intercontinental Title loss to Bret Hart at Summerslam 1991, Mr Perfect retired from the ring due to a series of injuries. He would become a colour commentator, as well as a manager of-sorts for Ric Flair
– Mr Perfect returned to the ring as a fan favourite at Survivor Series 1992, teaming with Randy Savage to defeat Ric Flair & Razor Ramon
– Mr Perfect defeated Flair in a Loser Leaves WWF match on the third episode of Monday Night Raw
– Having re-aggravated his back injuries, Perfect retired from the ring once again in late 1993
– Perfect returned to WWF at WrestleMania X, serving as the special guest referee for the WWF Championship match between Yokozuna and Lex Luger. This was intended to relaunch Perfect’s in-ring career into a feud with Luger, but his back injuries once again prevented this
– Hennig returned to the WWF as a colour commentator at Survivor Series 1995
– In mid-1996, Perfect began a storyline with Hunter Hearst Helmsley, culminating in his assisting Helmsley winning the WWF Intercontinental Title from Marc Mero
– Perfect left the WWF in November 1996 and would sign with WCW in the summer of 1997
– Hennig (back under his real name) debuted for WCW as a babyface on the June 30 episode of Nitro
– Hennig turned heel at Bash At The Beach 1997, turning on tag partner Diamond Dallas Page to cause a loss to the nWo team of Randy Savage & Scott Hall
– At Road Wild 1997, Hennig defeated Diamond Dallas Page
– Hennig replaced the retiring Arn Anderson in the Four Horsemen stable in August 1997
– At Clash Of The Champions 35, Hennig & Ric Flair defeated Konnan & Syxx
– Hennig turned on the Horsemen at the 1997 Fall Brawl, joining the New World Order during the War Games main event
– On the following episode of Nitro, Hennig defeated Steve McMichael to win the WCW United States Title
– On the September 22 Nitro, Hennig defeated Jeff Jarrett to retain the WCW United States Title
– On the September 29 Nitro, Hennig retained the WCW United States Title against The Giant, losing the match by DQ
– On the October 6 Nitro, Hennig defeated Chris Benoit to retain the WCW United States Title
– On the October 13 Nitro, Hennig defeated Diamond Dallas Page by DQ to retain the WCW United States Title
– On the October 20 Nitro, Hennig defeated Dean Malenko to retain the WCW United States Title
– At Halloween Havoc 1997, Hennig defeated Ric Flair by DQ to retain the WCW United States Title
– On the following episode of Nitro, Hennig defeated Booker T by DQ to retain the WCW United States Title
– On the November 3 Nitro, Hennig defeated Lex Luger by DQ to retain the WCW United States Title
– At World War 3 1997, Hennig defeated Ric Flair in a No-DQ Match to retain the WCW United States Title
– On the December 22 Nitro, Hennig defeated Disco Inferno to retain the WCW United States Title
– On the December 27 episode of Saturday Night, Hennig defeated Bobby Eaton to retain the WCW United States Title
– At Spring Stampede 1998, Hennig defeated The British Bulldog. He would suffer knee injuries shortly thereafter and would be forced out of action until the summer. During his recovery, he served as a valet for several members of the nWo Wolfpac group
– In early 1999, Hennig began teaming with Barry Windham
– At SuperBrawl IX, Hennig & Barry Windham defeated Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko to win the vacant WCW Tag Team Titles
– On the March 6, 1999 episode of Saturday Night, Hennig & Windham defeated Disorderly Conduct (Tough Tom & Mean Mike) to retain the WCW Tag Team Titles
– On the May 3, 1999 Nitro, Hennig defeated WCW Television Champion Booker T by DQ
– Later that month, Hennig formed The West Texas Rednecks alongside Barry and Kendall Windham, and Bobby Duncum Jr. The group would feud with The No Limit Soldiers and recorded their own entrance song ‘Rap Is Crap’
– With the heel Rednecks being cheered over the face Soldiers, the angle was dropped and the group disbanded over the summer
– Hennig lost a retirement match to Buff Bagwell at Mayhem 1999, but was reinstated by ‘The Powers That Be’ a month later
– At Starrcade 1999, Hennig & Creative Control (Gerald & Patrick) defeated Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) & Midnight
– Hennig’s WCW contract expired in the summer of 2000
– Hennig participated on the Dennis Rodman iGW Tour of Australia in late 2000, including defending the iGW World Title against Rodman on the Superstars of Wrestling PPV
– On September 30, 2000, Hennig defeated Carly Colon to win the WWC Universal Title, but would lose it back in November
– Hennig was involved in the short-lived XWF project
– Hennig made a surprise return to the WWF at the 2002 Royal Rumble
– Hennig was released from his WWF deal in May 2002 following the ‘Plane Ride From Hell’ incident
– Hennig made his in-ring debut for NWA-TNA in October 2002, teaming with BG James & Syxx-Pac to defeat Jeff Jarrett, Ron Killings & Brian Lawler
– On December 14, 2002, Hennig defeated Bruno Sassi to win the FOW Heavyweight Title
– Hennig wrestled his last match on January 8, 2003, defeating David Flair in an Axe Handle On A Pole Match
– Hennig was found dead of a cocaine overdose on February 10, 2003
– Wade Boggs inducted Hennig into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2007
– In July 2007, Hennig was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
– On February 1, 2009, Hennig was voted into the GERWECK.NET Hall of Fame.