Curt Hennig was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the son of wrestling legend Larry Hennig, also known as Larry "The Ax" Hennig. He began training to follow in his father's footsteps at the tender age of 12.
Starting off in the AWA, Curt began his career as a tag team wrestler, winning the AWA Tag Team Championship with Scott Hall before focusing on a singles career. He became the AWA Heavyweight Champion in just his second year with the company, catching the attention of the WWF.
The WWF was looking to acquire the services of second-generation stars, and Curt Hennig fit the bill perfectly. He made his debut in the WWF in 1988 as "Mr. Perfect," and his character was an instant hit with WWF fans. He quickly established himself as a quality technical wrestler, and his legendary feud with Bret Hart, also a second-generation WWF star, began.
The feud culminated in an Intercontinental Championship match at SummerSlam in 1992, which Hennig defended against Hart despite suffering a serious back injury. Despite being praised for working through the injury, Hennig's back problems persisted, and he took a few months off before returning to the WWF.
However, his return was short-lived, as his back flared up again in late 1993. He worked as a commentator for the WWF until his contract expired at the end of 1995, when he signed a four-year contract with WCW.
Hennig returned to the ring in 1996 and won the WCW United States Championship on three separate occasions, as well as the WCW Tag Team Championship. However, his talents were being wasted in WCW, and at the end of his contract in 2000, he decided against signing an extension and took a break from the sport.
In 2001, he returned to the ring with XWF and made appearances in Australia with the WWA. However, he was hoping to make a comeback in the World Wrestling Federation, and sure enough, the WWF contacted him to make his return as Mr. Perfect in the 2002 Royal Rumble.
What was initially billed as a one-time arrangement resulted in Curt Hennig once again re-joining the WWF after signing a long-term contract. However, his life outside the ring was anything but perfect. In May 2002, he was fired by Vince McMahon after getting into a fight with Brock Lesnar on a charter flight.
On February 10, 2003, he was found dead in a Tampa hotel, with the cause of death later found to be acute cocaine intoxication. He left behind his wife of 20 years, Leonice, and four children.
