Post by CandyKANE on Feb 12, 2003 16:21:47 GMT -5
Superstars remember Hennig as great performer, person
by Phil Speer
Feb. 12, 2003
Curt Hennig had worked for World Wrestling Entertainment as recently as May, so virtually the entire roster of WWE Superstars was at least acquainted with him. Many grew up idolizing him. Others were close friends of his. It made the WWE television tapings Monday and Tuesday more difficult as the news spread backstage of Hennig's death Monday at the age of 44.
According to published reports, Hennig was found dead in his hotel room in Brandon, Fla., hours before he was scheduled to compete at an independently promoted wrestling show in Tampa. He is survived by his wife and four children -- two boys and two girls, ranging in age from their early 20s to 10. Hennig would have been 45 on March 28.
Hennig competed off and on for WWE in the 1980s and 90s before his brief stint in 2002. Even after leaving WWE in May, he kept in touch with some of the Superstars, including fellow Minnesota resident Brock Lesnar.
"I've known him for five years," Lesnar said. "I met him in '97. We were buddies. I only lived 20 minutes from him. I saw him last week. We went to the gym. We were supposed to go fishing next week. I just can't believe he's gone.
"I kind of looked up to him because he helped me out quite a bit. He was just always joking. When I would call him he would answer the phone as 'Minnesota's Greatest Athlete.'"
Perhaps Hennig's closest friend among current WWE Superstars was Ray "Big Boss Man" Traylor, whom he had known for 15 years.
"He was all about fun and laughs, and having a good time," Traylor said. "That was it. Good fellow. He wasn't out to hurt anybody. We were road-riding buddies. We rode everywhere together (and) shared rooms. It used to be me, him and Rick Rude together, and then Rick died."
After Hennig left WWE in May, Traylor said, "We made a pact that we were going to keep in touch even though we lived on opposite sides of the country. Every couple of months we hung out."
Traylor said he had last seen Hennig three or four weeks ago. "But I talked to him all the time. We were brothers, man."
Traylor said he was going to pick Hennig up at the Atlanta airport on Tuesday and hang out with him until Hennig left for his him home in Champlin, Minn., on Wednesday. Traylor anticipated that Hennig would call on Monday with his flight information.
"I kept waiting for his phone call," Traylor said. "He never called."
The son of Larry "The Axe" Hennig, Curt often attended shows with his father.
Ric Flair broke into the business in Minnesota, oftentimes competing on the same shows as "The Axe," and Flair remembers meeting Curt when he was just 12 or 13.
"He just was an awesome guy and an awesome performer," Flair said. "He just always kept me smiling. He just was the kind of guy who if he was upset about something, you never saw it.
"We got along great and had great chemistry. He made me laugh as much as Arn Anderson did. It's kind of overwhelming talking about it now, because it's hard to believe he's gone. It's a big loss to the wrestling world."
Hennig said he never thought about becoming a wrestler until he fell into the industry after hurting his knee while playing football at the University of Minnesota. Hennig continued to be a Golden Gopher fan long after he left the institution. He would sometimes attend Gopher amateur wrestling meets, which is where he met Lesnar.
"He pretty much broke me into the business when I first wanted to break in -- him and (former AWA star) Brad Rheingans," Lesnar said.
Hennig made his professional wrestling debut in 1980, and wrestled throughout the decade in independent promotions and for the AWA.
Flair and Dr. Tom Prichard reminisce fondly about working with Hennig for promoter Don Owen in Portland in the early- to mid-1980s. Flair says he had some of the best times in those days, going salmon fishing and traveling from town to town with Hennig. Later, in 1987, Flair wrestled Hennig when Flair was NWA Champion and Hennig was AWA Champion.
At the time, Flair had no idea he'd get the opportunity to work and travel with Hennig in WWE. In 1988, Hennig signed with Vince McMahon's promotion and became "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, and eventually just Mr. Perfect.
"The first time I got to see Curt live was his first go-around in WWE," Arn Anderson said. "Being a guy whose not really easily impressed -- I've seen so many great athletes, great workers and big stars over the years -- Curt was one of those guys who grabbed you right away. He was special. Everything he did was different than everybody else. I would venture to say that up until that time, the matches he had with Bret Hart were the most awe-inspiring things I had seen. It was just incredible because it was completely different."
Anderson and his partner Tully Blanchard soon followed Hennig into WWE, giving Anderson 14 months on the same roster with Hennig, and the opportunity to get to know him personally.
"The ring style that Curt brought every single night was the same dressing-room style, which is different too," he said. "He could light up a room."
Anderson described Hennig's sense of humor as a "mix of sarcasm, realism and sensitivity."
"The end result was whatever he said was funny as hell," Anderson said. "Curt could make you laugh at yourself, and before the joke was done, you would be laughing at him.
"No one else will be like Curt Hennig, (and) no one has ever been like Curt Hennig. From the first time I met him, Curt was just special. There's no other adjective I can use to describe him. If anyone is ever compared to Curt Hennig -- in the dressing room or in the ring -- it'd be a hell of a compliment."
In April 1990, Mr. Perfect won the Intercontinental Championship for the first of two times. He also took on a manager, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.
"There's not much really to say," Heenan said in a telephone interview of Hennig's death. "It's just a tragedy, and I'm very sorry."
In the years that followed, injuries would turn Hennig into a part-time wrestler and part-time broadcaster. He was also "executive consultant" for Ric Flair when "The Real World's Champion" arrived in WWE.
Flair said he talked to Hennig a few weeks ago, and Hennig still introduced himself over the phone as "Curt Hennig, Executive Consultant."
"It was the best," Flair says of his time in WWE with Hennig, laughing at the memory. "When he and I were together -- ask Vince -- we had a lot of fun. We had a great time. We traveled around the world together. When you've got someone you can always have fun with, work is never work. When I was working with Curt, we had such a great time that it wasn't work.
"He was at WrestleMania with me when I wrestled (Randy) Savage. We were together every day for a year and a half, you get to know somebody pretty well when you travel with somebody like that."
For a time, Hennig was co-host on "Prime Time Wrestling," a precursor to RAW. He also worked in the commentary booth alongside Vince McMahon and Jim Ross.
"I found him to be entertaining and very competitive," Ross said. "When Curt first launched his broadcast career, he wanted to be better than Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, a man Curt grew up watching in his home state of Minnesota. Anything Curt did, he wanted to be the best at it, whether it be announcing, wrestling, hunting, fishing or pulling classic pranks on his peers.
In 1996, Hennig left WWE for WCW. While there, his peers say, Hennig would do whatever he could to help the up-and-coming stars.
According to Chris Jericho, many of the veterans in WCW at the time "wouldn't give you the time of day and just didn't care about you." But not Hennig, who believed in passing on his knowledge of the business to the next generation.
"Curt Hennig was one of those guys who I really felt like when it came to the business, his heart was in the right place," Jericho said.
Hennig returned to WWE at Royal Rumble in January 2002, once again as Mr. Perfect, giving a whole new crop of WWE Superstars the opportunity to get to know him and his practical joking ways.
"Anybody that knows him knows that he was one of the best ribbers around.," Lesnar said. "It didn't matter who it was, he always made you laugh. He was always a wise ass."
Flair said, "Curt ribbed a lot of guys, but he did it having fun. It was never malicious."
Added Ross, "I will remember him as a great athlete and as a talent who never let it get boring in the locker room or on the road. His wit and sense of humor were priceless and eased the burden of many long days those in our business are so often challenged.
"Chief Jay Strongbow gave Curt the nickname 'Dennis the Menace' and it was truly fit for the second-generation star who always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. I know Curt truly loved our business and for those of us that were fortunate enough to know him personally, he will always be remembered for the smiles he put on our faces. My personal condolences to Curt's family, especially his father Larry 'The Axe' Hennig, who has not only lost a son but a best friend as well."
Several Superstars said they're planning on attending Hennig's funeral if possible.
"I think a lot of people are going to go the funeral," Traylor said. "Curt had a lot of friends."
by Phil Speer
Feb. 12, 2003
Curt Hennig had worked for World Wrestling Entertainment as recently as May, so virtually the entire roster of WWE Superstars was at least acquainted with him. Many grew up idolizing him. Others were close friends of his. It made the WWE television tapings Monday and Tuesday more difficult as the news spread backstage of Hennig's death Monday at the age of 44.
According to published reports, Hennig was found dead in his hotel room in Brandon, Fla., hours before he was scheduled to compete at an independently promoted wrestling show in Tampa. He is survived by his wife and four children -- two boys and two girls, ranging in age from their early 20s to 10. Hennig would have been 45 on March 28.
Hennig competed off and on for WWE in the 1980s and 90s before his brief stint in 2002. Even after leaving WWE in May, he kept in touch with some of the Superstars, including fellow Minnesota resident Brock Lesnar.
"I've known him for five years," Lesnar said. "I met him in '97. We were buddies. I only lived 20 minutes from him. I saw him last week. We went to the gym. We were supposed to go fishing next week. I just can't believe he's gone.
"I kind of looked up to him because he helped me out quite a bit. He was just always joking. When I would call him he would answer the phone as 'Minnesota's Greatest Athlete.'"
Perhaps Hennig's closest friend among current WWE Superstars was Ray "Big Boss Man" Traylor, whom he had known for 15 years.
"He was all about fun and laughs, and having a good time," Traylor said. "That was it. Good fellow. He wasn't out to hurt anybody. We were road-riding buddies. We rode everywhere together (and) shared rooms. It used to be me, him and Rick Rude together, and then Rick died."
After Hennig left WWE in May, Traylor said, "We made a pact that we were going to keep in touch even though we lived on opposite sides of the country. Every couple of months we hung out."
Traylor said he had last seen Hennig three or four weeks ago. "But I talked to him all the time. We were brothers, man."
Traylor said he was going to pick Hennig up at the Atlanta airport on Tuesday and hang out with him until Hennig left for his him home in Champlin, Minn., on Wednesday. Traylor anticipated that Hennig would call on Monday with his flight information.
"I kept waiting for his phone call," Traylor said. "He never called."
The son of Larry "The Axe" Hennig, Curt often attended shows with his father.
Ric Flair broke into the business in Minnesota, oftentimes competing on the same shows as "The Axe," and Flair remembers meeting Curt when he was just 12 or 13.
"He just was an awesome guy and an awesome performer," Flair said. "He just always kept me smiling. He just was the kind of guy who if he was upset about something, you never saw it.
"We got along great and had great chemistry. He made me laugh as much as Arn Anderson did. It's kind of overwhelming talking about it now, because it's hard to believe he's gone. It's a big loss to the wrestling world."
Hennig said he never thought about becoming a wrestler until he fell into the industry after hurting his knee while playing football at the University of Minnesota. Hennig continued to be a Golden Gopher fan long after he left the institution. He would sometimes attend Gopher amateur wrestling meets, which is where he met Lesnar.
"He pretty much broke me into the business when I first wanted to break in -- him and (former AWA star) Brad Rheingans," Lesnar said.
Hennig made his professional wrestling debut in 1980, and wrestled throughout the decade in independent promotions and for the AWA.
Flair and Dr. Tom Prichard reminisce fondly about working with Hennig for promoter Don Owen in Portland in the early- to mid-1980s. Flair says he had some of the best times in those days, going salmon fishing and traveling from town to town with Hennig. Later, in 1987, Flair wrestled Hennig when Flair was NWA Champion and Hennig was AWA Champion.
At the time, Flair had no idea he'd get the opportunity to work and travel with Hennig in WWE. In 1988, Hennig signed with Vince McMahon's promotion and became "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, and eventually just Mr. Perfect.
"The first time I got to see Curt live was his first go-around in WWE," Arn Anderson said. "Being a guy whose not really easily impressed -- I've seen so many great athletes, great workers and big stars over the years -- Curt was one of those guys who grabbed you right away. He was special. Everything he did was different than everybody else. I would venture to say that up until that time, the matches he had with Bret Hart were the most awe-inspiring things I had seen. It was just incredible because it was completely different."
Anderson and his partner Tully Blanchard soon followed Hennig into WWE, giving Anderson 14 months on the same roster with Hennig, and the opportunity to get to know him personally.
"The ring style that Curt brought every single night was the same dressing-room style, which is different too," he said. "He could light up a room."
Anderson described Hennig's sense of humor as a "mix of sarcasm, realism and sensitivity."
"The end result was whatever he said was funny as hell," Anderson said. "Curt could make you laugh at yourself, and before the joke was done, you would be laughing at him.
"No one else will be like Curt Hennig, (and) no one has ever been like Curt Hennig. From the first time I met him, Curt was just special. There's no other adjective I can use to describe him. If anyone is ever compared to Curt Hennig -- in the dressing room or in the ring -- it'd be a hell of a compliment."
In April 1990, Mr. Perfect won the Intercontinental Championship for the first of two times. He also took on a manager, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.
"There's not much really to say," Heenan said in a telephone interview of Hennig's death. "It's just a tragedy, and I'm very sorry."
In the years that followed, injuries would turn Hennig into a part-time wrestler and part-time broadcaster. He was also "executive consultant" for Ric Flair when "The Real World's Champion" arrived in WWE.
Flair said he talked to Hennig a few weeks ago, and Hennig still introduced himself over the phone as "Curt Hennig, Executive Consultant."
"It was the best," Flair says of his time in WWE with Hennig, laughing at the memory. "When he and I were together -- ask Vince -- we had a lot of fun. We had a great time. We traveled around the world together. When you've got someone you can always have fun with, work is never work. When I was working with Curt, we had such a great time that it wasn't work.
"He was at WrestleMania with me when I wrestled (Randy) Savage. We were together every day for a year and a half, you get to know somebody pretty well when you travel with somebody like that."
For a time, Hennig was co-host on "Prime Time Wrestling," a precursor to RAW. He also worked in the commentary booth alongside Vince McMahon and Jim Ross.
"I found him to be entertaining and very competitive," Ross said. "When Curt first launched his broadcast career, he wanted to be better than Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, a man Curt grew up watching in his home state of Minnesota. Anything Curt did, he wanted to be the best at it, whether it be announcing, wrestling, hunting, fishing or pulling classic pranks on his peers.
In 1996, Hennig left WWE for WCW. While there, his peers say, Hennig would do whatever he could to help the up-and-coming stars.
According to Chris Jericho, many of the veterans in WCW at the time "wouldn't give you the time of day and just didn't care about you." But not Hennig, who believed in passing on his knowledge of the business to the next generation.
"Curt Hennig was one of those guys who I really felt like when it came to the business, his heart was in the right place," Jericho said.
Hennig returned to WWE at Royal Rumble in January 2002, once again as Mr. Perfect, giving a whole new crop of WWE Superstars the opportunity to get to know him and his practical joking ways.
"Anybody that knows him knows that he was one of the best ribbers around.," Lesnar said. "It didn't matter who it was, he always made you laugh. He was always a wise ass."
Flair said, "Curt ribbed a lot of guys, but he did it having fun. It was never malicious."
Added Ross, "I will remember him as a great athlete and as a talent who never let it get boring in the locker room or on the road. His wit and sense of humor were priceless and eased the burden of many long days those in our business are so often challenged.
"Chief Jay Strongbow gave Curt the nickname 'Dennis the Menace' and it was truly fit for the second-generation star who always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. I know Curt truly loved our business and for those of us that were fortunate enough to know him personally, he will always be remembered for the smiles he put on our faces. My personal condolences to Curt's family, especially his father Larry 'The Axe' Hennig, who has not only lost a son but a best friend as well."
Several Superstars said they're planning on attending Hennig's funeral if possible.
"I think a lot of people are going to go the funeral," Traylor said. "Curt had a lot of friends."