Larry Hennig
Encyclopedia
Larry "The Axe" Hennig (born June 18, 1936) 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
. Hennig was also known for his muscular neck which, to this day, measures 22 inches.
in 1954. He was awarded a scholarship from the University of Minnesota
to wrestle and play football but had to quit due to the priorities of family and raising children.
In 1963, Hennig entered the AWA under the tutelage of Verne Gagne
. He eventually found some main event success and shared a brief Tag Team Championship reign with Duke Hoffman. But in frequently losing to rougher, more experienced wrestlers, he began questioning the scientific style instilled into him by Gagne and looked toward a different approach (in kayfabe
).
During the summer of 1963, Hennig left the AWA for a stint in the Texas
territories. While touring Texas, Hennig adopted a more brutal style and won the Texas Heavyweight Title. He also crossed paths with Harley Race
. The two young wrestlers struck up a friendship and following their mutual commitment in Amarillo, a new tag team broke out into the Minneapolis wrestling scene. Race and Hennig branded themselves as "Handsome" Harley Race (which was actually a moniker given to him by fans in Japan
) and "Pretty Boy" Larry Hennig, a cocky villainous
tag team with a penchant for breaking the rules to win matches. They quickly became top contenders, and on January 30, 1965, they defeated the legendary tandem of Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher
to capture the AWA World Tag Team Championship
, becoming, at the time, the youngest tag team champions ever. Race and Hennig continued to feud with the Bruiser and Crusher and other top teams for the next several years, amassing three title reigns.
Verne Gagne, in particular, was a hated rival of the team, and recruited many different partners to try to defeat Race and Hennig during their AWA run. Gagne and Crusher would win the titles from them six months after Race and Hennig's first reign but would lose them back on August 7, 1965. The team would retain the titles until May 1966 where they lost to Bruiser and Crusher. They would then embark on a tour through New Zealand
, Japan
, and Australia
where they became the first Tag Team Champions of the International Wrestling Alliance
in June. Just before leaving to Japan, they would drop the titles to Mark Lewin
and Dominic DeNucci
.
Race and Hennig returned to the US in fall of 1966, starting back at the bottom of the competition. As they climbed the ranks all over again, they finally received a title shot on January 6, 1967 and defeated Bruiser and Crusher in Chicago, Illinois. This would prove to be their final reign at AWA Tag Team Champions, however.
, Hennig was in the middle of lifting John Powers
as another opponent rammed into him from the front. As he dropped Powers to the mat, Hennig found that his knee had bent inward. Despite severe damage to the cartilage
and tendons, he refused to go to the local hospital and instead had Race drive him 500 miles home to Minneapolis.
A broken leg suffered by Larry Hennig on November 1, 1967 ended their last title run. The AWA allowed Harley Race to select another partner to defend the championship. Race selected Chris Markoff, who had occasionally appeared in six-man tag matches with Race and Hennig. Race and Markoff dropped the titles to Pat O’Connor and Wilbur Snyder in their first title defense.
In March 1968, Hennig would return to once again wrestle alongside Race. After several years at the top of the tag team division, however, Race would leave in December 1968 to pursue a singles career in the NWA
. Hennig was immediately partnered with Lars Anderson
for the next three years. In the mid-1970s, while competing in Florida, Hennig teamed for some matches with Race. 1972 had Hennig pair with "Dirty" Dusty Rhodes (then a heel), and in 1973, Larry worked as a singles star feuding with Verne Gagne and son Greg.
Hennig made a face
turn on August 10, 1974 at a TV taping in Minneapolis, now sporting a full red beard and calling himself "the Axe" when he saved the High Flyers, Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne
, from an attack. The event had Hennig opposing his former allies, Nick Bockwinkel
and Ray Stevens
, and manager Bobby Heenan
(who Bockwinkel and Stevens hired following their recent loss of the AWA World Tag Team title to The Crusher
and Billy Robinson
the previous month) as they assaulted the Flyers during an episode of AWA All-Star Wrestling. This moment would be featured in WWE's Spectacular Legacy of the AWA DVD
released in 2006.
During this time, Hennig also appeared in the independent film
, The Wrestler
, where he faced Verne Gagne
at the Cow Palace
in the opening match. In 1976, Hennig formed a semi-successful team with Joe LeDuc
.
- a match that was fueled by Larry Hennig's confronting his former tag team partner at the end of the match. The following year, Curt's first major push
would be alongside his father in a feud with the Road Warriors
. The Hennigs were unsuccessful in their bid to win the tag titles but proved to be worthy opponents, an attempt by the AWA to raise Curt's clout amongst fans. It was during this time that Curt became one of the biggest stars of the company and Larry's career came to a close. Before Larry's retirement in 1985, however, the Hennigs would win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship
.
Among his famed work with Harley Race, on different occasions, Hennig traveled to New York City
to unsuccessfully challenge the immensely popular Bruno Sammartino
for his WWF World Heavyweight Championship
title. He is also frequently recognized for defeating a 16-year-old "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
within 10 seconds in Piper's debut match in Winnipeg
in 1970. Larry was mostly famous for being incredibly sweaty in the ring, thus making it difficult for the workers to hold him.
Today, Larry Hennig and his wife own a successful real estate company in St. Cloud, Minnesota
, and he stays active in the promotion of professional wrestling. He also dabbles in Commodity Futures, specifically CME Dairy. Hennig makes occasional public appearances, such as at the IPW "Night of Icons" show on July 14, 2006, where he signed autographs along with Harley Race, Terry Funk
, and Ted DiBiase
. The following day, he accepted his induction into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Hennig also appeared at WrestleMania 23
, where, along with his daughter-in-law Leonice, he represented his son in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2007 induction. That same year, Curt, too, was inducted into the Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame with Larry appearing in Waterloo
to represent him.
To this day, Hennig endures knee problems as a result of a serious ring injury. His son, Curt, died on February 10, 2003 of acute cocaine intoxication. Curt left Hennig and Irene with four grandchildren. After the highly publicized death
of Chris Benoit
and his son, Hennig shared a few words with USA Today
regarding premature deaths in professional wrestling, and the friendship of Mark Linn-Baker and Larry Sweeney . He also spoke extensively about his son and his favorite Honky Tonk Man matches on the retrospective DVD set The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect, released by WWE in September 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
retired professional wrestler. He is the father of the late "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig
Curt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , 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 , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
, the grandfather of 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...
, and is best known for his work in 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...
, National Wrestling Alliance
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
and World Wide 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...
. Hennig was also known for his muscular neck which, to this day, measures 22 inches.
Career
Before pursuing a career in professional wrestling, Hennig became the Minnesota State High School Heavyweight Champion from Robbinsdale, MinnesotaRobbinsdale, Minnesota
Robbinsdale is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,953 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
in 1954. He was awarded a scholarship from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
to wrestle and play football but had to quit due to the priorities of family and raising children.
In 1963, Hennig entered the AWA under the tutelage of 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 eventually found some main event success and shared a brief Tag Team Championship reign with Duke Hoffman. But in frequently losing to rougher, more experienced wrestlers, he began questioning the scientific style instilled into him by Gagne and looked toward a different approach (in kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
).
During the summer of 1963, Hennig left the AWA for a stint in the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
territories. While touring Texas, Hennig adopted a more brutal style and won the Texas Heavyweight Title. He also crossed paths with Harley Race
Harley Race
Harley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 7 times...
. The two young wrestlers struck up a friendship and following their mutual commitment in Amarillo, a new tag team broke out into the Minneapolis wrestling scene. Race and Hennig branded themselves as "Handsome" Harley Race (which was actually a moniker given to him by fans in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) and "Pretty Boy" Larry Hennig, a cocky villainous
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...
tag team with a penchant for breaking the rules to win matches. They quickly became top contenders, and on January 30, 1965, they defeated the legendary tandem of Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher
Reginald Lisowski
Reginald Lisowski was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Crusher ....
to capture the AWA World Tag Team Championship
AWA 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 :...
, becoming, at the time, the youngest tag team champions ever. Race and Hennig continued to feud with the Bruiser and Crusher and other top teams for the next several years, amassing three title reigns.
Verne Gagne, in particular, was a hated rival of the team, and recruited many different partners to try to defeat Race and Hennig during their AWA run. Gagne and Crusher would win the titles from them six months after Race and Hennig's first reign but would lose them back on August 7, 1965. The team would retain the titles until May 1966 where they lost to Bruiser and Crusher. They would then embark on a tour through New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where they became the first Tag Team Champions of the International Wrestling Alliance
International Wrestling Alliance
The International Wrestling Alliance may refer to the following wrestling promotions:*Independent Wrestling Alliance , an Australian-based wrestling promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance during the 1960s and early 1970s...
in June. Just before leaving to Japan, they would drop the titles to Mark Lewin
Mark Lewin
-Career:Mark Lewin broke into wrestling in the early '50s and had great early success in a matinee-idol babyface tag team with Don Curtis, headlining in major territories like New York and Chicago. The team's brief heel turn was a shock to its many fans...
and Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci is an Italian-American professional wrestler. He is also an accomplished trainer, counting former World Heavyweight champions Mick Foley and Shane Douglas, as well as referee Brian Hildebrand, among his students.-Early career:...
.
Race and Hennig returned to the US in fall of 1966, starting back at the bottom of the competition. As they climbed the ranks all over again, they finally received a title shot on January 6, 1967 and defeated Bruiser and Crusher in Chicago, Illinois. This would prove to be their final reign at AWA Tag Team Champions, however.
Knee injury
A rather infamous knee injury would contribute to Hennig's retirement from wrestling. On November 1, 1967, during a tag team match in WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Hennig was in the middle of lifting John Powers
John Powers
John Powers may refer to:* John A. Powers , public affairs officer for NASA* John Holbrook Powers , Nebraska pioneer* John James Powers , United States Navy officer and Medal of Honor recipient...
as another opponent rammed into him from the front. As he dropped Powers to the mat, Hennig found that his knee had bent inward. Despite severe damage to the cartilage
Cartilage
Cartilage is a flexible connective tissue found in many areas in the bodies of humans and other animals, including the joints between bones, the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the elbow, the knee, the ankle, the bronchial tubes and the intervertebral discs...
and tendons, he refused to go to the local hospital and instead had Race drive him 500 miles home to Minneapolis.
A broken leg suffered by Larry Hennig on November 1, 1967 ended their last title run. The AWA allowed Harley Race to select another partner to defend the championship. Race selected Chris Markoff, who had occasionally appeared in six-man tag matches with Race and Hennig. Race and Markoff dropped the titles to Pat O’Connor and Wilbur Snyder in their first title defense.
In March 1968, Hennig would return to once again wrestle alongside Race. After several years at the top of the tag team division, however, Race would leave in December 1968 to pursue a singles career in the NWA
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
. Hennig was immediately partnered with Lars Anderson
Lawrence Heinemi
Larry Heinemi is a retired professional wrestler better known by the name of Lars Anderson. His career spans over a decade of performing in National Wrestling Alliance territories as well as American Wrestling Association .-Career:...
for the next three years. In the mid-1970s, while competing in Florida, Hennig teamed for some matches with Race. 1972 had Hennig pair with "Dirty" Dusty Rhodes (then a heel), and in 1973, Larry worked as a singles star feuding with Verne Gagne and son Greg.
Hennig made a face
Face (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 on August 10, 1974 at a TV taping in Minneapolis, now sporting a full red beard and calling himself "the Axe" when he saved the High Flyers, Jim Brunzell and 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...
, from an attack. The event had Hennig opposing his former allies, 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...
and Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens (wrestler)
Carl Ray Stevens , better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s...
, and manager 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...
(who Bockwinkel and Stevens hired following their recent loss of the AWA World Tag Team title to The Crusher
Reginald Lisowski
Reginald Lisowski was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Crusher ....
and Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson
Billy Robinson is a British professional wrestler and catch wrestling instructor. Robinson was well known in Japan where he has trained mixed martial arts fighters in catch wrestling...
the previous month) as they assaulted the Flyers during an episode of AWA All-Star Wrestling. This moment would be featured in WWE's Spectacular Legacy of the AWA DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
released in 2006.
During this time, Hennig also appeared in the independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
, The Wrestler
The Wrestler (1974 film)
The Wrestler is a 1974 independent film produced by professional wrestler Verne Gagne and starring Ed Asner as "Frank Bass", a wrestling promoter....
, where he faced 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...
at the Cow Palace
Cow Palace
Cow Palace is an indoor arena, in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco, notable as a sporting arena.-History:...
in the opening match. In 1976, Hennig formed a semi-successful team with Joe LeDuc
Jos LeDuc
Michel Pigeon was a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Jos LeDuc. Wrestling with a lumberjack gimmick, he debuted in Stampede Wrestling with his kayfabe brother, Paul LeDuc...
.
Return to AWA
When Harley Race returned to the AWA in 1984, he wrestled Hennig's son, CurtCurt Hennig
Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , 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 , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
- a match that was fueled by Larry Hennig's confronting his former tag team partner at the end of the match. The following year, Curt's first major push
Push (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a push is an attempt by the booker to make the wrestler win more matches and become more popular or more reviled with the fans depending on whether they are a heel or a face...
would be alongside his father in a feud with the Road Warriors
Road Warriors
The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...
. The Hennigs were unsuccessful in their bid to win the tag titles but proved to be worthy opponents, an attempt by the AWA to raise Curt's clout amongst fans. It was during this time that Curt became one of the biggest stars of the company and Larry's career came to a close. Before Larry's retirement in 1985, however, the Hennigs would win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship
NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship
The 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...
.
Among his famed work with Harley Race, on different occasions, Hennig traveled to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to unsuccessfully challenge the immensely popular Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino is an Italian-American former professional wrestler, best known for being the longest-running champion of the World Wide Wrestling Federation , holding the title across two reigns for over 11 years in total, as well as the longest single WWE Championship reign...
for his WWF World Heavyweight 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...
title. He is also frequently recognized for defeating a 16-year-old "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
within 10 seconds in Piper's debut match in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
in 1970. Larry was mostly famous for being incredibly sweaty in the ring, thus making it difficult for the workers to hold him.
Post retirement
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
, and he stays active in the promotion of professional wrestling. He also dabbles in Commodity Futures, specifically CME Dairy. Hennig makes occasional public appearances, such as at the IPW "Night of Icons" show on July 14, 2006, where he signed autographs along with Harley Race, Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
, and 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...
. The following day, he accepted his induction into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Hennig also appeared at WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23 was the twenty-third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan...
, where, along with his daughter-in-law Leonice, he represented his son in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2007 induction. That same year, Curt, too, was inducted into the Tragos/Thesz Hall of Fame with Larry appearing in Waterloo
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...
to represent him.
To this day, Hennig endures knee problems as a result of a serious ring injury. His son, Curt, died on February 10, 2003 of acute cocaine intoxication. Curt left Hennig and Irene with four grandchildren. After the highly publicized death
Chris Benoit double murder and suicide
The Chris Benoit double murder suicide occurred over a three-day period ending on June 24, 2007. World Wrestling Entertainment professional wrestler Chris Benoit killed his wife, Nancy Benoit, strangled his seven-year-old son, Daniel, and subsequently committed suicide by hanging. Autopsy results...
of Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and his son, Hennig shared a few words with USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
regarding premature deaths in professional wrestling, and the friendship of Mark Linn-Baker and Larry Sweeney . He also spoke extensively about his son and his favorite Honky Tonk Man matches on the retrospective DVD set The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect, released by WWE in September 2008.
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Elbow drop
- Running forearm smash
- 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 Axe"
- "Pretty Boy"
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 Midwest Tag Team ChampionshipAWA Midwest Tag Team ChampionshipThe AWA Midwest Tag Team Championship was a title in the American Wrestling Association from 1967 until 1971. It was for mid-level wrestlers and was mostly defended in the Omaha, Nebraska area.-Title history:...
(1 time) - with Lars AndersonLawrence HeinemiLarry Heinemi is a retired professional wrestler better known by the name of Lars Anderson. His career spans over a decade of performing in National Wrestling Alliance territories as well as American Wrestling Association .-Career:... - 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 :...
(4 times) - with Duke Hoffman (1), Harley RaceHarley RaceHarley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 7 times...
(3)
- NWA Western States SportsNational Wrestling AllianceThe National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
- NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Amarillo version)NWA Brass Knuckles Championship (Amarillo version)The Amarillo version of the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship was a secondary championship that was defended in Dory Funk, Sr.'s NWA Western States Sports promotion based in Amarillo, Texas. Originally created in August 1964, the title was used briefly before being abandoned. It was reactivated three...
(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 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...
(1 time) - with Curt HennigCurt HennigCurtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , 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 , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...
- Other titles
- IWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Bob WindhamBlackjack MulliganRobert Jack Windham , better known by his ring name Blackjack Mulligan is a former professional wrestler and a former American football player...
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2006)