11. Curt Hennig (March 28, 1958 - February 10, 2003)
As the son of Larry "The Axe" Hennig, Curt not only achieved greater fame than his father but he also did it...perfectly. Hennig found his first success in the AWA alongside his tag team partner Scott Hall. The duo captured the AWA tag titles but Curt eventually turned heel and defeated the legendary Verne Gagne for the AWA world title. However, when Curt jumped to the WWF in 1988, he found his biggest fame. Rechristened "Mr. Perfect", Hennig was introduced to the WWF audience in a series of vignettes showing him performing near-impossible athletic feats. At one point, Hennig caught his own Hail Mary pass and scored a touchdown. Inside the ring, Hennig went on an undefeated streak that lasted over a year, making people think that maybe Curt really was perfect. He was pushed to the main event against Hulk Hogan but did not win the title for various political reasons. He did, however, capture the Intercontinental title and became one of the most successful champions. In August 1991, due to a back injury, Hennig dropped the IC title to Bret Hart in a classic match at Summerslam. Hennig believed that his in-ring career was over and he transitioned to announce position with the company. However, Hennig returned to the ring in 1992 to feud with his former friend, Ric Flair. He wrestled as a babyface throughout 1993 until eventually returning to his heel mannerisms and turning on Lex Luger at Wrestlemania X. Hennig worked as an announcer and manager until departing for WCW in 1997. Once in WCW, Hennig earned the distinction of being one of the few wrestlers to be a member of the Four Horsemen and the New World Order. He won the US title and feuded with Goldberg but, surprisingly, it was a gimmick change to a country singer that caused his star to rise in WCW. As a member of the West Texas Rednecks, Hennig waged a war on rap music alongside Barry Windham, Kendall Windham, and Bobby Duncum, Jr.. The cowboys were supposed to be heels against the rapper Master P and his group of No Limit Soldiers but the predominantly southern fans of WCW cheered the Rednecks instead. Their theme song "Rap is Crap" even got some airplay on local country music stations. Hennig briefly returned to WWE after their purchase of WCW but mainly served as a jobber to younger stars. He still struggled with substance issues and was fired after picking a fight with Brock Lesnar on the "Plane Ride from Hell" in 2002. Sadly, this seemed to be the rock bottom of Hennig's life as Curt began using drugs more frequently and was found dead in February 2003 at the age of 44. Hennig's official cause of death was an overdose of cocaine but Larry Hennig stated that steroids and painkillers also contributed. Curt Hennig was one of the most gifted athletes in wrestling history and one of the best who never got a run with the world title in WCW or WWE.
