Wrestling Pioneer Larry ‘The Axe’ Hennig Dies at Age 82

Hennig was the father of Mr. Perfect and the grandfather of Curtis Axel.

Courtesy of WWE

Larry “The Axe” Hennig, an important figure in the early days of professional wrestling, died Thursday. He was 82. 

Hennig was the father of the late Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig and grandfather of current WWE wrestler Joe Hennig, whose “Curtis Axel” ring name refers to his father and grandfather’s names. 

The younger Henning confirmed his grandfather’s passing. 

“No one has had a bigger impact on my wrestlin career than my Papa Axe,” he wrote. “He’s been my biggest supporter since day one! Another father when I lost mine.”

The highlight of Hennig’s in-ring career was a run as AWA tag team champions with Harley Race in the mid 1960s. A serious knee injury suffered in 1967 derailed his career but only briefly. Hennig remained an active wrestler long enough to form a tag team with his son, Curt. 

Hennig wrestled in a varities of territories all across the U.S. as well as in Japan and Australia before retiring in 1985. 

Hennig’s death comes just one day after the death of former WWF wrestler Tom “Dynamite Kid” Billington.