Curtis Axel

Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2007 to 2020, where he performed under the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and performed under his real name, stylized as Joe Hennig, at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and was a one-time FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion and four-time FCW Florida Tag Team Champion. In 2010, after he competed on NXT under the ring name Michael McGillicutty, he debuted on WWE's main roster as part of The Nexus. He then won the WWE Tag Team Championship with David Otunga once. In 2013, he reignited his career under the Curtis Axel ring name, paying tribute to his father "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig and his grandfather Larry "The Axe" Hennig and won the WWE Intercontinental Championship once. He then won the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship with Bo Dallas as part of The B-Team. He departed WWE in April 2020, and later returned to the company in April 2022 as a producer for three months.