Former WWE Star Curtis Axel On Why He Didn't Use Hennig Name While In The Company

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel achieved a moderate amount of success during his time in the company, but he feels he would have been much more comfortable if he went by his real name, Joe Hennig. The reason being is that fans would have been able to clearly notice he was the son of WWE Hall of Famer Curt Hennig, aka Mr. Perfect.

On "Busted Open Radio," Hennig admitted how much his last name means to him, and that he fought hard to use it in WWE, but even with Paul Heyman in his corner, the promotion wouldn't allow it. "I fought it the whole time I was up there," Hennig said. "I fought it when I became Curtis Axel. Even Heyman tried helping me get that name, my name back. They just wouldn't budge." Hennig stated he was ultimately fine with the Curtis Axel name, but still wished he could have been Joe Hennig, and won't be using anything other than his real name going forward. "When I was in developmental in FCW, I was Joe Hennig. I won the world championship there as Joe Hennig, and once I got brought up, they changed my name, I thought it was some kind of rib. It wasn't. When I comeback, that's something I'm going to work out. I'm not doing anything except be Joe Hennig."

The former WWE star hasn't wrestled since being released by the company during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was brought back in April 2022 to work backstage as a producer, but was once again let go by WWE just three months later.

Please credit "Busted Open Radio" when using quotes from this article, and thanks to Fightful for the transcription.