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One of the prerequisites to being a top talent in WWE is having a solid superstar name, and in Curtis Axel's case, he was once given the moniker "Michael McGillicutty," which EC3 has now revealed was a rib.
Curtis Axel's father, Curt Hennig, had a reputation for being a serial "ribber" during his heyday, and EC3 stated that high-ranking officials certainly don't forget about the past.
While speaking on the latest episode of The Wrestling Outlaws, EC3 briefly spoke about Axel wrestling as Mike McGillicutty and stated that WWE deliberately gave the Hall of Famer's son a bizarre name. Describing it as a way of punishing Curtis Axel for his father's backstage jokes from the past, EC3 felt the promotion could not have found a more horrible name for the talented second-generation star.
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"But Joe, Joe's a good friend and super talented. But, like, even he is not Mr. Perfect. Nobody is Michael McGillicutty. That was a rib because his dad was such a ribber that they decided to punish his son with a rib. I think so, but you can quote me on it because it doesn't matter because I'll be quoted regardless. I believe it was like, 'We'll show him.' Giving his son the worst possible name ever." [From 14:58 onwards]
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How did Curtis Axel fare in WWE?
Joseph Curtis Hennig followed in his dad's footsteps and chose to become a professional wrestler in 2007, signing with the WWE the same year.
After spending three promising years in the developmental territory, where he won the World Heavyweight Championship once, Axel moved up to the main roster as part of the Nexus.
Following the faction's unfortunate end, Curtis returned to NXT for a brief run before resuming his time on the main roster, where he won the Intercontinental Championship. An alliance with Paul Heyman didn't exactly take off, and in his final years as an active performer, he was in multiple different teams in the lower mid-card scene.
Now 43 years old, the two-time RAW Tag Team Champion last worked for WWE as a producer in 2022.
Do you think the company could have done more with Mr. Perfect's son? Sound off in the comments section below.
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