Curtis Axel

3.1.1. World League Wrestling (WLW)

Hennig made his professional wrestling debut on July 13, 2007, in Waterloo, Iowa, for World League Wrestling (WLW). In his debut match, he teamed with Ted DiBiase Jr. to defeat the team of Branden Tatum and Dinn T. Moore by disqualification. Following his debut, Hennig embarked on an impressive nine-month winning streak in WLW. His first singles loss in the promotion came against Wade Chism.

3.1.2. Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW)

In October 2007, Hennig made a brief appearance on SmackDown, teaming with Steve Fender in a losing effort against Jesse and Festus. He then signed a contract with WWE (then World Wrestling Entertainment) and was assigned to its developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW).

In FCW, Hennig quickly found success in the tag team division. On September 11, 2008, he and Sebastian Slater defeated Nic Nemeth and Gavin Spears to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. Their reign, however, was short-lived, as they lost the championship to The New Hart Foundation (DH Smith and TJ Wilson) on October 30. Hennig also pursued the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship, challenging Sheamus O'Shaunessy in November, with both matches ending in double disqualification. He participated in a fatal four-way match for the title on December 11, which was won by Eric Escobar.

On February 26, 2009, Hennig defeated Escobar to capture the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship. However, his reign was cut short when he suffered a serious injury in April, forcing him to relinquish the title. He returned to the ring in June and later formed a tag team with Brett DiBiase known as The Fortunate Sons. On January 14, 2010, The Fortunate Sons won the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship by defeating The Dudebusters (Caylen Croft and Trent Barreta), marking Hennig's second reign. They lost the championship to The Uso Brothers (Jimmy and Jules) on March 13. Following this loss, Hennig blamed DiBiase, leading to a feud that culminated in a match on April 8, which ended in a double disqualification. Their storyline concluded when DiBiase suffered a knee injury on April 29. On July 15, now using the ring name Michael McGillicutty, he teamed with Kaval to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship from Los Aviadores (Epico and Hunico), making him a four-time tag team champion. However, they lost the titles back to Los Aviadores the very next day.

3.2.1. NXT Season 2 Participation

Following his time in FCW, McGillicutty was announced as a participant in the second season of WWE NXT, with Kofi Kingston serving as his professional mentor. He made his NXT debut on the June 8, 2010, episode, though he did not compete in a match. His in-ring debut occurred the following week, where he teamed with Kingston to defeat Mark Henry and Lucky Cannon. In the first poll on June 29, McGillicutty was ranked third, behind Kaval and Percy Watson. On the July 20 episode of NXT, he secured immunity from elimination in the next poll by completing an obstacle course in the fastest time. The following week, he rose to first place in the second poll. After six consecutive victories, McGillicutty suffered his first loss on August 3, when he was defeated by his pro, The Miz. On the August 9 episode of Raw, he teamed with Alex Riley and Husky Harris in a six-man tag team match, defeating Kaval, Lucky Cannon, and Percy Watson. However, they lost a rematch the following night on NXT, with McGillicutty being pinned by Kaval, causing him to slip to second place in the next poll. In the season finale on August 31, McGillicutty finished as the runner-up, losing to Kaval. Immediately after the show, he attacked Kaval alongside the other eliminated rookies, turning heel.

3.2.2. The Nexus and The New Nexus

McGillicutty's main roster debut came dramatically on October 3, 2010, at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. Disguised, he and Husky Harris interfered in a match between John Cena and Wade Barrett, helping Barrett win and forcing Cena to join The Nexus. Their identities were revealed the next day on Raw, though Barrett initially refused to make them full-time members. After they continued to interfere in Cena's matches, Barrett eventually inducted McGillicutty and Harris into The Nexus on the October 25 episode of Raw.

In January 2011, CM Punk took over The Nexus, renaming it The New Nexus. McGillicutty successfully passed Punk's initiation, a beatdown from the group, and remained a member alongside Punk, Harris, and David Otunga. In February, as part of a storyline leading to WrestleMania XXVII, McGillicutty lost to Randy Orton on the February 28 Raw and was subsequently punted in the head by Orton. He returned on April 11, helping other Nexus members prevent Orton from earning a WWE Championship match.

On the May 23 episode of Raw, McGillicutty teamed with David Otunga to win the WWE Tag Team Championship from Big Show and Kane, with interference from Punk and Mason Ryan. They successfully defended the title once on the July 29 SmackDown against The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso). After CM Punk's storyline departure from WWE on July 17, The Nexus effectively disbanded. On August 1, McGillicutty and Otunga appeared without Nexus gear, and all Nexus logos were removed from their entrance. On August 22, they lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Air Boom (Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston), ending their reign at 91 days.

3.3.1. Michael McGillicutty Era

After his tag team with David Otunga ended, Michael McGillicutty's appearances were largely confined to Superstars and NXT from late 2011 to early 2013. He suffered a significant losing streak during this period, losing over twenty non-NXT televised matches in a row.

He returned to NXT (now the rebranded developmental territory) in January 2012, where he engaged in a feud with Tyson Kidd, mocking Kidd's lack of wrestling heritage. Their series of matches saw McGillicutty win on February 29, but Kidd triumphed in subsequent rematches on March 21 and April 11. McGillicutty occasionally teamed with Johnny Curtis throughout 2012. On the first episode of the rebooted NXT on June 20, he lost to Tyson Kidd. He participated in the Gold Rush Tournament to crown the inaugural NXT Champion, defeating Justin Gabriel in the quarter-finals on August 8, but was eliminated by eventual winner Seth Rollins in the semi-finals on August 15. On September 12, McGillicutty defeated Kidd to become the number one contender for the NXT Championship, but failed to win the title from Seth Rollins on October 10. On November 28, he teamed with Johnny Curtis in a failed attempt to win the WWE Tag Team Championship from Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane).

On January 2, 2013, McGillicutty briefly turned face within NXT by saving Bo Dallas from an attack by Primo and Epico. Although they lost to Primo and Epico the following week, McGillicutty and Dallas defeated them in the first round of the NXT Tag Team Championship tournament on January 30. They were eliminated in the semi-finals on February 6 by The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper and Erick Rowan).

3.3.2. Curtis Axel Era

On the May 20, 2013, episode of Raw, Hennig was repackaged under the new ring name Curtis Axel. This name was a tribute to his family: "Curtis" derived from his father's first name, Curt, and his own middle name, while "Axel" came from his grandfather Larry "The Axe" Hennig's nickname. He was introduced as the newest client of Paul Heyman, becoming a "Paul Heyman Guy." In his re-debut match later that night, Axel faced Triple H and won by knockout after Triple H suffered concussion-like symptoms and collapsed. Over the next two weeks on Raw, Axel secured back-to-back non-title count-out victories over WWE Champion John Cena, largely due to distractions and interference by Ryback. On June 7, Axel defeated Chris Jericho on SmackDown after Jericho was distracted by Heyman's other client, CM Punk. Three days later on Raw, Axel defeated Triple H twice, first by disqualification and then by forfeit.

3.4.1. RybAxel

On the December 6, 2013, episode of SmackDown, Curtis Axel formed a tag team with Ryback, and they defeated the WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust in a non-title match, earning a championship opportunity. At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, they competed in a fatal four-way tag team elimination match for the WWE Tag Team Championship but were eliminated by Cody Rhodes and Goldust. They again failed to win the WWE Tag Team Championship in a fatal four-way tag team elimination match at WrestleMania XXX on April 6, 2014. RybAxel continued their feud with Cody Rhodes and Goldust, defeating them at Payback before losing a rematch at Money in the Bank. The team disbanded later that year when Ryback took time off for surgery and returned as a singles competitor.

3.4.2. Social Outcasts

On January 4, 2016, Axel turned heel and debuted a new stable called "The Social Outcasts" alongside Heath Slater, Adam Rose, and Bo Dallas. The group assisted Slater in defeating Dolph Ziggler, explaining in interviews that they were all former champions or talented individuals who had been overlooked for too long. At Royal Rumble, Axel entered the Royal Rumble match at number 5 but was eliminated by AJ Styles. On February 21 at Fastlane, Axel defeated R-Truth with interference from his stablemates. At WrestleMania 32, Axel participated in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which was won by Baron Corbin. In May, The Social Outcasts took a break to film The Marine 5: Battleground. They returned to Raw on June 27, confronting Enzo Amore and Big Cass, but were defeated by them the following week.

As part of the 2016 WWE draft, Axel was drafted to the Raw brand as its last pick, earning him the nickname "Mr. Irrelevant." After losing to the returning Neville, Axel briefly reunited with former Social Outcasts member Bo Dallas. On October 17, Dallas attacked Axel after a match with Neville, leading to Axel turning face. A week later, in his home state of Minnesota, Axel received a positive reception from the crowd but lost to Dallas. At WrestleMania 33 on April 2, 2017, Axel participated in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which was won by Mojo Rawley.

3.4.3. Miztourage and The B-Team

On June 19, 2017, on Raw, Intercontinental Champion The Miz approached Axel and Bo Dallas, offering to make them "the stars [they] deserve to be" if they became his entourage. Later that night, Axel and Dallas, disguised in bear costumes, attacked Dean Ambrose during a segment with Miz and Maryse, turning heel once again. Axel and Dallas, now dubbed The Miztourage, regularly assisted Miz in his matches and occasionally teamed with him, securing victories against Dean Ambrose, Heath Slater and Rhyno on June 26, and Jason Jordan and The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy) at SummerSlam. At No Mercy, they helped Miz defeat Jason Jordan to retain his title. At WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018, Axel participated in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal but was eliminated by Kane.

As part of the Superstar Shake-up, Miz was moved to the SmackDown brand, while Axel and Dallas remained on Raw. On the April 16 Raw, during a tag team match, Axel and Dallas turned on Miz, ending their alliance.

On May 14, the duo adopted the new team name "The B-Team" and defeated Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango), marking their first win as a team since August 2017. On June 4, The B-Team won a tag team battle royal to become the number one contenders for the Raw Tag Team Championships. At Extreme Rules on July 15, The B-Team defeated Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy to win the Raw Tag Team Championship. They successfully retained their title against Wyatt and Hardy on July 23, and against The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) at SummerSlam on August 19. On September 3, The B-Team lost the championships to Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, ending their reign at 50 days.

3.5.1. Producer Role

In April 2022, Joseph Hennig was rehired by WWE, this time in a backstage capacity as a producer. On the May 30, 2022, episode of Raw, Hennig was seen as a security team member, helping to break up a brawl between Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. However, his second stint with the company was brief, as he was released three months later in July 2022.

3.6.1. Signature Moves

• Axehole / Axelizer (Hangman's facebuster): His primary finishing move as Curtis Axel.
• Perfect-Plex (Bridging fisherman suplex): A tribute to his father, Curt Hennig. He used it as the Hennig-Plex in FCW and later as a setup move.
• Turning Heads (Running one-armed neckbreaker): Also known as the McGillicutter during his time as Michael McGillicutty.
• Leg Drop of Doom (Running leg drop): Used during his "AxelMania" gimmick, parodying Hulk Hogan.
• Sliding Clothesline
• Rolling Neck Snap

3.6.2. Entrance Themes

• "SOS" by Collie Buddz (used as Michael McGillicutty, 2010)
• "We Are One" by 12 Stones (used as a member of The Nexus, 2010-2011)
• "This Fire Burns" by Killswitch Engage (used as a member of The New Nexus, 2011)
• "Death Blow" from the VideoHelper Production Library (used in tag team with David Otunga, 2011)
• "And the Horse He Rode in On" by Reluctant Hero (2011-2013)
• "Reborn" by Jim Johnston (used as Curtis Axel, 2013-present)
• "Meat on the Perfect Table" by Jim Johnston (used with Ryback as RybAxel, 2014)
• "Real American" performed by Rick Derringer and composed by Jim Johnston (used during "AxelMania" gimmick with Damien Sandow as The Mega Powers, 2015)
• "Outcast" by CFO$ (used as a member of The Social Outcasts, 2016)
• "I Came to Play" by Downstait (used as a member of The Miztourage, 2017-2018)
• "Battlescars" by CFO$ (used with Bo Dallas as The B-Team, 2018)
• "Go, Go, Go" by CFO$ (used with Bo Dallas as The B-Team, 2018-present)

3.6.3. Managers and Nicknames

Throughout his career, Joseph Hennig was associated with various managers and adopted several nicknames.

• Managers
  • Kofi Kingston (as his NXT Pro)
  • Larry Hennig (briefly, as a tribute)
  • Paul Heyman
  • Maryse (as part of The Miztourage)
  • Nicknames
    • "The Axeman"
    • "AxelMania"
    • "Paul Heyman Guy"
    • "Mr. Irrelevant"
    • Tag Teams and Stables
      • The Nexus / The New Nexus
      • RybAxel
      • The Social Outcasts
      • The Miztourage
      • The B-Team