A former WWE Intercontinental Champion has been arrested in his native Minnesota on allegations of impaired driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Joe Hennig, who performed as Curtis Axel and Michael McGillicutty, was arrested on May 17 and released from jail two days later, according to Anoka County records reviewed by The Daily Mail. An attorney is not listed for Hennig and he could not be reached for comment.
Hennig now faces counts of third-degree DUI for refusing to submit to a chemical test, DWI for refusing to submit to a chemical test or breath test, obstruction of the legal process, open-bottle possession and failure to stop for an accident.
The third-degree DUI carries a possible sentence of up to 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine, while the other charges vary depending on one’s criminal history.
The Daily Mail has reached out to The Anoka County Sheriff’s Department for more information.
TheSportster.com is reporting that Hennig is accused of reversing into another car in a McDonald’s drive-thru and getting physical with police. As a result, officers searched the car and found an open bottle of vodka, according to the Sportster report.
Joe Hennig, who performed as Curtis Axel and Michael McGillicutty, was arrested on May 17 and released from jail two days later, according to Anoka County records
Joe Hennig, performing as Curtis Axel, is pictured during a 2018 show in Cologne, Germany
Hennig allegedly backed into another driver at the McDonald’s in Anoka, Minnesota
Hennig is the grandson of Larry ‘The Axe’ Hennig and son of Curt Hennig, the WWF legend better known as Mr. Perfect. Curt died in 2003 at 44 when Joe was just 22.
Four years later, Hennig signed with the WWE and began performing as Michael McGillicutty.
He was rebranded as Curtis Axel a few years later in a nod to his father and grandfather, but while he was briefly named Intercontinental Champion in 2013 and 2014, he failed to gain the widespread popularity of his dad.
Hennig stepped away from wrestling in the late 2010s before resurfacing with the WWE as a producer only to be released three months later, according to PWInsider.com.
He is reportedly married with three sons.
Hennig is the grandson of Larry ‘The Axe’ Hennig and son of Curt Henning, the WWF legend better known as Mr. Perfect (pictured). Curt died in 2003 at 44 when Joe was just 22
Hennig is not the only pro wrestler to get arrested this month. Last week, the WWE’s Ludwig Kaiser was arrested and released from jail in Florida, where he allegedly beat a neighbor after quarrelling over a public display of affection.
The 35-year-old born Marcel Barthel turned himself in at around 2:30pm on Wednesday, according to an Orlando Police report provided to The Daily Mail.
The full circumstances of the arrest were not immediately revealed. But after Barthel was booked into Orange County Jail and later released on $1,000 bond, The Daily Mail obtained an arrest warrant affidavit accusing the German-born wrestler of attacking a male neighbor during an April 23 confrontation.
According to police, Barthel and a woman boarded an elevator that night with one of his neighbors. The wrestler and his date allegedly began kissing and became ‘uncontrollably intimate’ before all parties exited the elevator on the 12th floor.
It was at this point, police say, the neighbor told Barthel to ‘please have some manners,’ which allegedly angered the wrestler. Barthel is then accused of beating the neighbor before shoving the man to the floor.
Police arrested the 35-year-old born Marcel Barthel after an altercation with another man around 2:30pm on Wednesday. The circumstances of the arrest have not been revealed
Born in Hamburg in 1990, Barthel began wrestling professional in 2008 before later joining WWE Raw in 2023 and adopting the cartoonishly German moniker, Ludwig Kaiser
Police identified Barthel on security footage, and further claim he threatened the neighbor.
The Daily Mail has sought comment from the WWE, which has one of its training facilities in Azalea Park, Florida. It’s unclear if Barthel has been working at that gym.
Born in Hamburg in 1990, Barthel began wrestling professionally in 2008 before later joining WWE Raw in 2023 and adopting the cartoonishly German moniker, Ludwig Kaiser. Simultaneously, he also works for WWE partner promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide as El Grande Americano.
Barthel has an upcoming main event in Monterrey, Mexico against the ‘Original’ El Grande Americano, Chad Gable, on May 30.
