"I think he’s got value" - Jim Ross surprised released WWE Superstar is not active in pro wrestling
Jim Ross thinks Curtis Axel should be actively involved in pro wrestling following his exit from WWE in 2020.
Axel, the son of the legendary "Mr Perfect" Curt Hennig, was with the company from 2007 to 2020, climbing the ranks from developmental. He was a part of the original NXT series and later part of The Nexus. Axel won the Intercontinental title once and two reigns as a tag team champion.
On his Grilling JR show, the iconic commentator stated that he was surprised Axel is not active in pro wrestling at the moment. He praised the former star's attitude and said he has the qualities to be a good addition to several promotions.
"I am a little bit [surprised Curtis Axel/Joseph Hennig isn’t actively involved in wrestling right now]. I like that kid. I like that kid a lot. Such a good-spirited, warm kid. I think he takes after his mom. She’s such a nice lady and you know, yeah, I’m surprised because I think he’s got value. Now he may be out of shape, he may have lost interest and all that stuff. I don’t know those things. I do think he was good enough [to be] on somebody’s roster today. I never liked ‘Curtis Axel’. Why would we just kill him?" asked Ross. (H/T Post Wrestling)
Reminder that Curtis Axel was never eliminated from the 2014 Royal Rumble. Therefore he has been in the Royal Rumble for an outstanding:
2917 Days
70025 Hours
4201519Minutes https://t.co/agifCl9Z8W
His last match in WWE came in February 2020, when he faced Daniel Bryan on SmackDown.
Curtis Axel recently teased a match with Randy Orton in WWE
Maybe I’ll see you again one day too, “Apex Predator”… youtu.be/SCeXk1i2I2o
Axel was one of the many stars that have been released by the company ever since the pandemic began two years ago. He hasn't wrestled anywhere since being let go by the promotion in April 2020.
He recently tweeted an old video where Randy Orton spoke about him at a WWE event. In the video, The Viper stated that he hoped Axel would be repackaged with his real name, Joe Henning.
Axel wished to someday step back in the ring with Orton once again. He also expressed his desire to face producer and former star TJ Wilson aka Tyson Kidd, once more in the ring.
I wanna fight @TJWilson in the ring at least one more time…