Legend of the fight known as Mr. Wonderful from the heyday of the 1980s – Deadline

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Paul Orndorff, aka “Mr. Wonderful”, one of the greats of the heyday of the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s, has passed away. He was 71 years old.

His son Travis made the announcement on Instagram on Monday, where he documented his father’s recent health issues.

“It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my father, Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr,” wrote young Orndorff. “He is better known as ‘Mr. # 1derful’ Paul Orndorff.”

Orndorff was instantly recognizable in the ring for his impressive build and blonde hair, but his son said his friends and family loved him for something else.

“Most of you will remember him for his looks,” he wrote. “Many will remember his intensity. But if only I could make you understand and see her heart.

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Orndorff appeared in the Southern Wrestling Circuit and signed with WWE’s predecessor, the World Wrestling Federation in late 1983, where “Rowdy” Roddy Piper became his manager. Piper nicknames Orndorff “Mr. Wonderful”, a nickname that stuck.

He made his WWF debut in 1984 against Salvatore Bellomo at Madison Square Garden and directly reached the main event less than a month later. He fought Hulk Hogan for the title as the “Hulkamania” wave began to rise. He also fought intercontinental champion Tito Santana. Orndorff and Piper often faced off against Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and “The Tonga Kid” in tag team competitions.

The first WrestleMania in 1985 saw WWF heavyweight world champion Hogan and Mr. T, accompanied by Snuka, take on the Piper and Orndorff, who were accompanied by cowboy Bob Orton.

Travis wrote that while his dad often played the villain, he loved wrestling fans even when they hated him: “As many of you hated him as a wrestler, he absolutely loved you for that.

Mr. Wonderful left WWF in 1988. He went to WCW, where he won the World Television Championship and the WCW World Tag Team Championship.

Prior to wrestling, Orndorff was a running back at the University of Tampa, where he scored 21 career touchdowns and gained over 2,000 versatile yards. The New Orleans Saints picked Orndorff in the 12th round of the 1973 NFL Draft, but he failed to pass the physique with the Kansas City Saints and Chiefs. However, he played for the Jacksonville Sharks of the World Football League in 1975. After a season in the WFL, he began training as a professional wrestler.

Despite his physique, Orndorff’s career has been marked by injuries. Specifically, a persistent neck injury that resulted in atrophy of the arm and forced him to retire in 2000. He fought and survived cancer in 2011.

Travis Orndoff posted a message two days ago on Instagram relaying his father’s confusion over a phone number with the plea: “I hope the world starts to notice the brain damage and the consequences of this fashion. of life. I don’t blame WWE or Vince McMahon like you might think. No one knew this would happen. But we can do something now.

A frequent enemy, Hogan took to Twitter upon hearing the news of Orndorff’s death and wrote: “Thank you for always making me fight for everything in our games.” He ended with “Heaven has become even more wonderful”.

Another legend of the sport’s golden age, The Iron Sheik, has released his own all-caps tribute to Orndorff.

WWE followed suit.

Paul Orndorff was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame in 2009. After retiring from wrestling, he trained other wrestlers.

In 2014, Orndorff made an appearance at WrestleMania XXX. This was his first TV appearance in WWE since the Hall of Fame ceremony in 2005. He has appeared with others who were part of the first WrestleMania: Rowdy Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, Pat Patterson and “Mean” announcer Gene Okerlund.

Along with the announcement, young Orndorff posted a GoFundMe link to help pay for his father’s funeral expenses.

Here is Travis’ full statement:

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my father, Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr.. He is better known as “Mr. # 1derful” Paul Orndorff. Most of you will remember him for his looks. Many will remember its intensity. But if only I could make you understand and see her heart. He will always be Pop, Paw Paw and Daddy at home. And even though a lot of you hated him as a wrestler, he absolutely loved you for it. He was an amazing father who showed me more love than I deserved. I love you dad.



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