Athletes - Paul Orndorff

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	Athletes - Paul Orndorff

Paul Orndorff (born October 29, 1949 in Brandon, Florida) is an American former professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation throughout the 1980s as "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff.

Career

Early years

"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff started wrestling in 1976. He wrestled in Mid-Southern Wrestling where he feuded with Jerry Lawler. He next went to Mid-South Wrestling where he feuded with Ernie Ladd.

He made a name for himself in the early 1980's in the National Wrestling Alliance where he feuded with Masked Superstar and won the NWA National Heavyweight Title three times.

WWF years

Entered the WWF in January 1984 with Roddy Piper as his manager. He was one of the earliest challengers to champion Hulk Hogan. Also feuded with Tony Atlas.

In 1985, he wrestled in the main event at Wrestlemania I on March 31, 1985 where he teamed with Piper and Bob Orton, Jr. and lost to Hogan and Mr. T. The end of the match saw Orton hit Orndorff with the cast on his arm, allowing Hogan pin Orndorff and win the match for his team.

Blaming Orndorff for the loss, Piper and Orton attacked him on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event. He followed by teaming with former adversary Hogan. Orndorff and Piper continued to feud throughout the remainder of 1985 with neither man scoring a decisive pinfall victory.

Meanwhile, Hogan and Orndorff continued to team until mid-1986 when continued rifts, in part with Adrian Adonis creating dissension, caused to team to split, by Orndorff turning heel again after a tag match with Hogan against King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd by clotheslining Hogan and then giving him Orndorff's signature piledriver.

He soon teamed with Manager Bobby Heenan to go after Hogan but still could not defeat him. Memorable matches included an outdoor event in Toronto which drew an estimated 60,000 fans. There was also a controversial televised steel cage match in which both Hogan and Orndorff exited the cage simultaneously. The match was restarted by the referee and Hogan won, putting an end to the Hogan-Orndorff war. Their half-year long feud is one of the most notable feuds in the history of pro wrestling.

During the Hogan feud, Orndorff injured his left arm and took some time off before returning during the summer of 1987. This time, he fired Bobby Heenan and took on Oliver Humperdink to feud with Heenan's newest charge, Rick Rude. Orndorff competed in the main event of the inaugural Survivor Series but left the WWF soon thereafter.

Transition

He left the WWF and wrestled on the independents and then seriously injured his left arm. He retired to run his bowling alleys in Florida for a while but the "wrestling bug" bit him again. After rigorous and gruelling training, he had worked himself up to full fitness again, and had worked so hard on his injured left arm that it was visibly stronger than his right arm.

Orndorff originally returned to World Championship Wrestlingin the spring of 1990. Along with Sting, Lex Luger, the Steiner Brothers and others, he was a member of the "Dudes with Attitudes." He defeated Arn Anderson on a televised Clash of Champions card and was with El Gigante and Junkyard Dog, defeated the Four Horsemen at the Great American Bash in July.

World Championship Wrestling

He came back to World Championship Wrestling in 1993 and feuded with Dustin Rhodes and Ricky Steamboat. He also won the Television Title in a tournament final over Erik Watts.

In 1994, he teamed with Paul Roma and became Pretty Wonderful. Pretty wonderful they were as they won the Tag Titles twice. They had a long feud with Marcus Bagwell and The Patriot (Stars N Stripes).

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