Paul Orndorff
Paul Orndorff | |
|---|---|
Orndorff in 2009 | |
| Born | Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. October 29, 1949 Brandon, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | July 12, 2021 (aged 71) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Tampa |
| Spouse |
Ronda Maxwell (m. 1971) |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | Terry Orndorff (brother) |
| Ring name | "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Billed weight | 252 lb (114 kg) |
| Billed from | Brandon, Florida, U.S. |
| Trained by | Bob Backlund Jack Brisco Eddie Graham Hiro Matsuda |
| Debut | 1976 |
| Retired | 2000 |
|
American football career | |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Brandon High (FL) |
| College: | Tampa |
| Position: | Tight end, fullback |
| NFL draft: | 1973: 12th round, 289th pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. (October 29, 1949 – July 12, 2021), nicknamed "Mr. Wonderful", was an American professional wrestler and football player, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
After seven years working around the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Orndorff became a star in the 1980s WWF wrestling boom, and featured with manager Bobby Heenan and champion Hulk Hogan extensively, including in the main events of the first WrestleMania and Survivor Series. He left the WWF for WCW in early 1990, where he won the WCW World Television Championship and the WCW World Tag Team Championship with Paul Roma (as a team called Pretty Wonderful).
Arm atrophy from a nagging injury led him to retire in 2000. After retiring, he trained aspiring wrestlers. Orndorff was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame in 2009.