After retiring, he trained aspiring wrestlers. Arm atrophy from a nagging injury led him to retire in 2000 and he was treated for cancer in 2011. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Paul's net worth was $100 thousand by the time of his death. Paul Orndorff excelled in various sports, including amateur wrestling, bodybuilding, football, track and field, and even arm wrestling. Early in the match, Rude eliminated Orndorff with a roll-up. [20] When no one succeeded, Heenan upped the bounty to $50,000. "Paul was a bad ass. Orndorff's family created aGoFundMepage in order to raise money for the icon's funeral. Travis wrote, "It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my father, Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. . Wonderful was riddled with self-doubt, until one night, after beating himself up backstage after yet another loss, he was visited by psychic Gary Spivey. Orndorff tips the scales at 265 pounds, 20 pounds shy of the limit at heavyweight. WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff, who once fought in Wrestlemania, has died at the age of 71. 7 Tate Orndorff (OSU) def. After two years at a junior college and a two-year mission with the LDS church, dad went on to be an All-American in wrestling, placing second in the NCAA tournament at heavyweight his senior year at Oregon State University. Five years later he was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame and shortly after to the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame. The match degraded into a brawl that saw Pretty Wonderful make an appearance using Dave's crutch to attack the champions. WE RIDE TOGETHER. Rest In Peace!". Paul Orndorff was in his mid-30s when he suffered his arm injury. [11] On August 10, he announced it was gone. 2 Mason Parris (UM) def. Is Tate Orndorff related to Paul Orndorff? 15 Saint Mary's 77-68 to win share of WCC regular-season title , Daily marijuana use raises risk of heart disease by 34%, study indicates, Drew Timme's '94 feet' segment, Mark Few interview highlight ESPN College GameDay's visit to Gonzaga, Boys state: Maverick Sanders scores 24 points, Mt. When Orndorff left the AWF in February 1992, he vacated the title. Andrew Irick (IND) | Fall, 5:51 I was extremely lucky to have had him on so many Southeastern cards. I love their coaches. He married his high school girlfriend Ronda Maxwell Orndorff. 285 | No. Paul Orndorff and Hulk Hogan had a wildly successful feud that started in the early days of WWE. I just wanted to tell him that if he got a chance at a pin to go for it, Dave said. He competed in the National Wrestling Alliance for a considerable time before becoming a sensation during the 1980s. Im glad hes wrestling. His cause of death evidently was tied to a long-time illness t. Gifts processed in this system are not tax deductible, but are predominately used to help meet the local financial requirements needed to receive national matching-grant funds. [16] In February 1986, Heenan used a match between Hogan and Don Muraco as an opportunity to have King Kong Bundy attack Hogan, setting up their WrestleMania 2 match. 1 seed/3-2 Fourth) Tate Orndorff (OSU) def. [55][11], On January 5, 2011, Orndorff told the Busted Open Sirius Satellite Radio show that he had recently been diagnosed with throat cancer. [12] During the summer, he vacated the title to focus on pursuing the NWA World Champion "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. According to Hannibal TV, Orndorff is suffering from late stages of dementia. Paul's career, in both football and wrestling, started in his higher learning years. 285 | No. In Mid-South, Orndorff feuded with Ken Mantell over Mantell's propensity for cutting people's hair after a match. [11] He resided in Fayetteville, Georgia. It was not until Studd and Bundy had Hogan in a compromised position that Orndorff reentered the ring to fend off Studd and Bundy. [15] On August 19, 1982, Orndorff regained the title from the Super Destroyer. He returned to the WCW in late 1992 and continued to fight until his retirement in 2001. Hes growing into his body. 13 Tate Orndorff (OSU) def. HWT | Jacob Bullock (IU) def. Paul was a phenomenal wrestler and athlete," he wrote. Its been a multiple win situation for Owen, who has enjoyed coaching and watching Orndorffs four boys grow up before his eyes. [16], On the May 26 episode of World Championship Wrestling it was announced that Paul Orndorff would face Arn Anderson at Clash of the Champions XI. Tates better than I was in football and he loves it more than I did, Dave said. Before he heads to Corvallis, though, he will do a two-year mission as did his brothers and dad before him. And he had the confidence to have fun with his character.". YOU WERE THE TOUGHEST. He is attributed for bring style and swagger into the sport of wrestling thus pioneering the culture of the modern-day superstar. HWT | No. HWT | No. For seven years, he represented the National Wrestling Alliance. The opportunity to add a two-time NCAA Qualifier and NWCA All-American into the fold is rare, but that is exactly what happened when Tate Orndorff transferred to Ohio State for his final two seasons of competition. Starting in January 1984, Orndorff took on "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as his manager. 285 (Orndorff, 2-3, 8th) And as much as many of you hated him as a wrestler, he absolutely loved you for it. 18 Tate Orndorff (OSU) won by forfeit vs. Nebraska (19) Luke Surber (OKST) | D, 5-0 Paul Orndorff, alias Mr Wonderful, was an American professional wrestler best known for his performances in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). 15 Tate Orndorff (OSU) | D, 7-2 13 Tate Orndorff (OSU) def. [12] He was unsuccessful in his challenge and soon focused on the title he gave up. Young Paul spent his first three seasons as a fullback at the University of Tampa. Mason Fiscella (APP) | D, 7-1 HWT | (13) Tate Orndorff (OSU) vs. (5) Wyatt Hendrickson (AF) | D, 9-5 HWT | No. [12] On June 9, 1991, Orndorff competed on the UWF's only PPV Beach Brawl, defeating Colonel DeBeers in a Strap match. She saw extended action during the 2017 WAC Tournament championship run and ensuing NCAA Tournament match versus eventual national champion Stanford. I love you Daddy. [24] Orndorff received a babyface response from the crowd during his return, leading the WWF to change his character. [12] Orndorff then traded the title back and forth with Super Destroyer. Eagle scout also lettered for the University High School football and golf teams, PERSONAL The OFFICIAL Twitter for the late Paul Orndorff, managed by Some Kind of #1derful, the podcast hosted by Travis Orndorff (son of Paul). I AM SO SAD I LOVE YOU FOREVER REST IN PEACE pic.twitter.com/RXovORjxVp, WWE WRESTLER BOBBY ROODE TWEETS THAT ORNDORFF WAS AN 'INSPIRATION'. Lucas Davison (NU) def. Gold Division (Open) HWT (Tate Orndorff 4-0/1st) Orndorff joined the World Football League's Jacksonville Express in 1975 after training camp with the Chicago Bears in 1974, but he was injured. WCW later explained that Orndorff had been seriously hurt in the attack and that his career was over. "So Sorry To Hear Of The Passing Of Paul Orndorff aka Mr. Owen credits the olders siblings for blazing the trail for Tate. Orndorff at the 2022 NCAA Championships (3-2) In actuality, Orndorff was forced to retire due to his previous injuries in the WWF, with the entire right side of his body beginning to atrophy (eventually causing his arm and leg muscles to shrink). Paul Orndorff Death. [54], Orndorff's parents were both of German descent. 285 | No. Orndorff spent time in rehab trying to recuperate his injured arm, but to no avail appeared smaller than the other one. "It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my father, Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. Likes. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium AGE 70s Paul E Orndorff Raleigh, NC (Northwest Raleigh) View Full Report Addresses 5 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) def. [34] Orndorff was fired from the SMW after piledriving a referee in frustration. [4] He voluntarily quit during training camp, citing "personal problems". Sep 4, 2022 . Unfortunately, he injured his arm in a weightlifting accident and retired in 1988 from the sport prematurely. "He is better known as Mr. Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Orndorff. At Clash of the Champions XI Orndorff defeated Anderson[28] and at the 1990 Great American Bash, Orndorff teamed up with the Junkyard Dog and El Gigante to defeat Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, and Sid Vicious by disqualification. "PAUL ORNDORFF. [12] Orndorff's reaction to Roberts's title win signaled a change in attitude; he turned heel as he demanded a title match against Roberts. His final WCW match came on August 26 in Chicago when he teamed with The Junkyard Dog in a losing effort against the tag-team champions Doom. HWT | No. Professional wrestler the Iron Sheik, real name Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, tweeted a heartfelt message in his classic all caps style following Paul Orndorff's death. His son, Travis Orndorff made the announcement on Instagram. This time they wrestled without their manager and were officially known as "Pretty Wonderful". [17], Near the end of 1984, Piper's assault on Cyndi Lauper (kayfabe) brought Orndorff and Piper on a collision course with Hogan and Mr. T.[16] Hogan's feud with Piper also meant that Orndorff was thrust back into the main event picture; he defeated Tony Atlas at The War to Settle the Score and then played a part in the main event. [60], On May 8, 2021, Orndorff's son Travis posted a video of him at a medical facility, where he was seen in a state of reported dementia. [16][11], During the Hogan feud, Orndorff seriously injured his right arm in a weightlifting accident. His reign as champion lasted years. Tates goal is to do what his dad fell just short of doing at OSU win an NCAA title. Statistics major. We lost another great one," one fan wrote. On August 18, 1993, Orndorff's luck ran out as Ricky Steamboat won the title at Clash of the Champions XXIV. At the 2000 Fall Brawl, in a match between The Filthy Animals and The Natural Born Thrillers, Orndorff suffered a neck injury after delivering a piledriver. On July 12,Travis Orndorff, Mr Wonderful's son, confirmed his father's deathafter battling dementia and head trauma. Because he was in the middle of his big-money run with Hogan, he did not want to take the time off to have the surgery to properly treat it, opting instead to continue to wrestle. I attribute a lot of my success in wrestling to church, Tate said. [12], During a February 5, 1995 taping of WCW Worldwide, Orndorff crossed paths with Hogan for the first time since 1987. Afterwards, Orndorff laid out Guerrero and several preliminary wrestlers with his piledriver finisher. Fellow WWE wrestler known by his wrestling name "The Natural" tweeted in response to Orndorff's death. Once the match restarted, Hogan easily exited the cage to win the match following a leg drop,[23] ending their feud. [19] He solidified his babyface status by publicly firing manager Bobby Heenan shortly afterwards. 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. With an untreated neck injury, 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). [11] He won the gold on June 20, 1982. #PaulOrndorff" he wrote. No. 12 Gonzaga holds off No. "It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my father, Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr," Travis Orndorff wrote. 7 Tate Orndorff (OSU) def. Dave had a brief chat with Tate before the final with some fatherly advice. [12], In 1992, Smoky Mountain Wrestling opened its doors for the first time as they announced a tournament to crown the first SMW Heavyweight Champion. [12], After feuding with Ladd, Orndorff continued to make a name for himself in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) where he feuded with The Masked Superstar. Media. Tate Orndorff (OSU) | TF-1.5 3:49 (20-5) 6 Tate Orndorff (OSU) | D, 3-2 He returned to wrestling in 1990 in the WCW (world championship wrestling), making his debut in Dudes with Attitudes. Canadian wrestler Edge, real name Adam Copeland, tweeted out a tribute to Paul Orndorff. Mr Wonderful, as he was known by fans, suffered an injury to his arm back in the late 1980s. One of my fondest memories. [12][40] After unsuccessfully challenging Ricky Steamboat throughout the fall and winter of 1993, Orndorff moved into the tag team division. Thank you for all of them Paul. Paul Orndorff's arm was a constant injury that plagued his career and was a factor in his decision to retire. [16] The next time that Hogan and Orndorff teamed up, against The Moondogs, Orndorff wrestled most of the match by himself in an attempt to upstage Hogan, scoring the winning pin. Paul Orndorff, 71, suffered an arm and neck injury during a wrestling match with Hulk Hogan. Story of the smallest horse in the world. He was considering giving professional wrestling a try, like his former Tampa teammate Ron Mikolajczyk, who made his wrestling debut that summer. . Greg Valentine discusses the late-great "Mr Wonderful" Paul Orndorff during his WWF days. Orndorff, ranked third at the time by Intermat, instead ran into the second-ranked heavyweight in the final. (Jesse Tinsley). He made two tours of Japan, the first in April. The pair got marriedback in 1971 and remained together until the end. "WWE extends its condolences to Orndorffs family and friends.". One of the top heels of the 1980s, Paul Orndorff is remembered for his dashing looks and incredible physique. He has more courage than any wrestler Ive had. Lee Herrington (UNK) | Fall, 2:32 John ODonnell (RUT) | TF, 15-0 Wonderful" set his sights on the vacant WCW World Television Championship. Orndorff made his in-ring debut on June 9 in Beckley, West Virginia, defeating "Nasty" Ned Brady on Main Event. You cant be afraid to compete no matter the outcome.. Orndorff signed up for a 16-man tournament beating 2 Cold Scorpio, Cactus Jack, Johnny B. Badd, and then Erik Watts in the finals to win his first title in WCW. Dan Conley (COL) | Fall, 3:54 Ancestry.com. Thanks for all the laughs and great matches. Maybe 95ish. "Travis wants to give everyone, including fans, the opportunity to Donate to Paul's final expenses. I tried a throw and lost my grip, he said. Rest in power Mr. 13 Tate Orndorff (OSU) | MD, 10-2 [17] When Piper assaulted Jimmy Snuka on the set of Piper's Pit, Orndorff assisted the Rowdy One in his matches. "Paul Orndorff was the first wrestler I hated & feared as a child. He is the brother of Mickey Ronald Cain, Terry Orndorff and Patricia. The Dudes backed Sting in his fight with the Four Horsemen. I was extremely lucky to have had him on so many Southeastern cards. 6 Tate Orndorff (OSU) vs. No. I love you, Daddy," he concluded the tribute. He was an All-Pac-10 selection in football in addition to being an All-American in wrestling. "He will always be Pop, Paw Paw, and Daddy at home. On February 3, 2005, he was named to the WWE Hall of Fame and was inducted by veteran wrestler Bobby Heenan on April 2, 2005. 3 nationally during 2019-20 season and was seeded eighth for the 2020 NCAA Championships The duo of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage faced Pretty Wonderful in a televised match which the latter lost. Paul Ondorff and Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania 1. [52] He had a brief onscreen role during this time in the Old Age Outlaws with Terry Funk, Arn Anderson, and Larry Zbyszko to feud with the last WCW version of the nWo. Spokane defends No. On the page, Travis's wife, Amayou Smith, wrote: "Hi my name is Amayou, my husband is Travis Orndorff. Orndorff's family created a GoFundMe page to raise money for the icon's funeral. Orndorff signed with the World Wrestling Federation in late 1983 and made his debut in November of that year on Championship Wrestling. American basketballer Gary Payton II age, wife, basketball stats, latest updates. The time off was because of the injury to his arm/neck that he suffered during the Hogan feud and left untreated for too long. 16 Tate Orndorff (OSU) def. On July 12, 2021, Paul Orndorff died in Fayetteville, Georgia. 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