“Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff has passed away….Paul Orndorff gone at age 71…He had what might have been at one time, one of the top physiques in the professional wrestling business…Paul back in his college days, played football at Tampa University, down in Florida, back when Tampa still had a team…Paul was in such great shape back in his heyday, and if came to fight backstage, before, during, or after a wrestling match, and if Paul was in it, he was going to win it….Heard he once took Big Van Vader out with good shot to the head, and Vader(Leon White) weighed at least 350 pounds…
CLICK HERE for a Paul Orndorff photo and more info from the Wrestling Observer/Dave Meltzer…..
More on Paul Orndorff’s football career from Wikipedia:
Football career
After earning notoriety as a running back at the University of Tampa where he scored 21 career touchdowns and gained over 2,000 all-purpose yards in his playing career, Orndorff was a 12th round selection (289th overall pick) in the 1973 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints but failed to pass the physical for the NFL with both the Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs. He played for the Jacksonville Sharks of the World Football League in 1975. After one season in the WFL, he began training as a professional wrestler.
Paul Orndorff wrestling from Wikipedia:
CLICK HERE for Paul Orndorff photo…
Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. (October 29, 1949 – July 12, 2021)[3] was an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), nicknamed Mr. Wonderful.
After seven years working around the National Wrestling Alliance, 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 1988, 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 his nagging injury led him to retire in 2000. He 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 others and survived cancer in 2011.
from www.wrestlinginc.com:
CLICK HERE for Paul Orndorff photo…
Wrestling Legend Paul Orndorff Passes Away
The legendary Hall of Famer “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff has passed away. He was 71.
Orndorff had dealt with health issues in recent years, including cancer and dementia. His son, Travis, took to Instagram this afternoon and announced the passing.
He wrote, “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 physique. Many will remember his intensity. But if I could only get you to understand and see his heart. He will always be Pop, Paw Paw, and Daddy at home. And as much as many of you hated him as a wrestler, he absolutely loved you for it. He was an amazing father that showed me more love than I ever deserved. I love you Daddy. A donation page is available in my bio for funeral expenses. Any close friends whom would like to speak at his funeral, please message me on Instagram Travis_Orndorff. –Travis Orndorff
A GoFundMe campaign was launched a few days ago to help prepare for Orndorff’s farewell. The campaign can be found here.
Mr. Wonderful began his pro wrestling career back in 1976. He had stints with WWE, WCW, SMW, Mid-South, the NWA, NJPW, and many other promotions. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2017, the NWA Hall of Fame in 2009, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009.