Paul Orndorff
Titles Won:
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)
- WCW World Television Championship
- NWA (Mid-Atlantic)/WCW World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Jimmy Snuka (1) and Paul Roma (2)
He was a professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with the WWF and WCW)as “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff. Orndorff became a star in the 1980s WWF wrestling boom. Orndorff’s feud Hulk Hogan in 1985-1986 is a highlight of his career. Orndorff departed the WWF for WCW in early 1988. After retiring, Orndorff worked as a professional wrestling trainer. In 2011, Orndorff was diagnosed with cancer, but went through treatment and was declared cancer free by the end of 2011.
Orndorff started wrestling in 1976 after playing for one year in the World Football League and initially worked for a number of wrestling promotions in the southern states of the United States such as Mid-Southern Wrestling, Southeast Championship Wrestling, Mid-South Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling. In 1983 he made his debut for the WWF, portraying a narcissistic bad guy and was part of the main event of the first ever WrestleMania show.
He would later team up with WWF’s top name, Hulk Hogan, leading to a storyline where Orndorff turned on Hogan and the two had a high profile feud. Orndorff suffered an arm injury during the time and retired for a number of years before returning in 1990, working primarily for WCW. In WCW he won several titles including the WCW World Television Championship as well as the WCW World Tag Team Championship with Paul Roma (as a team called Pretty Wonderful).
His recurring arm issues due to the 1988 injury led Orndorff 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.
Notable Feuds
vs. Hulk Hogan
vs. Jerry Lawler
vs. Ernie Ladd
vs. The Masked Superstar
vs. Ken Mantell
vs. Ted DiBiase
vs. Junkyard Dog
vs. Dusty Rhodes
vs. Dick Murdoch
vs. Buzz Sawyer
w/ Hulk Hogan vs. Roddy Piper & Bob Orton
vs. Rick Rude
vs. Dr. Death
vs. Cactus Jack
Other Noticeable Achievements
University of Tampa Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1986)
AWF Heavyweight Championship
Cauliflower Alley Club Men’s Achievement Award (2016)
NWA National Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2009)
NWL Tag Team Championship – with Brian Blair
Mid-America World Six-Man Tag Team Championship – with Gorgeus George Jr. and Tommy Gilbert
NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship
NWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (Memphis version)
Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship
NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (Tri-State version) (2 times)
PSW Cordele City Heavyweight Championship
NWA Southeastern Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Dick Slater (1) and Norvell Austin (1)
UWF Southern States Championship