Paul Orndorff, the WWE Hall of Famer who fought in the first-ever WrestleMania, died on Monday. He was 71.
His son, Travis Orndorff, revealed the news in an Instagram post. Last month, he said his father had CTE and was declining in health.
“It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my father, Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr.,” Orndorff wrote. “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.”
Orndorff began wrestling in 1976 and was best known for his time on the World Wrestling Federation roster during its golden era in the 1980s. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper became his manager in January 1984, and named him “Mr. Wonderful” and helped him get into the main event of the first WrestleMania. Orndorff would go on to face opponents that included Hulk Hogan, Tito Santana, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, “The Tonga Kid” and “Mean” Mark Callous.
Orndorff left the WWF in 1988 with an untreated neck injury, yet continued to wrestle in the WCW and won the World Television Championship and the WCW World Tag Team Championship. He suffered another neck injury after delivering a piledriver at the 2000 Fall Brawl, which led to his final retirement. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and appeared in a few WWE events after that, including WrestleMania XXX.
Before starting his wrestling career, Orndorff gained popularity as a running back at the University of Tampa, where he scored 21 career touchdowns and gained more than 2,000 all-purpose yards. After being picked in the 12th round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, he failed to pass the physical. Orndorff played for the World Football League’s Jacksonville Sharks for one year before kickstarting his training as a professional wrestler.
His son has launched a GoFundMe page to assist with his father’s funeral expenses. Full details are available here.