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By: Georgiann Makropoulos
5/2/2003 6:56:11 PM

The Blackhearts & Wrestling-News.com had the pleasure to speak with "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff. From his Mid-Atlantic days, to Wrestlemania, WCW Power Plant, and today, he speaks on the memories of his career, good and bad.

Paul shoots on the War in Iraq, Hogan, Politics in wrestling, WCW Power Plant, Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, movie roles Vince axed, being pelted with batteries and darts by fans, the current state of wrestling, his feelings on Bischoff and so much more.

If you were a fan of Mr. Wonderful, you will enjoy this interview. Below is a transcript of the interview. However, I assure you that you will be much more entertained if you listen to the audio, and Mr. Wonderful himself (especially about the War In Iraq). There are two links/formats below.

REAL MEDIA FORMAT:           http://www.wrestling-news.com/Themes/PaulOrndorff.ram

WINDOWS MEDIA FORMAT:   http://www.wrestling-news.com/Themes/Orndorff-1.wma

Interview with: Paul Orndorff
Interviewers: "The Blackhearts" / Wrestling-News.com
Hosts: Matt Zombie, Brian Damage
Conducted on: April 19, 2003
Transcribed by Michael “The Fox” KopStick on behalf of Wrestling-News.com

OPENING UP TALKING ON FEUDING WITH HOGAN IN THE 80’s

The interview starts off talking about Hogan, Orndorff’s infamous “heel turn”, and Wrestlemania One. Matt first brings up Paul’s memorable series of main event matches in the 1980’s that he had with Hulk Hogan, the infamous Saturday Night’s Main Event cage match the two had together, when both wrestlers’ feet touched the floor. If you remember the angle. Both referees Danny Davis and Joey Morella got into a shoving match on who the winner was (for anyone interested, the WWF at the time did release the match on one of their compilation tapes).

Paul says that Hogan did a lot for wrestling, “but I brought him to that next level.”.

BEING THE "RING GENERAL” OF THE WWF LOCKER ROOM

Orndorff prides himself on being the guy that WWF was able to look towards to carry matches with weaker opponents. Growing up in a trailer park, he recounts how he had to fight for everything he ever had ever gotten. He doesn’t see himself as a politician type so he therefore had to truly earn what was given to him. He says Vince McMahon even came over to him once and told him, “Paul, you’re too honest,” as he is the type of guy that only says what is on his mind.

ORNDORFF's A REPULICAN (And Probably Doesn’t Like The Dixie Chicks!)

Speaking of politics, Paul tells us “I’m a Republican, I’m for this country. What we’re doing [in Iraq] is the right thing to do. You’ve got all these democrats that are so mad because of all these special interest groups and all this money that is being taken to the war so they aren’t going to be able to take [that money] to the fruit stand.” Matt strongly agrees. Orndorff continues how, although we do not want war, it is all linked back to September 11th. “These guys are a threat to us,” he assures. “And they proved that. These people that are talking to Jesse Jackson and that senator or congressman from New York, whoever he is, let me tell you something, I want to spit in his face. I mean, that takes gall, to cut down this Daschall and what he has to say about the president. Let me tell you something, you think [we have problems with terrorists now?] Just think, just think, if we would have Clinton or Gore for president.”

He finds that a major democratic downfall was when they took God and religion out of schools.

WWF POLITICS

WWF in the 80’s was like a “shark tank and you had all these politicians up there,” he recalls.

HIS HEEL TURN ON HOGAN

Matt asks him whose idea it was for him to turn on Hogan after they were teaming for quite a while. It happened during a match when he and Hogan were up against Bobby Heenan’s connection of Bundy and John Studd. During that match, Paul switched alliances and assisted Heenan’s stable and the rest is history. Orndorff responds by saying how he and Hogan used to “have words” once in a while and they weren’t the best of buddies. “Was he my best buddy? Nope. Would I help him if he had a flat tire at the side of the road? Nope. But, that’s the way it is… I will say this, though, he was very powerful and had all the political stuff going for him.”

Orndorff feels that because of Hogan’s politics, he didn’t get to be WWF champion, even though he believes that he deserved a run with the title.

WWF’s UNDESERVING CHAMPIONS

The downfall of the WWF belt, Orndorff says, was when they put it on Randy Savage because “a world champion needs to be somebody that knows how to wrestle.” In his opinion, Savage couldn’t carry the ball.

If Paul himself would have won the belt, though, he goes on to say, it would have taken Hogan’s stardom to a new level. “I was ahead of Hogan in my thinking of this. They weren’t thinking that way. I was ahead of them.”

Brian Damage brings up how Hogan also didn’t want to job the belt away to Bret Hart due to Hogan feeling that Hart was too small to hold the championship. Orndorff actually agrees with Hogan’s opinion regarding the Hart matter. He also felt that Yokozuna didn’t deserve to be champion. “Those guys aren’t champions,” he states.

IT WAS A SHOOT?

Matt reverts back to his original question of whose idea it was to have Orndorff turn on Hogan and join Bobby Heenan’s stable. Paul answers by telling us, “Well, you see, this whole thing, when it happened, it wasn’t planned. See, I had a plan when I went in there, and the plan was to be the best and baddest heel that there was in this business. And I did it. And I didn’t do it with a lot of political help or anything. I didn’t have a green light. All I had was a caution light. And I took advantage of the situation and there it went. BAM! it took off. Because I had a plan. This wasn’t really supposed to happen.”

MAIN EVENTING WRESTLEMANIA ONE

How did Paul feel about Mr. T coming in to participate in the main event of the first ever Wrestlemania even though he wasn’t a wrestler? “Well, I can tell you this, he was not going to come in there and make me look bad, it was that simple. Case closed.”

The Wrestlemania era was one of the greatest times in his life, he recalls. He gives a lot of credit to Vince McMahon who was the mastermind behind everything. “Vince wanted to take over the world. And he took over the world. And I was a part of that. I was the fullback on that team. That’s a pretty ballsy act what he did and I respect him for that.”

The downfall of Vince McMahon going national was that it took away from the territorial promotions because now, young guys can’t really learn how to wrestle and make much of a living from the independent scene.

There’s more to wrestling than just taking bumps, Paul feels; you also have to tell a story. He finds that most wrestlers are just out there flying around, bumping all over the place, and not telling stories. This is why he went to the WCW Power Plant to train wrestlers, because he wanted to ensure that the young boys do that.

TITO SANTANA AND BARBECUED BEANS?

You'll have to hear it for yourself to enjoy this story.

GETTING PELTED WITH BATTERIES & DARTS BY FANS:

Paul feels that being a heel is an art. It's not just fans booing you, but hating you. There is a difference of a fan hating you and wanting to see your ass kicked, and a fan hating you and wanting you off TV . (Reminds me of HHH). He says that his heel heat he had in his feuds got so severe, he was being pelted with Batteries, Food, Bottles, Even Darts. He would literally ride with the ambulance to the arena so no one would see him, have his match, then ride back to the hotel the same way.

WRESTLING 2003: WHO’s GOT IT?

He says Brock Lesnar “has go it” because he’s a “freak.” He feels that the WWF needs to bring in more “freaks” , as well as psychology.

What about John Cena, Matt asks Paul. “Who’s that?” he replies.

He takes pride that when Vince “drafted” WCW wrestlers after buying out the promotion, five of the wrestlers he chose were guys that Paul trained at the Power Plant. He says that when he worked with them he could spot that they had talent and so he focused on developing them. “I think I have a pretty good eye on who can and who can’t. Kurt Angle has caught on pretty well, and let me tell you, anyone who can win a gold medal, he’s bad.” He also sees Rock having a lot of talent. He finds that Johnny the Bull, whom he also trained at the Power Plant, has the most potential in WWE.

When he saw Sean O’Haire for the first time, “I signed him right there” for WCW.

The tough guys of his locker room in his days were Vader, “but I knocked him out with one punch,” and there were a number of other guys. He estimates that 90% of the wrestlers of his days were pansies. He likes Samoans, too, calling them his buddies.

ROCKY II (The Movie) CO-STARRING MR WONDERFUL?

Paul claims that he was offered Sylvester Stallone’s part in Rambo but Vince at the time would not allow him to do it. He says that he was also given a part in Rocky 2. “They flew me out, LA, San Diego, I did the whole deal. At that time I was main-eventing [as a] hot deal but [Vince] wouldn’t let me do it.” However, he understands why Vince wouldn’t want to take him off of the road, as he was selling out every arena he would perform in, no matter whom he would be working against. “It didn’t have to be Hogan, it had been Slaughter, any of those guys. We sold out everywhere. We had riots once with Slaughter.”

Although there was nothing fancy to Tito Santana, “he had fire,” although he jokes that Santana would never understand why his beans would always fall through the barbecue grill. “And one time I saw him in a ’67 Chevy and he had 16 of his Mexicans in there with him…”

He says that fan riots against him, due to the tremendous heat he generated from crowds, were so wild that he had to enter Madison Square Gardens in an ambulance to hide from the rabid fanatics.

Paul used to own a bowling alley after his WWF stint, but missed wrestling so much he went to WCW.

He left WWF in 1988 after getting upset about a Rick Rude situation. He then left to do some independent shows until Jim Cornette called him. He did some work with Ronnie Garvin for a while, and that set him up to go to WCW. He had a nice run, doing a program with Ricky Steamboat, but nothing could be compared to working in the WWF.

“I’ve got nothing bad to say about Vince McMahon, nothing bad.”

ON BILL WATTS

When he started WCW, it was Bill Watts running the joint. “I happen to like Bill Watts. [even though] a lot of people don’t… Bill Watts, for me, was a learning experience where you would go 3,000 miles a week, when you made $275-300 a week, where three or four people would stay in a hotel together. It was good times, it was bad times, and you’ve got to have the bad times with the good because that way it gives you the respect and you learn to love it and you learn when to bitch and when not to bitch.”

He says that Bill told him once, “Paul, you’re the best there was. It just depends on what side of the bed you wake up on.” Paul agrees with Bill’s statement.

CAREER CHOICES - GOOD AND BAD

The best thing he ever did for his career was jumping to the WWF in 1983. His worst was going to Kansas City to Bob Brown’s promotion, which he did for about a month. It was rough, although he did get to work with Jimmy Snukka, and that was an integral experience.

WORD ASSOCIATION TIME:

Hulk Hogan: “[He was] the person back then, what with his name and the way Vince used him. The people bought it.”

Paul Roma: “We really had a good little team in WCW, it got to be pretty good. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed working with Paul and it was… Paul just needed somebody to help him along and I think that’s why they put me with him… good kid, I like Paul Roma.”

Ric Flair: “Boring. The same match I’ve seen for 25 years.” At least other champions from yesteryear such as Harley Race changed their matches around in different territories. As far as comparing Flair's reign to Hogan, Orndorff feels that it is much different because with Hogan, Paul was the general, not Hogan.

Arn Anderson: “I like Arn, Arn’s a good guy. Arn was a good psychologist.”

Pat Patterson: “Didn’t get much better than Pat Patterson… I wish I could have wrestled with him more.”

Mr T: “I had nothing against him, it’s just that when you start to bring people in that don’t know a thing about wrestling, it gets so watered down. It gets so watered down that anyone can now come off the street and do this. And that’s the problem I have… And what do you think is going to happen fifteen years from now, nobody’s going to know how to work.”

Vader: “Bully.”

Eric Bischoff: “In the beginning, he was okay. At the end, he was a prick.”

Curt Hennig: “I miss Curt, and Rick Rude, who was one of my best friends. Me and Rick talked everyday. Everyday. I got him into hunting and fishing, we talked, once, twice, sometimes, every other day. I miss Rick.”

Chuck Palumbo: “Chuck has got a lot of potential.” It sucked that they put him in a homosexual angle, Orndorff feels.

Dick Slater was a great wrestler but didn’t go to the gym so WWF never called him up, he believes.

Bill Goldberg, he says, has got a lot of potential; it just depends on how he is used. “It’ll take him a while to get back in the hang of things; he’s just got a lot of learning to do.”

HIS INJURY FROM NITRO

They rap up speaking on the scary moment on Nitro when he was almost paralyzed during his match with The NBT. Even though he has permanent problems from the injury, he can still contribute to the business as a trainer, teacher, etc.

And we couldn't agree more.

Thanks for reading.
Anthony DeBlasi
http://www.Wrestling-News.com / Webmaster / The Blackhearts

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