WWE, AEW, Impact Wrestling And CAC Issue Statements On The Passing Of Paul Orndorff

By Marc Middleton

Several groups have paid tribute to the legendary Hall of Famer "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff on Twitter this afternoon.

As noted, Orndoff has passed away at the age of 71 in Fayetteville, Georgia. You can click here to read our original report, which includes the message from his son, Travis.

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Mr. Wonderful never worked for TNA or Impact Wrestling but they remembered him on Twitter today.

They wrote, "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of pro wrestling legend 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff. We offer our sincere condolences to his friends and family."

Orndorff also never worked for AEW but they remembered him in another tweet this afternoon.

"AEW joins the wrestling world in mourning the passing of a true legend, 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans," AEW wrote.

The Cauliflower Alley Club paid tribute to Orndorff with two tweets.

"Everyone here at CAC is truly saddened at the news that the legendary Mr Wonderful Paul Orndorff has passed away at 71 years old. We send out our sincerest condolences to his family, friends and fans around the world. Rest in Peace Mr Wonderful and thank you for the memories," they wrote, also posting a photo collage in a follow-up tweet.

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WWE issued a lengthy statement on their website, as seen below:

"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff passes away

WWE is saddened to learn that WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff, known to fans as "Mr. Wonderful," passed away at the age of 71.

Orndorff was a standout running back at the University of Tampa and joined Mid-Southern Wrestling after a brief stint in the World Football League. Early rivalries with Jerry Lawler, Ted Dibiase and Jake "The Snake" Roberts gave way to NWA North American Heavyweight and National Heavyweight Championship reigns.

Orndorff joined WWE in 1983 and was tabbed with the "Mr. Wonderful" nickname by his then-manager "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. With his awe-insipring in-ring style and umatched swagger, "Mr. Wonderful" turned his talent into a prototype for the modern-day Superstar. He made a memorable debut on January 23, 1984, with a win over Salvatore Bellomo at Madison Square Garden and launched right into the main event picture with matches against World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan. Mr. Wonderful achieved sports-entertainment immortality by competing alongside Piper to face Hogan and Mr. T in the main event of WrestleMania I.

In the early 1990s, Mr. Wonderful began competing for WCW. It was here that Orndorff captured his first major championship when he defeated Erik Watts in a tournament final on March 2, 1993, to become Television Champion. Orndorff's championship reigns did not stop there, however, as he was also a two-time WCW Tag Team Champion with Paul Roma in 1994.

When Orndorff's in-ring days came to an end, the former master of the piledriver became a trainer for WCW's Power Plant. As a trainer, Orndorff molded a generation of promising stars, including Mark Jindrak, Stacy Keibler and Goldberg.

WWE extends its condolences to Orndorff's family and friends.

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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. He was also an inductee into the University of Tampa's Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1986.

A GoFundMe campaign was launched a few days ago to help prepare for Orndorff's farewell. The campaign can be found here. The campaign had a $25,000 goal this morning as of his passing, with 0 donations, but now has $1,408 earned, and is climbing.

Stay tuned for more on Orndorff's passing. You can see the posts from WWE, Impact and CAC below:

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