1 00:00:08,988 --> 00:00:11,573 [Announcer] The one, the only, 2 00:00:11,574 --> 00:00:13,950 Mr. Wonderful! 3 00:00:13,951 --> 00:00:16,327 [Jim] If you're a certain age and you're a wrestling fan, 4 00:00:16,328 --> 00:00:19,456 Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorff, was the pinnacle to you. 5 00:00:19,457 --> 00:00:21,876 [Brian] Mr. Wonderful was a key piece 6 00:00:22,001 --> 00:00:24,545 in the foundation of the WWE. 7 00:00:24,670 --> 00:00:27,714 [Narrator] Remembered for his epic feud with Hulk Hogan, 8 00:00:27,715 --> 00:00:30,259 Paul Orndorff thrilled audiences as the 9 00:00:30,384 --> 00:00:33,094 arrogant heel, Mr. Wonderful. 10 00:00:33,095 --> 00:00:35,263 [Paul] Mr. Wonderful, the man that defied 11 00:00:35,264 --> 00:00:36,723 the whole wrestling world. 12 00:00:36,724 --> 00:00:39,100 [Travis] Mr. Wonderful was this expression 13 00:00:39,101 --> 00:00:40,852 of his perfection. 14 00:00:40,853 --> 00:00:41,728 [Paul] This is what the most 15 00:00:41,729 --> 00:00:43,855 'wonderfulest' body looks like. 16 00:00:43,856 --> 00:00:45,690 [Brian] Paul was a rockstar. 17 00:00:45,691 --> 00:00:48,651 Mr. Wonderful in complete control. 18 00:00:48,652 --> 00:00:50,737 [Narrator] A gifted athlete, Orndorff channeled the 19 00:00:50,738 --> 00:00:53,407 difficult upbringing into an imposing persona 20 00:00:53,532 --> 00:00:55,284 in and out of the ring. 21 00:00:55,285 --> 00:00:57,535 [Jim] When that switch flipped there was a 22 00:00:57,536 --> 00:01:00,330 price to pay for making Paul Orndorff mad. 23 00:01:00,331 --> 00:01:01,498 [Announcer] Look at this! 24 00:01:01,499 --> 00:01:03,792 [Gerry] People feared him. The talent feared him. 25 00:01:03,793 --> 00:01:05,418 The fans feared him. 26 00:01:05,419 --> 00:01:08,213 [Brian] Paul was the toughest guy that I had ever witnessed. 27 00:01:08,214 --> 00:01:10,382 [Brian] He fought for everything that he got. 28 00:01:10,383 --> 00:01:12,802 [Narrator] The intensity that defined him, 29 00:01:12,927 --> 00:01:16,222 pushed his body to the brink and hid his private pain. 30 00:01:16,223 --> 00:01:17,597 [Herb] Hang in there, hang in there. 31 00:01:17,598 --> 00:01:19,391 [Jim] He was the closest thing to Superman 32 00:01:19,392 --> 00:01:20,768 without the cape. 33 00:01:20,893 --> 00:01:23,243 But the cumulative effect of age and injuries 34 00:01:23,270 --> 00:01:24,979 had taken a toll on him. 35 00:01:24,980 --> 00:01:26,356 [Announcer] Paul Orndorff has suffered some sort of 36 00:01:26,357 --> 00:01:27,983 neck injury in the ring. 37 00:01:28,109 --> 00:01:31,486 [Travis] It was hard to watch him physically deteriorate. 38 00:01:31,487 --> 00:01:32,570 - [laughing] - One more match! 39 00:01:32,571 --> 00:01:34,656 [Brian] You could see how much Paul had aged. 40 00:01:34,657 --> 00:01:36,158 He shouldn't look like that. 41 00:01:36,283 --> 00:01:39,203 He had been abused and neglected for a long time. 42 00:01:39,328 --> 00:01:41,378 [Travis] He was in the hospital, I said, 43 00:01:41,414 --> 00:01:43,289 "I'm taking him home." And they said, 44 00:01:43,290 --> 00:01:45,291 "You can't and there's nothing we can do." 45 00:01:45,292 --> 00:01:47,669 This is a joke, right? 46 00:01:47,670 --> 00:01:50,296 People were dying alone in the hospital during Covid. 47 00:01:50,297 --> 00:01:51,965 That's not happening. 48 00:01:51,966 --> 00:01:54,301 I'm gonna raise holy hell, 49 00:01:54,427 --> 00:01:57,053 and I had no idea how, 50 00:01:57,054 --> 00:01:58,847 but he was coming home with me. 51 00:01:58,848 --> 00:02:02,309 [Brian] When Travis posted that video, I said, 52 00:02:02,435 --> 00:02:05,312 "Why would you do this?" Paul deserved his privacy. 53 00:02:05,438 --> 00:02:08,524 [Gerry] Wow. You're putting this out of your dad. 54 00:02:08,649 --> 00:02:11,776 Do not embarrass him in front of the whole world. 55 00:02:11,777 --> 00:02:13,987 [Travis] I didn't know what to do. 56 00:02:13,988 --> 00:02:16,031 I was desperate. 57 00:02:16,032 --> 00:02:17,532 I wasn't trying to embarrass him, 58 00:02:17,533 --> 00:02:19,242 I was trying to save him. 59 00:02:19,243 --> 00:02:25,041 ? 60 00:02:25,166 --> 00:02:28,669 [crowd chatter continues] 61 00:02:29,295 --> 00:02:33,506 Why are you here, what's the big deal here? 62 00:02:33,507 --> 00:02:35,197 What's the big deal? Excitement. 63 00:02:35,301 --> 00:02:36,751 This is the sport of the 80's. 64 00:02:36,802 --> 00:02:39,055 This is the media event of 1985. 65 00:02:39,180 --> 00:02:40,638 This is WrestleMania. 66 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:42,016 This is the thing of today. 67 00:02:42,017 --> 00:02:43,641 Hulk-a-mania is running wild. 68 00:02:43,642 --> 00:02:44,768 [Announcer] Ladies and Gentlemen, 69 00:02:44,769 --> 00:02:48,397 welcome to WrestleMania! 70 00:02:48,398 --> 00:02:50,523 [Announcer] Pandemonium breaking loose here in 71 00:02:50,524 --> 00:02:53,151 Madison Square Garden in WrestleMania. 72 00:02:53,152 --> 00:02:54,652 We're seeing the greatest spectacle 73 00:02:54,653 --> 00:02:56,654 in wrestling history right now. 74 00:02:56,655 --> 00:02:59,575 [Jim] WrestleMania One was Vince McMahon's big gamble. 75 00:02:59,576 --> 00:03:01,618 [Vince] Hello everyone, this is Vince McMahon. 76 00:03:01,619 --> 00:03:04,454 [Jim] There had never been a nationally broadcast 77 00:03:04,455 --> 00:03:06,456 mega close-circuit event 78 00:03:06,457 --> 00:03:08,750 in every market in the United States 79 00:03:08,751 --> 00:03:11,419 to blend pro wrestling and pop culture. 80 00:03:11,420 --> 00:03:14,048 He had to have the promotion right, 81 00:03:14,173 --> 00:03:15,799 the card right. 82 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:17,385 He loaded the thing up with 83 00:03:17,510 --> 00:03:19,594 the biggest attraction that he could. 84 00:03:19,595 --> 00:03:21,221 [Announcer] Ladies and Gentlemen, 85 00:03:21,222 --> 00:03:23,515 our main event! 86 00:03:23,516 --> 00:03:25,683 [Crowd] [cheering] 87 00:03:25,684 --> 00:03:27,269 [Jim] Hulk Hogan and Mr. T 88 00:03:27,395 --> 00:03:29,771 against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. 89 00:03:29,772 --> 00:03:32,607 They were in the spot of the main event of the 90 00:03:32,608 --> 00:03:35,485 biggest grossing wrestling event of all time. 91 00:03:35,486 --> 00:03:37,404 [Mr. T] Piper and Orndorff, you're dead meat. 92 00:03:37,405 --> 00:03:38,863 You're dead meat and I pity you, fool. 93 00:03:38,864 --> 00:03:40,615 [Jim] Everybody went into this thing 94 00:03:40,616 --> 00:03:42,784 with some pressure on 'em because 95 00:03:42,785 --> 00:03:45,161 this had not been done before on this level. 96 00:03:45,162 --> 00:03:48,206 [Announcer] The biggest match in the history of wrestling. 97 00:03:48,207 --> 00:03:49,874 [Jim] Why was Paul Orndorff there? 98 00:03:49,875 --> 00:03:51,865 Because he was an elite level wrestler. 99 00:03:51,919 --> 00:03:54,212 [Announcer] Suplex! He got him! 100 00:03:54,213 --> 00:03:55,964 [Jim] He could work with a guy like Mr. T 101 00:03:55,965 --> 00:03:57,215 that was greener than a pepper tree 102 00:03:57,216 --> 00:03:58,800 and didn't know what he was doing. 103 00:03:58,801 --> 00:04:02,137 He could put all of Hulk Hogan's stuff over. 104 00:04:02,138 --> 00:04:05,181 And then when it came time, he was the guy to get beat. 105 00:04:05,182 --> 00:04:06,474 [Announcer] Oh! He got Orndorff! 106 00:04:06,475 --> 00:04:08,518 Unbelievable, he got him! 107 00:04:08,519 --> 00:04:09,894 [Crowd] [cheering] [Announcer] They got him! 108 00:04:09,895 --> 00:04:12,105 [Jim] The event was such a success that people 109 00:04:12,106 --> 00:04:15,024 had forgotten the fact that Orndorff was the key, 110 00:04:15,025 --> 00:04:18,194 because who else is gonna do the job of those four guys? 111 00:04:18,195 --> 00:04:19,488 Only Paul. 112 00:04:19,613 --> 00:04:22,032 That's how Vince McMahon hoped to, 113 00:04:22,033 --> 00:04:24,534 and eventually did, get a leg up on the rest of 114 00:04:24,535 --> 00:04:26,327 the wrestling world and take it over. 115 00:04:26,328 --> 00:04:28,330 By creating WrestleMania. 116 00:04:28,331 --> 00:04:30,373 [Announcer] Unbelievable, pandemonium... 117 00:04:30,374 --> 00:04:32,125 [Paul] He wanted to take over the world. 118 00:04:32,126 --> 00:04:33,168 And he did. 119 00:04:33,169 --> 00:04:36,255 I think it changed the whole course of wrestling. 120 00:04:36,672 --> 00:04:38,591 Matter of fact, I know it did. 121 00:04:40,509 --> 00:04:43,345 [Travis] Does my dad get all the credit he deserves? 122 00:04:43,471 --> 00:04:45,430 He gets the credit he deserves from 123 00:04:45,431 --> 00:04:47,140 the people that watched it. 124 00:04:47,141 --> 00:04:48,850 ? 125 00:04:48,851 --> 00:04:50,435 The people that go back and watch wrestling 126 00:04:50,436 --> 00:04:52,646 very much appreciate his work. 127 00:04:52,647 --> 00:04:55,815 My name is Travis Orndorff and I'm the son of 128 00:04:55,816 --> 00:04:58,276 Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorff. 129 00:04:58,277 --> 00:05:00,654 I certainly inherited his intensity. 130 00:05:00,655 --> 00:05:02,906 Everybody out there knows what kind of a man I am. 131 00:05:02,907 --> 00:05:04,574 [Travis] You know, Dad moved. 132 00:05:04,575 --> 00:05:06,494 He was either go or stop. 133 00:05:06,619 --> 00:05:09,497 His evolution to Mr. Wonderful was this 134 00:05:09,622 --> 00:05:13,875 progression of his history, his intensity and 135 00:05:13,876 --> 00:05:16,212 all of that coming together. 136 00:05:16,337 --> 00:05:19,506 As I think most good hero stories are, 137 00:05:19,507 --> 00:05:20,882 they come from very humble beginnings 138 00:05:20,883 --> 00:05:23,134 and a pretty rough childhood. 139 00:05:23,135 --> 00:05:25,470 [Brian] There's no doubt that Paul's upbringing 140 00:05:25,471 --> 00:05:27,722 made him the tough guy that he was. 141 00:05:27,723 --> 00:05:29,725 I mean... [scoffing] 142 00:05:29,850 --> 00:05:32,477 I'm B. Brian Blair, and Paul Orndorff 143 00:05:32,478 --> 00:05:35,689 was one of my closest friends for many years. 144 00:05:36,899 --> 00:05:39,484 Paul's home was in a trailer park. 145 00:05:39,485 --> 00:05:42,363 He actually grew up in a converted chicken coop. 146 00:05:42,364 --> 00:05:43,822 [Travis] My grandfather's a butcher. 147 00:05:43,823 --> 00:05:46,491 The life of a butcher, it's not like there was a lot of money. 148 00:05:46,492 --> 00:05:48,035 Modest would be an upgrade. 149 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:49,327 They were poor. 150 00:05:49,328 --> 00:05:52,080 [Brian] I'll never forget when his dad came to my house 151 00:05:52,081 --> 00:05:54,749 and the tears started coming from his eyes and he said, 152 00:05:54,750 --> 00:05:56,252 "I did the best that I could." 153 00:05:56,377 --> 00:05:58,753 I thought I grew up tough, um, 154 00:05:58,754 --> 00:06:01,423 Paul really grew up tough. 155 00:06:01,424 --> 00:06:04,801 [Travis] There's one story, Dad had worked some job and 156 00:06:04,802 --> 00:06:07,430 when he came home with cash, my grandmother, 157 00:06:07,555 --> 00:06:09,849 she asked for the money, and he told her no, 158 00:06:09,974 --> 00:06:12,434 he wasn't giving her the money, it was his money. 159 00:06:12,435 --> 00:06:15,229 And so, she knocked him out with a cast iron skillet... 160 00:06:16,772 --> 00:06:18,232 and took the money. 161 00:06:20,192 --> 00:06:22,278 [Travis] Yes. 162 00:06:22,987 --> 00:06:25,822 [Brian] You know, he fought for everything that he got. 163 00:06:25,823 --> 00:06:28,324 He was in an area where 164 00:06:28,325 --> 00:06:30,578 people fought on a regular basis. 165 00:06:30,703 --> 00:06:33,663 It was like part of their lifestyle growing up. 166 00:06:33,664 --> 00:06:34,998 [Travis] My grandfather was a drinker. 167 00:06:34,999 --> 00:06:38,334 My dad bare knuckle fought to pay his bar tab on occasion. 168 00:06:38,335 --> 00:06:39,845 You know, he had a lot of anger. 169 00:06:39,846 --> 00:06:41,504 [Brian] I've seen Paul in lots of fights 170 00:06:41,505 --> 00:06:43,632 and he never lost one. 171 00:06:43,758 --> 00:06:45,426 One night, his brother Terry 172 00:06:45,551 --> 00:06:47,969 got into a situation in a bar, 173 00:06:47,970 --> 00:06:51,931 calls Paul, and says, "I need some help." 174 00:06:51,932 --> 00:06:54,977 Paul runs into this bar, there's two sheriffs that 175 00:06:55,102 --> 00:06:57,688 have Terry down and Terry's screaming. 176 00:06:57,813 --> 00:06:59,815 Paul, boom, nails one of them. 177 00:06:59,940 --> 00:07:01,566 ? 178 00:07:01,567 --> 00:07:04,069 Nails the other one. 179 00:07:04,070 --> 00:07:07,113 One guy's on the ground, he calls for back up. 180 00:07:07,114 --> 00:07:10,659 In comes five more sheriffs. They try to grab Paul. 181 00:07:10,785 --> 00:07:12,286 Paul nails all of them! 182 00:07:12,411 --> 00:07:14,121 [shouting] Argh! 183 00:07:14,246 --> 00:07:16,164 This is one guy. 184 00:07:16,165 --> 00:07:18,292 One man. 185 00:07:18,417 --> 00:07:20,544 And seven sheriffs. 186 00:07:20,545 --> 00:07:23,838 [Travis] That was his outlet, but sometimes 187 00:07:23,839 --> 00:07:26,175 you can't put that genie back in the bottle. 188 00:07:26,300 --> 00:07:29,386 You combine the fact that there's poverty, 189 00:07:29,387 --> 00:07:32,098 there's alcohol, there's anger... 190 00:07:33,557 --> 00:07:36,811 my dad was forged in hell. 191 00:07:36,936 --> 00:07:38,979 [Narrator] Despite the chaos at home, 192 00:07:39,105 --> 00:07:42,524 Paul has a gift that will change everything. 193 00:07:42,525 --> 00:07:44,150 [Brian] Since he was very, very young 194 00:07:44,151 --> 00:07:46,444 Paul was one of the greatest athletes 195 00:07:46,445 --> 00:07:48,989 to ever come out of Tampa Florida. 196 00:07:49,115 --> 00:07:51,658 [Gerry] Paul was a true believer in, "my athletic 197 00:07:51,659 --> 00:07:55,578 ability will carry me as far as I can go." 198 00:07:55,579 --> 00:07:57,914 I'm Gerry Brisco, WWE Hall of Famer 199 00:07:57,915 --> 00:07:59,545 and I've spent a lot of time with 200 00:07:59,667 --> 00:08:02,210 Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorff. 201 00:08:02,211 --> 00:08:05,506 And Paul definitely thought his way out was football. 202 00:08:05,631 --> 00:08:08,174 [Travis] Dad graduated at 18 years old, 203 00:08:08,175 --> 00:08:10,385 and he went on to the University of Tampa. 204 00:08:10,386 --> 00:08:11,678 [Brian] Paul got a full ride there, 205 00:08:11,679 --> 00:08:13,680 he was number 40, the fullback. 206 00:08:13,681 --> 00:08:15,724 Got drafted by the New Orleans Saints. 207 00:08:15,725 --> 00:08:18,018 Played there for 4 years. 208 00:08:18,144 --> 00:08:20,937 [Paul] Really kinda lost my, my heart for football. 209 00:08:20,938 --> 00:08:23,190 I played it all my life and just didn't 210 00:08:23,315 --> 00:08:24,734 care for it anymore. 211 00:08:24,859 --> 00:08:27,360 And I happened to be watching TV 212 00:08:27,361 --> 00:08:28,778 and catch this wrestling. 213 00:08:28,779 --> 00:08:29,988 Thank you very much and welcome again to 214 00:08:29,989 --> 00:08:31,865 Championship Wrestling from Florida. 215 00:08:31,866 --> 00:08:34,409 [Paul] And I said, "Oh, I can do that." 216 00:08:34,410 --> 00:08:36,537 My father-in-law knew Eddie Graham, 217 00:08:36,662 --> 00:08:38,788 and he gave me a tryout. 218 00:08:38,789 --> 00:08:40,707 [Gerry] So, he brought him in and, of course, 219 00:08:40,708 --> 00:08:42,625 put him right with Hiro Matsuda. 220 00:08:42,626 --> 00:08:44,210 [Announcer] From Yokohama, Japan, 221 00:08:44,211 --> 00:08:45,921 Hiro Matsuda! 222 00:08:45,922 --> 00:08:48,798 [Brian] Hiro Matsuda wrestled as a villain for Eddie, 223 00:08:48,799 --> 00:08:51,052 before he became the trainer. 224 00:08:51,177 --> 00:08:55,221 So, Hiro's job was to train the new prospective talent. 225 00:08:55,222 --> 00:08:58,601 [Paul] It was the Harvard of professional wrestling 226 00:08:58,726 --> 00:09:01,102 and Hiro would just put me through it. 227 00:09:01,103 --> 00:09:02,673 But I had that drive, you know, 228 00:09:02,730 --> 00:09:04,105 I had the heart for it. 229 00:09:04,106 --> 00:09:05,190 [Paul] It sounds like I'm bragging, 230 00:09:05,191 --> 00:09:07,817 I guess I am. But it's the truth. 231 00:09:07,818 --> 00:09:10,028 [Brian] Three summers that I had with Matsuda, 232 00:09:10,029 --> 00:09:12,072 over 100 people came there and the only people 233 00:09:12,073 --> 00:09:14,950 that made it through the camp was Hogan, 234 00:09:15,076 --> 00:09:17,410 myself and Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorff. 235 00:09:17,411 --> 00:09:18,621 That's all. 236 00:09:18,746 --> 00:09:20,789 So, we just had a natural bond. 237 00:09:20,790 --> 00:09:22,540 [Narrator] After making his mark in Florida, 238 00:09:22,541 --> 00:09:25,001 Paul now sets his sights on building a reputation 239 00:09:25,002 --> 00:09:26,127 across the country. 240 00:09:26,128 --> 00:09:28,672 [Jim] I had never heard the name Paul Orndorff 241 00:09:28,673 --> 00:09:30,465 before in my life. 242 00:09:30,466 --> 00:09:34,261 When he came into Memphis with that look and that style 243 00:09:34,387 --> 00:09:35,929 and that athleticism. 244 00:09:35,930 --> 00:09:38,307 This guy is something special. 245 00:09:38,432 --> 00:09:40,850 I'm Jim Cornette and I took the picture for 246 00:09:40,851 --> 00:09:44,772 Paul Orndorff's wrestling magazine cover in 1977. 247 00:09:45,689 --> 00:09:47,232 He didn't have a gimmick. 248 00:09:47,233 --> 00:09:49,523 He didn't have an over-the-top personality. 249 00:09:49,568 --> 00:09:53,114 You could kind of buy him as being this hot shot athlete 250 00:09:53,239 --> 00:09:56,116 that's come in and is gonna take over. 251 00:09:56,117 --> 00:09:58,326 [Arn] Paul was one of those guys that looked like a 252 00:09:58,327 --> 00:10:01,831 body builder but was smooth like an amateur wrestler. 253 00:10:01,956 --> 00:10:04,708 I'm Arn Anderson, the Enforcer, 254 00:10:04,834 --> 00:10:07,794 and Paul Orndorff was my friend. 255 00:10:07,795 --> 00:10:10,338 Paul carried himself with just this air of 256 00:10:10,339 --> 00:10:12,633 invincibility about him. If nothing else, 257 00:10:12,758 --> 00:10:14,759 he believed his own press. 258 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:16,679 And sometimes, that's all you need. 259 00:10:16,804 --> 00:10:19,056 [Announcer] Very quick. Really can move. 260 00:10:19,181 --> 00:10:22,017 [Jim] Paul worked all the major territories in the 261 00:10:22,018 --> 00:10:24,019 first three or four years of his career. 262 00:10:24,020 --> 00:10:26,188 And he progressed quickly. 263 00:10:26,313 --> 00:10:28,606 [Gerry] What really made Paul click was 264 00:10:28,607 --> 00:10:30,900 that desire to better himself and to 265 00:10:30,901 --> 00:10:33,362 bring his family up out of poverty. 266 00:10:33,487 --> 00:10:35,781 [Travis] My mom and dad met in high school. 267 00:10:35,906 --> 00:10:37,907 My mom, Ronda, she got pregnant at the 268 00:10:37,908 --> 00:10:39,909 age of seventeen and they got married. 269 00:10:39,910 --> 00:10:41,161 They were very young. 270 00:10:41,162 --> 00:10:43,372 My brother's Paul Orndorff III. 271 00:10:43,497 --> 00:10:46,166 [Brian] It's Paul Jr. and they call him 'Buzz'. 272 00:10:46,167 --> 00:10:47,797 [Travis] He's nine years older. 273 00:10:47,798 --> 00:10:49,044 So, we had the same parents, 274 00:10:49,045 --> 00:10:51,129 but they were different parents, right? 275 00:10:51,130 --> 00:10:54,049 My mom, those years were hard on her. 276 00:10:54,050 --> 00:10:56,676 There was a lot of moving, there was not a lot of money. 277 00:10:56,677 --> 00:10:59,679 Dad carried baggage from his childhood. 278 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:02,349 He had a short fuse at times, you know, 279 00:11:02,475 --> 00:11:04,059 he had not grown up. 280 00:11:04,060 --> 00:11:05,810 They didn't have therapy back then. 281 00:11:05,811 --> 00:11:08,063 You worked, you drank and you just lived life, 282 00:11:08,064 --> 00:11:09,439 and nobody said anything about anything, 283 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:10,940 and you moved on. 284 00:11:10,941 --> 00:11:13,861 That's where you forge bitterness and resentment. 285 00:11:13,986 --> 00:11:16,322 [Brian] It's so hard to raise a family... 286 00:11:17,865 --> 00:11:19,741 when you're on the road. 287 00:11:19,742 --> 00:11:22,452 You know, the wife�s at home and, 288 00:11:22,453 --> 00:11:24,662 the kids have no dad. 289 00:11:24,663 --> 00:11:28,584 [Travis] My mom took her frustration out on everybody. 290 00:11:28,709 --> 00:11:30,502 She was constantly, you know, 291 00:11:30,503 --> 00:11:32,421 talking bad about my father. 292 00:11:32,546 --> 00:11:33,923 It was, it was rough. 293 00:11:34,048 --> 00:11:36,966 My dad was never perfect, but as a father, 294 00:11:36,967 --> 00:11:39,511 he was unconditionally loving. 295 00:11:39,512 --> 00:11:43,682 And I never felt like he was that far away. 296 00:11:43,683 --> 00:11:46,142 [Narrator] In 1983, Hulk Hogan 297 00:11:46,143 --> 00:11:49,270 recommends Paul to Vince McMahon, 298 00:11:49,271 --> 00:11:51,398 opening the door to the hottest promotion 299 00:11:51,399 --> 00:11:53,441 in the country. 300 00:11:53,442 --> 00:11:55,276 [Vince] The topic of this week's update, a gentleman 301 00:11:55,277 --> 00:11:56,986 known in professional wrestling as 302 00:11:56,987 --> 00:12:00,241 Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorff. 303 00:12:00,366 --> 00:12:02,910 [Jim] In late 1983, Vince McMahon was 304 00:12:03,035 --> 00:12:05,787 starting the national television syndication that 305 00:12:05,788 --> 00:12:08,082 would lead to the WWF's national expansion. 306 00:12:08,207 --> 00:12:11,292 Hogan's word carried a lot of weight with Vince 307 00:12:11,293 --> 00:12:13,461 because Vince was building the entire company 308 00:12:13,462 --> 00:12:16,090 around Hogan and he wanted to bring in people 309 00:12:16,215 --> 00:12:18,134 that Hogan liked to wrestle. 310 00:12:18,135 --> 00:12:20,010 That he thought he could draw money with and 311 00:12:20,011 --> 00:12:22,387 one of the guys that he brought in 312 00:12:22,388 --> 00:12:23,931 was Paul Orndorff. 313 00:12:24,056 --> 00:12:26,600 [Announcer] Introducing the challenger, 314 00:12:26,726 --> 00:12:29,602 Mr. Wonderful... 315 00:12:29,603 --> 00:12:32,313 Paul Orndorff! 316 00:12:32,314 --> 00:12:34,482 [Gerry] Paul checked every box that he could 317 00:12:34,483 --> 00:12:36,944 possibly check except the experience box. 318 00:12:37,069 --> 00:12:39,029 So, it was kinda a roll of the dice. 319 00:12:39,030 --> 00:12:40,614 [Announcer] Hulk Hogan... 320 00:12:40,740 --> 00:12:43,826 [Paul] You gotta take gambles in life, and I did. 321 00:12:43,951 --> 00:12:45,286 And it paid off. 322 00:12:45,411 --> 00:12:46,871 [Announcer] Oh! 323 00:12:49,498 --> 00:12:52,709 [Jim] Paul was in the WWF within five or six years 324 00:12:52,710 --> 00:12:54,837 after he started and he's already been 325 00:12:54,962 --> 00:12:57,672 a main event guy in a variety of big promotions. 326 00:12:57,673 --> 00:12:59,967 That's a very quick trajectory. 327 00:13:00,092 --> 00:13:02,677 [Announcer] Mr. Wonderful... 328 00:13:02,678 --> 00:13:04,262 [Jim] Paul took the name Mr. Wonderful 329 00:13:04,263 --> 00:13:06,307 because in his heel persona 330 00:13:06,432 --> 00:13:09,225 it indicated that he was a megalomaniac. 331 00:13:09,226 --> 00:13:11,561 That he was the most self - absorbed man on the planet. 332 00:13:11,562 --> 00:13:13,021 [Women] Hello, Mr. Wonderful. 333 00:13:13,022 --> 00:13:14,939 [Paul] This is the kind of treatment that 334 00:13:14,940 --> 00:13:16,317 Mr. Wonderful gets. 335 00:13:16,442 --> 00:13:18,486 [Travis] One of my favorite lines is 336 00:13:18,487 --> 00:13:20,653 "so with a body like this and a face like this..." 337 00:13:20,654 --> 00:13:23,366 [Paul] When you got a body like this and 338 00:13:23,491 --> 00:13:26,534 a face like this, you can do any damn thing 339 00:13:26,535 --> 00:13:28,745 you wanna do and I get away with it. 340 00:13:28,746 --> 00:13:31,123 [Travis] He saw his body as a temple. 341 00:13:31,248 --> 00:13:33,042 For him, that was his pay cheque. 342 00:13:33,167 --> 00:13:36,127 [Paul] A lot of people try to have a body like this. 343 00:13:36,128 --> 00:13:37,545 But they never will. 344 00:13:37,546 --> 00:13:39,356 [Brian] [laughing] He, Paul was a, 345 00:13:39,465 --> 00:13:40,633 Paul was a stud. 346 00:13:40,758 --> 00:13:43,803 I mean, he had to have his hair blow dried perfectly. 347 00:13:43,928 --> 00:13:45,930 [Travis] Paul Mitchell hairspray. 348 00:13:46,055 --> 00:13:48,405 If I ever get cancer, it's gonna be from having 349 00:13:48,474 --> 00:13:51,393 to have smelt that my entire childhood. 350 00:13:51,394 --> 00:13:53,186 [Paul] Ah, look at that. It's terrible. 351 00:13:53,187 --> 00:13:55,313 [Travis] There's a reason my dad loved being a heel. 352 00:13:55,314 --> 00:13:56,440 [Crowd] [cheering] 353 00:13:56,565 --> 00:13:59,150 [Travis] Anger is the easiest emotion to evoke. 354 00:13:59,151 --> 00:14:00,402 [Announcer] Oh! Oh! 355 00:14:00,403 --> 00:14:02,738 He's giving the sign for the pile driver. 356 00:14:02,739 --> 00:14:04,489 [Jim] The pile driver was Paul's signature 357 00:14:04,490 --> 00:14:06,700 finishing move. 358 00:14:06,826 --> 00:14:09,285 He could get a massive jump 359 00:14:09,286 --> 00:14:11,121 and then boom, drove him. 360 00:14:11,122 --> 00:14:13,498 It was one of the most deadly moves in wrestling. 361 00:14:13,499 --> 00:14:15,369 [Paul] I knew my style was different 362 00:14:15,370 --> 00:14:16,876 and I would be the best heel there, 363 00:14:16,877 --> 00:14:18,045 which I was. 364 00:14:18,046 --> 00:14:20,588 [Announcer] Dropping it like yesterday's newspaper... 365 00:14:20,589 --> 00:14:22,382 [Gerry] So that cockiness and arrogance 366 00:14:22,383 --> 00:14:24,509 just went along with that body. 367 00:14:24,510 --> 00:14:25,802 [Paul] And all you women that are ready to leave 368 00:14:25,803 --> 00:14:28,596 your husband for me, now you know why. 369 00:14:28,597 --> 00:14:30,349 That was me, it wasn't fake. 370 00:14:30,350 --> 00:14:32,100 I mean, that was me. That's the way I was. 371 00:14:32,101 --> 00:14:35,103 Ask my wife, she'll tell you. 372 00:14:35,104 --> 00:14:36,855 I was a jerk. 373 00:14:36,856 --> 00:14:38,726 [Brian] I think Ronda wasn't stupid 374 00:14:38,733 --> 00:14:40,650 when it came to realizing 375 00:14:40,651 --> 00:14:43,319 that her husband wasn't 376 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:45,406 the loyal husband. 377 00:14:45,531 --> 00:14:48,001 [Travis] I was out on the road sometimes and I can 378 00:14:48,002 --> 00:14:50,785 remember being at different hotels and the groupies, 379 00:14:50,786 --> 00:14:52,955 and the women, standing outside. 380 00:14:52,956 --> 00:14:54,622 You gave them money and you gave them fame 381 00:14:54,623 --> 00:14:56,459 and all the things that come with it. 382 00:14:56,460 --> 00:14:58,251 I don't think my family was immune to it 383 00:14:58,252 --> 00:15:00,337 any more than anybody else was. 384 00:15:00,338 --> 00:15:01,212 [Brian] Girls were throwing themselves 385 00:15:01,213 --> 00:15:02,631 at you all the time. 386 00:15:02,757 --> 00:15:05,301 I mean, it was like being a rock star. 387 00:15:05,843 --> 00:15:08,845 Following the success of WrestleMania... 388 00:15:08,846 --> 00:15:10,889 [Roddy] In WrestleMania it was your shoulders that were 389 00:15:10,890 --> 00:15:13,016 pinned to the ground brother, not me. 390 00:15:13,017 --> 00:15:15,643 [Narrator] Vince McMahon recasts Paul Orndorff 391 00:15:15,644 --> 00:15:19,023 as a hero, aligning him with Hulk Hogan. 392 00:15:19,024 --> 00:15:21,149 [Announcer] Mr. Wonderful wants Hulkster 393 00:15:21,150 --> 00:15:22,692 to shake hands. 394 00:15:22,693 --> 00:15:25,654 [Jim] Imagine, especially in the 80's, 395 00:15:25,780 --> 00:15:27,655 you have seen Hulk Hogan 396 00:15:27,656 --> 00:15:29,699 rise to become the champion 397 00:15:29,700 --> 00:15:32,869 and all the little Hulkamaniacs are on his side 398 00:15:32,870 --> 00:15:35,497 and suddenly, he has a friend. 399 00:15:35,498 --> 00:15:37,291 And you like the friend too. 400 00:15:37,416 --> 00:15:39,794 [Announcer] Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorff. 401 00:15:39,795 --> 00:15:41,669 [Jim] They were on his side because he was 402 00:15:41,670 --> 00:15:44,507 a straight ahead, all American athlete. 403 00:15:44,508 --> 00:15:46,925 [Narrator] Just as Mr. Wonderful reaches 404 00:15:46,926 --> 00:15:48,968 the peak of his popularity, 405 00:15:48,969 --> 00:15:51,388 an injury in the ring stops him cold. 406 00:15:51,389 --> 00:15:52,722 [Travis] He was in a match, 407 00:15:52,723 --> 00:15:54,850 somebody caught him on the chin. 408 00:15:54,975 --> 00:15:57,686 It ended up causing nerve damage 409 00:15:57,687 --> 00:16:00,688 that ran through his radial nerves. 410 00:16:00,689 --> 00:16:03,733 [Arn] It affects your deltoids, your triceps, bicep. 411 00:16:03,734 --> 00:16:06,654 Comes all the way down on into your forearm. 412 00:16:06,779 --> 00:16:09,114 Once you have serious nerve damage, 413 00:16:09,115 --> 00:16:11,158 it's irreversible. 414 00:16:11,283 --> 00:16:15,537 [Jim] He could not bring himself to give up that spot 415 00:16:15,538 --> 00:16:17,873 and that kind of money to have surgery 416 00:16:17,998 --> 00:16:20,501 and so he soldiered through it. 417 00:16:20,626 --> 00:16:23,628 [Travis] He has built his body and life 418 00:16:23,629 --> 00:16:27,174 around this moment 419 00:16:27,299 --> 00:16:29,010 where he was gonna capture 420 00:16:29,135 --> 00:16:31,052 generational wealth. 421 00:16:31,053 --> 00:16:33,054 [Narrator] Despite the nagging injury, 422 00:16:33,055 --> 00:16:35,724 Paul prepares for his most important story line yet. 423 00:16:35,725 --> 00:16:37,115 [Vince] You and Hulk Hogan. 424 00:16:37,116 --> 00:16:38,852 [Paul] I've been trying to call him 5 or 6 minutes. 425 00:16:38,853 --> 00:16:40,020 I've been on the phone. 426 00:16:40,021 --> 00:16:41,688 He won't come to the phone. 427 00:16:41,689 --> 00:16:43,606 [Jim] One of the biggest drawing angles you can do 428 00:16:43,607 --> 00:16:45,942 is give the hero a sidekick, 429 00:16:45,943 --> 00:16:48,153 a best friend, a partner. 430 00:16:48,154 --> 00:16:48,987 [clicking tongue] 431 00:16:48,988 --> 00:16:50,739 And he stabs him in the back. 432 00:16:50,740 --> 00:16:53,533 [Announcer] Oh no! What in the world? 433 00:16:53,534 --> 00:16:54,617 [Travis] During the heel turn, 434 00:16:54,618 --> 00:16:55,828 he does what my dad does. 435 00:16:55,911 --> 00:16:57,620 He does a pile driver on him. 436 00:16:57,621 --> 00:17:00,248 [Announcer] You've gotta be... no! 437 00:17:00,249 --> 00:17:02,418 No! No! 438 00:17:02,419 --> 00:17:03,752 [Travis] You know, he walks over to 439 00:17:03,753 --> 00:17:06,379 the ropes, and it's real slow. 440 00:17:06,380 --> 00:17:08,715 [Crowd] [booing] 441 00:17:08,716 --> 00:17:09,924 [Travis] How do you like that? 442 00:17:09,925 --> 00:17:11,634 [Announcer] Look at that. 443 00:17:11,635 --> 00:17:13,094 I don't believe this. 444 00:17:13,095 --> 00:17:15,681 What in the world is wrong with Orndorff? 445 00:17:15,682 --> 00:17:17,515 [Brian] When Orndorff turned on Hulkster, 446 00:17:17,516 --> 00:17:21,353 that was a monumental spot for the wrestling industry. 447 00:17:21,354 --> 00:17:23,939 [Announcer] Hulk Hogan! 448 00:17:24,065 --> 00:17:27,108 [Paul] I loved working with Terry. 449 00:17:27,109 --> 00:17:28,735 He made me the hottest heel in the country, 450 00:17:28,736 --> 00:17:31,029 and I made him the hottest babyface in the country. 451 00:17:31,030 --> 00:17:32,447 [Brian] Everything about it clicked. 452 00:17:32,448 --> 00:17:36,326 Everything started exploding and they were just hot. 453 00:17:36,327 --> 00:17:39,037 [Announcer] For 6 months this feud has gone on. 454 00:17:39,038 --> 00:17:41,039 [Hulk] You sold out a country, man! 455 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:43,708 You sold out all those people that believed in you, man. 456 00:17:43,709 --> 00:17:45,794 [Jim] Now all the little Hulkamaniacs and 457 00:17:45,795 --> 00:17:48,339 the big Hulkamaniacs, they all wanted to 458 00:17:48,464 --> 00:17:50,966 see Hulk Hogan get even 459 00:17:51,092 --> 00:17:53,552 with the guy that betrayed him. 460 00:17:53,677 --> 00:17:55,512 [Paul] I mean, I had death threats 461 00:17:55,513 --> 00:17:57,013 and everything else, man. 462 00:17:57,014 --> 00:17:59,182 Bottles and darts thrown at me and... 463 00:17:59,183 --> 00:18:01,559 [Travis] Wrestling fans are a whole 'nother level. 464 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:05,271 It is crazy how driven, motivated and 465 00:18:05,272 --> 00:18:07,232 in love they are with these characters. 466 00:18:07,233 --> 00:18:09,943 I had a friend that quit talking to me, 467 00:18:09,944 --> 00:18:12,654 when I was like 8 years old and a few years later 468 00:18:12,655 --> 00:18:14,657 "I am so sorry I hated you. 469 00:18:14,782 --> 00:18:16,784 Your dad turned on Hulk Hogan." 470 00:18:16,909 --> 00:18:18,993 [Paul] I am the most unpopular person in 471 00:18:18,994 --> 00:18:22,539 the world, well, that is an achievement right there. 472 00:18:22,540 --> 00:18:25,041 [Crowd] [cheering] 473 00:18:25,042 --> 00:18:27,961 [Jim] When they decided to do the big event at the 474 00:18:27,962 --> 00:18:30,422 Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, 475 00:18:30,423 --> 00:18:33,592 over 60,000 people 476 00:18:33,718 --> 00:18:35,802 went to Exhibition Stadium to see 477 00:18:35,803 --> 00:18:38,139 Hulk Hogan versus Paul Orndorff. 478 00:18:38,264 --> 00:18:40,554 [Announcer] Big right hand by the champion! 479 00:18:40,555 --> 00:18:41,599 [Arn] You know why it worked? 480 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:43,685 Everybody in that building believed Orndorff 481 00:18:43,686 --> 00:18:46,855 could beat Hogan. They believed. 482 00:18:46,856 --> 00:18:48,815 [Announcer] Oh, he's back with the shoulder of Orndorff. 483 00:18:48,816 --> 00:18:50,233 Oh, come on, Paul! 484 00:18:50,234 --> 00:18:51,151 [Jim] That was the biggest crowd in the history of 485 00:18:51,152 --> 00:18:53,821 wrestling in North America, to that point. 486 00:18:53,946 --> 00:18:56,865 Here's a guy that grew up in a fucking trailer 487 00:18:56,866 --> 00:18:59,285 that they used to use as a chicken coop. 488 00:18:59,410 --> 00:19:02,872 Now he's facing the top star in the business 489 00:19:02,997 --> 00:19:05,624 and he's making $25,000 a week, 490 00:19:05,625 --> 00:19:07,000 which is the equivalent of almost 491 00:19:07,001 --> 00:19:09,712 $100,000 a week today. 492 00:19:09,713 --> 00:19:11,796 [Paul] I didn't go in here blind. 493 00:19:11,797 --> 00:19:13,298 I mean, I had a plan. 494 00:19:13,299 --> 00:19:16,634 I truly had a plan for once in my life, and it worked. 495 00:19:16,635 --> 00:19:18,679 I was told I was gonna make money. 496 00:19:18,804 --> 00:19:21,348 And when Mr. McMahon said you're gonna make money, 497 00:19:21,474 --> 00:19:23,225 you will make money. 498 00:19:23,350 --> 00:19:25,310 ? 499 00:19:25,311 --> 00:19:27,772 [Brian] He was absolutely on top of the world. 500 00:19:27,773 --> 00:19:29,272 [Announcer] There he is, right there. 501 00:19:29,273 --> 00:19:31,107 [Travis] That was a job. 502 00:19:31,108 --> 00:19:33,777 And it was a job that took him away from me 503 00:19:33,778 --> 00:19:36,112 and I wanted my dad home. 504 00:19:36,113 --> 00:19:39,949 I don't remember at that period 505 00:19:39,950 --> 00:19:42,078 ever going without anything. 506 00:19:42,079 --> 00:19:43,203 I can tell you I went to one of the 507 00:19:43,204 --> 00:19:44,496 top private schools at the time. 508 00:19:44,497 --> 00:19:45,663 Everything was paid off. 509 00:19:45,664 --> 00:19:47,374 Do you remember the old red Tupperware? 510 00:19:47,375 --> 00:19:50,210 We had those in the freezer and there was like money 511 00:19:50,211 --> 00:19:53,463 stacked in there and, like, one of them fell out 512 00:19:53,464 --> 00:19:55,716 and broke my toe. 513 00:19:55,841 --> 00:19:59,177 My mom, she liked the money of wrestling and, 514 00:19:59,178 --> 00:20:00,868 you know, she didn't have to work. 515 00:20:00,930 --> 00:20:04,600 She had been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, 516 00:20:04,725 --> 00:20:06,476 and it was genuinely severe, 517 00:20:06,477 --> 00:20:08,104 this happened in the late 80's. 518 00:20:08,229 --> 00:20:11,481 And then, you know, the pills started. 519 00:20:11,482 --> 00:20:14,484 [Brian] Unfortunately, when he was sending his money home 520 00:20:14,485 --> 00:20:17,071 his wife was spending it all on the wrong things. 521 00:20:17,196 --> 00:20:19,490 On drugs and other things. 522 00:20:19,491 --> 00:20:22,367 [Travis] It was often just me and my mom. 523 00:20:22,368 --> 00:20:24,744 She wouldn't wake up on time to take me to school. 524 00:20:24,745 --> 00:20:27,872 There was this evolution of pain medication, 525 00:20:27,873 --> 00:20:30,710 and you know, it just continued and 526 00:20:30,835 --> 00:20:32,920 it continued the rest of her life. 527 00:20:32,921 --> 00:20:34,963 [Narrator] The relentless schedule leaves Paul 528 00:20:34,964 --> 00:20:37,633 little time at home with Ronda and their sons 529 00:20:37,758 --> 00:20:40,553 or to deal with his worsening injury. 530 00:20:40,678 --> 00:20:42,179 [Jim] There were a few weeks 531 00:20:42,304 --> 00:20:45,515 where the WWF was selling in excess of 532 00:20:45,516 --> 00:20:49,019 150,000 tickets, in a week, 533 00:20:49,020 --> 00:20:51,147 to see Hogan and Orndorff wrestle. 534 00:20:51,272 --> 00:20:53,733 And it was a double-edged sword. 535 00:20:53,734 --> 00:20:55,525 [Paul] I'd get two or three days off 536 00:20:55,526 --> 00:20:57,987 and Vince would track me down 537 00:20:58,112 --> 00:21:00,238 and wanted me to come back to work. 538 00:21:00,239 --> 00:21:03,533 When you're main event you can't, you gotta go. 539 00:21:03,534 --> 00:21:05,161 And I was going hurt, 540 00:21:05,286 --> 00:21:08,413 burnt out and tired flying all day and 541 00:21:08,414 --> 00:21:10,832 getting to the gym and I was working 542 00:21:10,833 --> 00:21:13,084 18 hours a day, man. 543 00:21:13,085 --> 00:21:15,254 I did that for three years. 544 00:21:15,379 --> 00:21:17,173 You know, I got a family to feed. 545 00:21:17,174 --> 00:21:19,007 [Travis] So, Dad was still on the road, 546 00:21:19,008 --> 00:21:22,553 he was injured and, I got... deathly ill. 547 00:21:22,678 --> 00:21:25,181 I went from 83 pounds 548 00:21:25,306 --> 00:21:27,098 to 52 pounds 549 00:21:27,099 --> 00:21:29,309 in about 3 weeks. 550 00:21:29,310 --> 00:21:31,102 Dad didn't see me every day, 551 00:21:31,103 --> 00:21:32,604 but they would bring in a cot and when 552 00:21:32,605 --> 00:21:34,898 he'd come into town he'd sleep in my room with me. 553 00:21:34,899 --> 00:21:37,609 I lost the ability to walk, my hands quit working, 554 00:21:37,610 --> 00:21:39,236 my body kinda shut down. 555 00:21:39,361 --> 00:21:42,572 The best answer I've gotten is a complex regional 556 00:21:42,573 --> 00:21:44,450 pain syndrome, but at the time, 557 00:21:44,575 --> 00:21:46,827 they really didn't think I was going to live. 558 00:21:46,952 --> 00:21:51,289 So, the doctor, at his own wits end, said, 559 00:21:51,290 --> 00:21:53,220 "We think your son has a brain tumour." 560 00:21:53,334 --> 00:21:55,378 My dad grabbed him by the collar, 561 00:21:55,503 --> 00:21:57,754 pinned him up against the wall, and said, 562 00:21:57,755 --> 00:22:01,925 "He doesn't have a F-ing brain tumour". 563 00:22:01,926 --> 00:22:05,012 In that moment, he was angry and he was scared. 564 00:22:06,222 --> 00:22:08,932 And he didn't want to lose his baby boy. 565 00:22:08,933 --> 00:22:10,976 [Brian] I think that always hurt Paul, 566 00:22:11,102 --> 00:22:13,152 that he couldn't be around his kids more. 567 00:22:13,187 --> 00:22:14,979 But he couldn't do both. 568 00:22:14,980 --> 00:22:16,941 And he chose what 569 00:22:16,942 --> 00:22:18,817 was gonna at least feed 'em, clothe 'em 570 00:22:18,818 --> 00:22:20,778 and hopefully he would make amends 571 00:22:20,903 --> 00:22:24,239 when he retired. 572 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,325 [Jim] By 1988, you couldn't ignore it anymore. 573 00:22:27,326 --> 00:22:29,911 His arm was atrophying, it was getting smaller, 574 00:22:29,912 --> 00:22:31,955 it was affecting his work. 575 00:22:31,956 --> 00:22:33,456 [Arn] You looked at his two arms, 576 00:22:33,457 --> 00:22:36,919 and it was like two different people. 577 00:22:37,044 --> 00:22:39,337 [Brian] He was very depressed about his arm, 578 00:22:39,338 --> 00:22:41,841 about the business, about Ronda, about money, 579 00:22:41,966 --> 00:22:44,926 about so many different things and he's using, 580 00:22:44,927 --> 00:22:46,803 whether it was drugs or women, 581 00:22:46,804 --> 00:22:49,139 whatever crutch he could find to 582 00:22:49,140 --> 00:22:50,933 escape the moment. 583 00:22:50,934 --> 00:22:52,183 [Travis] Vince had made my dad a promise 584 00:22:52,184 --> 00:22:53,853 when he got hurt. He said, 585 00:22:53,978 --> 00:22:56,772 "Don't screw me and you'll have a job here 586 00:22:56,897 --> 00:22:58,482 the rest of your life." 587 00:22:58,607 --> 00:23:00,609 And my dad screwed him. 588 00:23:04,947 --> 00:23:07,532 nerve injury to his arm, a se 589 00:23:07,533 --> 00:23:09,827 Paul Orndorff walks away from wrestling, 590 00:23:09,828 --> 00:23:11,619 burning a bridge with the promoter 591 00:23:11,620 --> 00:23:13,247 who made him famous. 592 00:23:13,372 --> 00:23:15,707 [Travis] The way my dad left WWF, 593 00:23:15,708 --> 00:23:17,877 when he did, he upset Vince. 594 00:23:18,502 --> 00:23:20,837 [Jim] He no-showed Vince McMahon and the WWF 595 00:23:20,838 --> 00:23:23,965 after asking for days off that he didn't get. 596 00:23:23,966 --> 00:23:26,176 Paul was a guy that if he felt he wasn't being treated 597 00:23:26,177 --> 00:23:28,804 fairly that he would take matters in his own hands. 598 00:23:28,929 --> 00:23:31,139 Did you and Vince leave on good terms? 599 00:23:31,140 --> 00:23:32,933 No. [laughing] 600 00:23:33,059 --> 00:23:36,895 No... Oh, I got buried. 601 00:23:36,896 --> 00:23:40,482 I think that people got in his ear, 602 00:23:40,483 --> 00:23:44,069 that tell him I didn't get hurt. I was hurt. 603 00:23:44,070 --> 00:23:47,072 I mean, I was hurt, it was obvious I was hurt. 604 00:23:47,073 --> 00:23:48,823 It was time to go. 605 00:23:48,824 --> 00:23:51,326 [Jim] At that point, he's almost 40 years old. 606 00:23:51,327 --> 00:23:53,787 He had made a lot of money over the previous few years. 607 00:23:53,788 --> 00:23:55,747 That's when he decided to retire, 608 00:23:55,748 --> 00:23:57,707 for the first time, from wrestling. 609 00:23:57,708 --> 00:24:01,587 ? 610 00:24:01,588 --> 00:24:03,421 He wanted to get away from the business for a while, 611 00:24:03,422 --> 00:24:05,215 he wanted to heal. 612 00:24:05,216 --> 00:24:07,218 [Arn] He bought a bowling alley 613 00:24:07,343 --> 00:24:10,346 and worked it like a business. 614 00:24:10,471 --> 00:24:13,056 [Travis] My dad knew nothing about bowling 615 00:24:13,057 --> 00:24:14,933 but when my dad left WWF 616 00:24:14,934 --> 00:24:18,436 he had started to invest with a financial advisor 617 00:24:18,437 --> 00:24:20,690 named Shelton Thorne down in Florida, 618 00:24:20,815 --> 00:24:24,275 somebody he knew from a dentist where my mom worked. 619 00:24:24,276 --> 00:24:26,153 And so, he trusted my mom 620 00:24:26,278 --> 00:24:28,071 and he trusted Shelton. 621 00:24:28,072 --> 00:24:29,572 They got some investors together and 622 00:24:29,573 --> 00:24:31,366 they opened a bowling center. 623 00:24:31,367 --> 00:24:33,535 [Arn] I thought that was very unique, 624 00:24:33,536 --> 00:24:35,538 that a guy of his magnitude would, 625 00:24:35,663 --> 00:24:37,747 would buy a bowling alley. 626 00:24:37,748 --> 00:24:40,208 [Off-screen] That's Travis Orndorff, 627 00:24:40,209 --> 00:24:42,252 Paul's little son there. 628 00:24:42,253 --> 00:24:45,588 [Travis] My dad said, "My identity is not in wrestling. 629 00:24:45,589 --> 00:24:47,590 My identity is not in Mr. Wonderful. 630 00:24:47,591 --> 00:24:49,426 My identity is your daddy. 631 00:24:49,427 --> 00:24:52,721 And my identity is what I do." 632 00:24:52,722 --> 00:24:55,683 [Jim] Paul had been so visible in the WWF 633 00:24:55,808 --> 00:24:58,476 that when he retired, somebody actually started 634 00:24:58,477 --> 00:25:00,395 a rumor that he was dead, 635 00:25:00,396 --> 00:25:02,981 and it was picked up internationally. 636 00:25:02,982 --> 00:25:04,691 [Paul] Used to get calls at my bowling center, 637 00:25:04,692 --> 00:25:07,110 I think somebody said I died on steroids. 638 00:25:07,111 --> 00:25:08,319 [Scoffing] 639 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,822 That's stupid. I was home. 640 00:25:10,823 --> 00:25:13,033 I hadn't been home in 20 years, man. 641 00:25:13,159 --> 00:25:15,202 ? 642 00:25:15,327 --> 00:25:17,747 [Narrator] At home, things are far from quiet. 643 00:25:17,872 --> 00:25:21,291 Paul's eldest son falls into a life of crime and addiction. 644 00:25:21,292 --> 00:25:24,294 [Brian] Buzz is Paul's first son, his older son. 645 00:25:24,295 --> 00:25:26,337 And Buzz has been in 646 00:25:26,338 --> 00:25:27,590 a lot of trouble. 647 00:25:27,591 --> 00:25:29,424 [Travis] You know, alcohol was involved. 648 00:25:29,425 --> 00:25:32,136 DUIs, substance use. 649 00:25:32,261 --> 00:25:35,847 [News] Paul Orndorff III has been arrested again, 650 00:25:35,848 --> 00:25:39,477 here in Peachtree City after another high-speed chase. 651 00:25:39,602 --> 00:25:41,978 [Travis] I'm not better than my brother. 652 00:25:41,979 --> 00:25:44,314 We had different circumstances. 653 00:25:44,315 --> 00:25:46,901 [Brian] Paul did everything he could to love Buzz. 654 00:25:46,902 --> 00:25:49,194 To give him a chance, to forgive him and all that, 655 00:25:49,195 --> 00:25:51,946 Buzz would always turn the wrong way. 656 00:25:51,947 --> 00:25:53,823 [Travis] The funny thing is, is he could be the nicest 657 00:25:53,824 --> 00:25:56,410 and sweetest person in these moments. 658 00:25:56,411 --> 00:25:57,744 You would get your hopes up, 659 00:25:57,745 --> 00:26:00,206 but they just were short lived. 660 00:26:00,331 --> 00:26:03,501 My parents ended up adopting my brothers� children. 661 00:26:03,626 --> 00:26:05,795 I think I was 13 at that point. 662 00:26:05,796 --> 00:26:07,504 You know, by the time his kids were born 663 00:26:07,505 --> 00:26:08,963 my parents were raising them, you know, 664 00:26:08,964 --> 00:26:10,715 we were going to visit the prisons he was in 665 00:26:10,716 --> 00:26:12,826 every Saturday, or every other Saturday. 666 00:26:12,827 --> 00:26:16,096 [Narrator] But the trouble at home puts Paul's family 667 00:26:16,097 --> 00:26:19,391 and their financial security at risk. 668 00:26:19,392 --> 00:26:23,561 [Jim] All the money that Paul had made in the WWF 669 00:26:23,562 --> 00:26:26,648 that he had ignored his injury for, 670 00:26:26,649 --> 00:26:28,608 his business manager they found out 671 00:26:28,609 --> 00:26:30,610 was a crook and had been running 672 00:26:30,611 --> 00:26:32,446 some kind of Ponzi Scheme 673 00:26:32,571 --> 00:26:35,157 and his money was gone. 674 00:26:35,158 --> 00:26:37,659 [Travis] Shelton was getting money from this place to 675 00:26:37,660 --> 00:26:39,536 pay this investor, as they were going, 676 00:26:39,537 --> 00:26:41,329 and it eventually folded. 677 00:26:41,330 --> 00:26:43,998 My Dad was sued by the investors, as well, you know, 678 00:26:43,999 --> 00:26:46,418 they didn't win 'cause we didn't have anything. 679 00:26:46,419 --> 00:26:49,189 [Gerry] It hurts your pride because you think you have 680 00:26:49,255 --> 00:26:52,633 all your bases covered and then you get swindled by 681 00:26:52,758 --> 00:26:55,594 a person that you gave your trust to. 682 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:58,930 [Brian] Shelton Thorne basically bankrupts him 683 00:26:58,931 --> 00:27:02,226 and there's no pay cheque coming every month. 684 00:27:02,351 --> 00:27:04,102 There's no insurance. 685 00:27:04,103 --> 00:27:06,688 He's in a very difficult situation and he's gotta 686 00:27:06,689 --> 00:27:08,816 make a choice to go back on the road again. 687 00:27:08,941 --> 00:27:11,484 [Announcer] Back around... Holy! Whoa! 688 00:27:11,485 --> 00:27:12,862 [Brian] And make a living 689 00:27:12,987 --> 00:27:14,989 the only other way he knows how. 690 00:27:15,114 --> 00:27:19,160 I'm sure it was very emotionally difficult on Paul. 691 00:27:19,161 --> 00:27:20,785 [Jim] You could tell that it had taken something 692 00:27:20,786 --> 00:27:23,705 out of him, and then... 693 00:27:23,706 --> 00:27:26,167 from there, things just got worse. 694 00:27:26,292 --> 00:27:29,295 [Paul] You have not seen the last of me. 695 00:27:33,340 --> 00:27:34,842 I have gotten letters, 696 00:27:34,967 --> 00:27:38,011 I have gotten phone calls from all over the world. 697 00:27:38,012 --> 00:27:39,764 People wanting to know, is it true 698 00:27:39,889 --> 00:27:41,389 that Mr. Wonderful has died. 699 00:27:41,390 --> 00:27:43,141 Well, I want everybody out there to know 700 00:27:43,142 --> 00:27:44,768 that I am alive and well. 701 00:27:44,769 --> 00:27:47,645 [Narrator] Two years after walking away from the WWF 702 00:27:47,646 --> 00:27:50,232 with permanent injuries, Orndorff is scammed 703 00:27:50,357 --> 00:27:52,192 out of his life savings, 704 00:27:52,193 --> 00:27:54,486 forcing him back into the ring. 705 00:27:54,487 --> 00:27:56,321 [Brian] He knew that the independents were hot. 706 00:27:56,322 --> 00:27:58,156 There were places from Paul to go. 707 00:27:58,157 --> 00:28:01,077 [Jim] When he popped back up in 1990, 708 00:28:01,202 --> 00:28:04,496 he went about the UWF and some different 709 00:28:04,497 --> 00:28:07,165 independent promotions over the next couple of years. 710 00:28:07,166 --> 00:28:09,584 He still looked like Paul Orndorff. 711 00:28:09,585 --> 00:28:11,086 [Paul] I'm coming after you, Herb! 712 00:28:11,087 --> 00:28:12,587 [Arn] You would never know he was hurt. 713 00:28:12,588 --> 00:28:14,298 Didn't affect his work at all. 714 00:28:14,423 --> 00:28:17,009 [Announcer] Here it is! The pile driver. 715 00:28:17,010 --> 00:28:18,843 [Jim] You could tell, if you looked close, 716 00:28:18,844 --> 00:28:20,178 that there was a little something going on 717 00:28:20,179 --> 00:28:21,846 with the arm, but otherwise than that, 718 00:28:21,847 --> 00:28:24,057 he looked just as good as he always did. 719 00:28:24,058 --> 00:28:26,477 By 1992, 720 00:28:26,602 --> 00:28:28,686 I was running Smoky Mountain Wrestling 721 00:28:28,687 --> 00:28:30,605 based out of Knoxville, Tennessee. 722 00:28:30,606 --> 00:28:32,273 [Young Jim] First of all, I wanna ask a favor 723 00:28:32,274 --> 00:28:33,942 of all these genetic mutants out here. 724 00:28:33,943 --> 00:28:35,235 You gotta keep the noise down. 725 00:28:35,236 --> 00:28:36,694 [Crowd] [cheering] [Jim] We got to- 726 00:28:36,695 --> 00:28:38,571 [Jim] I called him. I said, "Would you like to come in 727 00:28:38,572 --> 00:28:40,532 and work some weekends for me?" 728 00:28:40,533 --> 00:28:43,326 and he said, "Yes," for a very agreeable rate. 729 00:28:43,327 --> 00:28:44,953 [Travis] At some point it's your job, 730 00:28:44,954 --> 00:28:46,246 it's not in stadiums. 731 00:28:46,247 --> 00:28:48,957 It's not to sell out crowds, and nothing like 732 00:28:48,958 --> 00:28:51,543 the WWF was at that time. 733 00:28:51,544 --> 00:28:54,254 The UWF merchandise is the talk of the town. 734 00:28:54,255 --> 00:28:56,464 [Travis] These guys paid for his name and Dad 735 00:28:56,465 --> 00:28:59,300 could still work and he tried to keep his left arm 736 00:28:59,301 --> 00:29:01,344 in front of the camera instead of his right arm. 737 00:29:01,345 --> 00:29:03,221 And he did what he had to do 738 00:29:03,222 --> 00:29:04,514 to take care of his family. 739 00:29:04,515 --> 00:29:06,558 [Announcer] Now there is a man on a mission, right there. 740 00:29:06,559 --> 00:29:09,728 [Narrator] In 1993, Paul changes course, 741 00:29:09,729 --> 00:29:12,857 signing with wrestling's most ambitious promotion. 742 00:29:12,982 --> 00:29:14,649 [Jim] WCW in the mid 90's was, 743 00:29:14,650 --> 00:29:16,860 they were trying to imitate 744 00:29:16,861 --> 00:29:19,487 Vince McMahon's WWF. 745 00:29:19,488 --> 00:29:22,575 With the entertainment aspect and the celebrities aspect 746 00:29:22,700 --> 00:29:24,577 and the glitz and glamour aspect. 747 00:29:24,702 --> 00:29:26,872 However, they didn't have the brain power. 748 00:29:26,873 --> 00:29:28,997 [Announcer] But here comes Robocop, Bob! 749 00:29:28,998 --> 00:29:31,916 [Jim] WCW's celebrity angles 750 00:29:31,917 --> 00:29:33,878 involved D-list people that 751 00:29:34,003 --> 00:29:37,547 were on reality shows or on late night commercials. 752 00:29:37,548 --> 00:29:39,258 One of them was a psychic. 753 00:29:39,383 --> 00:29:42,719 Gary Spivey, of the psychic companions� network? 754 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:44,889 What are you doing here? - I got a vision. 755 00:29:44,890 --> 00:29:47,223 [Jim] He was on TV everywhere at 4 o'clock in the morning, 756 00:29:47,224 --> 00:29:48,364 predicting the future. 757 00:29:48,434 --> 00:29:49,643 I know you're not okay. 758 00:29:49,769 --> 00:29:52,020 - How did you know that? - I got a vision. 759 00:29:52,021 --> 00:29:53,688 [Jim] I don't know why he couldn't have seen 760 00:29:53,689 --> 00:29:55,482 that this angle was gonna be the shits. 761 00:29:55,483 --> 00:29:59,194 - You're Mr. Wonderful. - I am Mr. Wonderful. 762 00:29:59,195 --> 00:30:00,862 [Travis] He had lost who Mr. Wonderful was 763 00:30:00,863 --> 00:30:02,906 and he needed to fall back in love with 764 00:30:02,907 --> 00:30:06,285 Mr. Wonderful and kissing the handheld mirror. 765 00:30:07,286 --> 00:30:10,872 I hated that gimmick so bad. 766 00:30:10,873 --> 00:30:14,418 [Jim] So, Paul was, again, performing at a high level, 767 00:30:14,543 --> 00:30:16,353 doing everything expected of him, 768 00:30:16,462 --> 00:30:19,757 but 1990's WCW 769 00:30:19,882 --> 00:30:21,299 was just so low budget 770 00:30:21,300 --> 00:30:23,927 and so silly and so directionless. 771 00:30:23,928 --> 00:30:25,387 It was just low rent. 772 00:30:25,388 --> 00:30:27,305 Thank you, Gary. 773 00:30:27,306 --> 00:30:29,599 [Arn] If you wanna figure out why that happened, 774 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:33,061 Paul was getting paid. That's it. 775 00:30:33,062 --> 00:30:35,897 [Narrator] Still in constant pain from nerve damage, 776 00:30:35,898 --> 00:30:39,318 by 1999, Orndorff moves behind the scenes 777 00:30:39,443 --> 00:30:41,611 as a trainer for WCW. 778 00:30:41,612 --> 00:30:43,572 [Jim] While Paul was at WCW, 779 00:30:43,697 --> 00:30:45,987 they instituted a wrestling school in house 780 00:30:46,075 --> 00:30:47,535 called The Power Plant, 781 00:30:47,536 --> 00:30:49,202 where they would try to train the 782 00:30:49,203 --> 00:30:51,162 next generation of their athletes. 783 00:30:51,163 --> 00:30:53,456 And, Paul was a perfect fit for that. 784 00:30:53,457 --> 00:30:55,583 [Paul] I may have 15 or 20 kids down 785 00:30:55,584 --> 00:30:57,377 every 2 to 3 weeks. 786 00:30:57,378 --> 00:31:00,004 What I try to do is to get the best athlete 787 00:31:00,005 --> 00:31:01,716 as I possibly can. 788 00:31:01,717 --> 00:31:04,300 [Brian] Paul took that very seriously and he would 789 00:31:04,301 --> 00:31:06,678 teach them just the way that he was taught. 790 00:31:06,679 --> 00:31:09,723 [Travis] He wanted to hand off his legacy to 791 00:31:09,724 --> 00:31:12,434 these next generation wrestlers. 792 00:31:12,435 --> 00:31:14,811 [Jim] Paul had been training guys for some time 793 00:31:14,812 --> 00:31:17,815 when the idea came up for an elimination match 794 00:31:17,940 --> 00:31:19,859 where Paul would get back in the ring. 795 00:31:19,984 --> 00:31:23,111 - Who is it? Oh my God! - It's Paul Orndorff! 796 00:31:23,112 --> 00:31:25,613 [Jim] And the premise of it was that he was wrestling 797 00:31:25,614 --> 00:31:27,365 against some of the young guys that 798 00:31:27,366 --> 00:31:29,617 he had been training at The Power Plant. 799 00:31:29,618 --> 00:31:32,245 [Brian] Paul told me that he didn't want to go out there. 800 00:31:32,246 --> 00:31:34,498 Yet, they insisted that he go out. 801 00:31:34,499 --> 00:31:35,832 [Announcer] I don't mind telling you, 802 00:31:35,833 --> 00:31:38,543 Paul Orndorff has been hit a lot of times in his career. 803 00:31:38,544 --> 00:31:40,253 He doesn't mind taking a few more. 804 00:31:40,254 --> 00:31:42,173 [Jim] For a normal 50-year-old man, 805 00:31:42,298 --> 00:31:43,548 he looks in great shape. 806 00:31:43,549 --> 00:31:46,135 But see the arms are so much smaller. 807 00:31:46,260 --> 00:31:47,762 [Announcer] Into the ropes... 808 00:31:47,763 --> 00:31:49,763 [Jim] Now here's the first pile driver. 809 00:31:49,764 --> 00:31:51,890 [Announcer] This is it! His signature move! 810 00:31:51,891 --> 00:31:53,391 [Jim] He hasn't got him all the way straight. 811 00:31:53,392 --> 00:31:55,519 He didn't get the jump that he used to, 812 00:31:55,644 --> 00:31:57,396 but he stuck him and it was safe. 813 00:31:57,521 --> 00:31:59,481 [Jim] Here comes Jindrak, 814 00:31:59,482 --> 00:32:01,817 6'5", 250 pounds. 815 00:32:01,942 --> 00:32:03,693 Couldn't wrestle 816 00:32:03,694 --> 00:32:05,571 out of a wet paper bag. 817 00:32:05,696 --> 00:32:07,864 [Announcer] Orndorff's got him! 818 00:32:07,865 --> 00:32:09,532 [Jim] He goes to pile drive him. 819 00:32:09,533 --> 00:32:11,201 Jindrak tries to go up too quick. 820 00:32:11,202 --> 00:32:14,663 Now he got sideways and they went down backwards. 821 00:32:23,839 --> 00:32:26,257 [Jim] The weight and the velocity 822 00:32:26,258 --> 00:32:27,759 made it kind of like 823 00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:30,554 a rear end car accident from a different angle. 824 00:32:34,809 --> 00:32:36,726 [Jim] Paul, laying there, 825 00:32:36,727 --> 00:32:39,270 had to tell the referee, 826 00:32:39,271 --> 00:32:41,357 "I'm hurt, I can't get up." 827 00:32:41,358 --> 00:32:42,565 [Announcer] Ladies and Gentlemen, due to 828 00:32:42,566 --> 00:32:45,193 a serious injury to Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorff, 829 00:32:45,194 --> 00:32:46,820 the referee, Charles Robinson, 830 00:32:46,821 --> 00:32:49,239 has stopped this match. It is a no contest. 831 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:52,409 [Jim] A stinger is like a knockout punch to your nerve. 832 00:32:52,410 --> 00:32:54,829 Sting goes through your entire body. 833 00:32:54,954 --> 00:32:56,663 Zzzt! Like an electric shock 834 00:32:56,664 --> 00:32:58,123 and then you got nothing. 835 00:32:58,124 --> 00:32:59,207 When you recover, 836 00:32:59,208 --> 00:33:01,794 you get all the feeling back in your extremities. 837 00:33:01,919 --> 00:33:03,629 If it doesn't work out that way, 838 00:33:03,754 --> 00:33:06,632 then you're... paralyzed. 839 00:33:09,170 --> 00:33:11,136 [Announcerrff 840 00:33:11,137 --> 00:33:13,067 has suffered some sort of neck injury. 841 00:33:13,068 --> 00:33:14,222 [Travis] He had broken his neck. 842 00:33:14,223 --> 00:33:16,633 They stopped the match and called an ambulance. 843 00:33:16,684 --> 00:33:19,937 It's very rare that you stop a match on television, 844 00:33:20,062 --> 00:33:22,439 it never happened in those days. 845 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:25,025 [Announcer] A standing ovation for Paul Orndorff 846 00:33:25,026 --> 00:33:26,151 from the fans. 847 00:33:26,152 --> 00:33:28,361 [Brian] It's difficult when you're hanging on 848 00:33:28,362 --> 00:33:30,740 wrestling at 51 years old 849 00:33:30,865 --> 00:33:32,991 and gets hurt... 850 00:33:32,992 --> 00:33:34,702 Doing his own move. 851 00:33:34,827 --> 00:33:38,663 [Jim] That was the sign that the neck had gotten too bad 852 00:33:38,664 --> 00:33:40,207 and there was no way he could 853 00:33:40,332 --> 00:33:42,292 do this anymore at all. 854 00:33:42,293 --> 00:33:45,920 It was God telling him, "You're done." 855 00:33:45,921 --> 00:33:48,089 [Travis] From then on, things he could do 856 00:33:48,090 --> 00:33:49,841 were very limited, physically. 857 00:33:49,842 --> 00:33:53,179 The pain was unrelenting for most of his life after that. 858 00:33:53,180 --> 00:33:55,388 [Paul] I had another operation on my neck, 859 00:33:55,389 --> 00:33:57,599 which was the third one, they gotta fuse it 860 00:33:57,600 --> 00:33:59,934 to get two discs and put a rod in it. 861 00:33:59,935 --> 00:34:03,855 My body ain't, you know, very good right now. 862 00:34:03,856 --> 00:34:06,192 It's hurting, as we speak. 863 00:34:06,317 --> 00:34:07,943 [Arn] And we didn't see him for... 864 00:34:08,069 --> 00:34:11,237 God, long time. 865 00:34:11,238 --> 00:34:15,076 [Narrator] In 2005, Paul returns to the public eye, 866 00:34:15,201 --> 00:34:17,119 enjoying the fans' appreciation of 867 00:34:17,244 --> 00:34:18,787 his legendary career. 868 00:34:18,788 --> 00:34:21,082 [Brian] To see him go back and be in the WWE 869 00:34:21,207 --> 00:34:23,291 Hall of Fame was the icing on the cake. 870 00:34:23,292 --> 00:34:25,402 If anybody deserved it, Paul deserved it. 871 00:34:25,403 --> 00:34:27,337 [Paul] I would truly like to say I thank you fans, 872 00:34:27,338 --> 00:34:29,714 very much, it means... - [cheering and applauding] 873 00:34:29,715 --> 00:34:32,634 ...it really, it means a lot. 874 00:34:32,635 --> 00:34:34,511 [Travis] In 2005, he looked great. 875 00:34:34,512 --> 00:34:36,888 He was still himself, but I'd noticed 876 00:34:36,889 --> 00:34:39,057 a decline in his memory. 877 00:34:39,058 --> 00:34:42,186 When it hit about 2010, it accelerated 878 00:34:42,311 --> 00:34:45,438 from like 0 to 100 when he got cancer, 879 00:34:45,439 --> 00:34:47,065 throat cancer. 880 00:34:47,066 --> 00:34:49,567 [Brian] He knew he had a battle between 881 00:34:49,568 --> 00:34:51,611 life and death, and 882 00:34:51,612 --> 00:34:55,491 he got through that cancer but... um... 883 00:34:55,492 --> 00:34:57,742 [Host] Is that you, Paul Orndorff? 884 00:34:57,743 --> 00:34:58,701 No, it's Rudolph. 885 00:34:58,702 --> 00:35:02,288 It's just my memory is not what it used to be. 886 00:35:02,289 --> 00:35:05,376 You know, this cancer and this chemo and radiation, 887 00:35:05,501 --> 00:35:10,422 just messed my... you know. 888 00:35:10,423 --> 00:35:12,090 [Travis] He would call me over and over and over again 889 00:35:12,091 --> 00:35:13,925 and not remember we had just talked. 890 00:35:13,926 --> 00:35:16,970 Then I was like, oh, my god. 891 00:35:16,971 --> 00:35:18,555 Like I wouldn't even know he was going on 892 00:35:18,556 --> 00:35:20,181 these conventions, and I think he got 893 00:35:20,182 --> 00:35:22,017 lost at the airport, one time. 894 00:35:22,018 --> 00:35:24,185 And as I'm telling people this, they're, 895 00:35:24,186 --> 00:35:25,478 "No, he's fine, he's fine." 896 00:35:25,479 --> 00:35:28,189 And I'm like, "No, he's not." 897 00:35:28,190 --> 00:35:30,734 [Narrator] As Paul's dementia symptoms increase, 898 00:35:30,735 --> 00:35:33,111 so does the instability of his life at home. 899 00:35:33,112 --> 00:35:34,404 [Brian] Whenever I was in Atlanta, 900 00:35:34,405 --> 00:35:37,158 I always tried to stop and go see Paul. 901 00:35:37,283 --> 00:35:38,333 As soon as I saw him, 902 00:35:38,409 --> 00:35:41,202 I knew that he was being abused. 903 00:35:41,203 --> 00:35:43,288 The man I know was 904 00:35:43,289 --> 00:35:45,206 skin and bones and 905 00:35:45,207 --> 00:35:47,417 scars and bruises. 906 00:35:47,418 --> 00:35:50,087 His wife was not giving him his medicine. 907 00:35:50,212 --> 00:35:52,380 Not taking care of him. 908 00:35:52,381 --> 00:35:55,009 She was getting strung out on drugs 909 00:35:55,134 --> 00:35:57,345 and she was doing meth 910 00:35:57,470 --> 00:36:00,681 and she was in pitiful shape. 911 00:36:00,806 --> 00:36:03,600 It was sad. Very, very sad. 912 00:36:03,601 --> 00:36:07,229 A few years before Paul had full onset dementia, 913 00:36:07,354 --> 00:36:10,065 he was, you know, not in the best shape. 914 00:36:10,066 --> 00:36:12,236 Unfortunately, Buzz got out of prison and 915 00:36:12,318 --> 00:36:14,570 Buzz hit him and broke his nose. 916 00:36:14,571 --> 00:36:17,947 You know, how he could hit his own father, 917 00:36:17,948 --> 00:36:20,158 I don't know, but... 918 00:36:20,159 --> 00:36:21,576 [Travis] I didn't know what to do. 919 00:36:21,577 --> 00:36:23,828 I picked him up from that house and 920 00:36:23,829 --> 00:36:25,414 I took him home to my house. 921 00:36:25,539 --> 00:36:28,917 I made every attempt to get him to move in with me. 922 00:36:28,918 --> 00:36:31,921 But he wanted to go home, and he would ask for Ronda. 923 00:36:32,046 --> 00:36:33,463 He wouldn't leave her. 924 00:36:33,464 --> 00:36:36,049 Like, I tried. Multiple times. 925 00:36:36,050 --> 00:36:37,927 He needed care, and at that point, 926 00:36:38,052 --> 00:36:39,636 she wasn't willing to do that. 927 00:36:39,637 --> 00:36:42,055 And that was the first time I called 928 00:36:42,056 --> 00:36:44,100 Adult Protection Services. 929 00:36:44,225 --> 00:36:46,184 But you have zero control over it. Zero. 930 00:36:46,185 --> 00:36:48,020 [Jim] He was in bad shape. 931 00:36:48,145 --> 00:36:50,231 He didn't know what was going on. 932 00:36:50,356 --> 00:36:52,732 And then, unfortunately, 933 00:36:52,733 --> 00:36:54,443 you know, the pandemic came in, 934 00:36:54,568 --> 00:36:57,071 that was about the end of it. 935 00:36:57,196 --> 00:36:58,656 [Narrator] In 2021, 936 00:36:58,781 --> 00:37:01,491 Paul is hospitalized with pneumonia. 937 00:37:01,492 --> 00:37:03,076 When he's ready to be discharged, 938 00:37:03,077 --> 00:37:05,370 Ronda refuses to take him back. 939 00:37:05,371 --> 00:37:09,082 [Travis] I got my mom to tell me where my dad was 940 00:37:09,083 --> 00:37:12,585 and I went in the room 941 00:37:12,586 --> 00:37:14,130 and I... 942 00:37:14,255 --> 00:37:16,382 I walk in... 943 00:37:16,507 --> 00:37:21,429 and his hair's all, all out, long. 944 00:37:23,055 --> 00:37:25,224 His leg is shaking. 945 00:37:26,934 --> 00:37:29,520 He's non-verbal. 946 00:37:29,645 --> 00:37:32,523 It absolutely overwhelmed me. 947 00:37:32,648 --> 00:37:35,275 I said, "I'm taking him home." 948 00:37:35,276 --> 00:37:38,445 They said, "You can't." And I said, "Why not?" 949 00:37:38,446 --> 00:37:40,947 They said, "You're not listed as next of kin." 950 00:37:40,948 --> 00:37:43,074 And she said, "Listen, we've been trying to 951 00:37:43,075 --> 00:37:44,784 call your mom for the last, you know, 952 00:37:44,785 --> 00:37:46,244 several months, 953 00:37:46,245 --> 00:37:48,329 saying that it's time, he needed to go home. 954 00:37:48,330 --> 00:37:50,623 She's been unwilling to assist. 955 00:37:50,624 --> 00:37:52,501 And there's nothing we can do." 956 00:37:52,502 --> 00:37:54,294 And I said, "Get me a social worker." 957 00:37:54,295 --> 00:37:56,338 They said, "It won't matter." And I said, 958 00:37:56,339 --> 00:37:59,133 "I'm gonna raise holy hell 959 00:37:59,258 --> 00:38:01,259 until you do something." 960 00:38:01,260 --> 00:38:03,070 And I said, "I'm gonna take a video." 961 00:38:05,222 --> 00:38:08,016 [background chatter] 962 00:38:08,017 --> 00:38:09,225 [Travis] Do you remember... 963 00:38:09,226 --> 00:38:11,354 do you remember wrestling? 964 00:38:13,606 --> 00:38:15,649 Daddy, you're just eating the pepper. 965 00:38:18,110 --> 00:38:20,862 [Jim] To see a guy that had been that 966 00:38:20,863 --> 00:38:24,407 vibrant and that strong and that powerful... 967 00:38:24,408 --> 00:38:26,534 [Arn] It broke my heart then 968 00:38:26,535 --> 00:38:28,536 and it breaks my heart now. 969 00:38:28,537 --> 00:38:30,455 You just can't stand the sight of it. 970 00:38:30,456 --> 00:38:33,286 [Gerry] The worst video I've ever seen in my entire life. 971 00:38:33,376 --> 00:38:35,919 I was furious with his son. 972 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:38,255 [Brian] I was very upset, and I called Travis. 973 00:38:38,381 --> 00:38:41,300 "Why would you want to put your dad in that light?" 974 00:38:41,425 --> 00:38:42,885 He's a very proud person. 975 00:38:43,010 --> 00:38:45,887 This is nobody else's business, Travis. 976 00:38:45,888 --> 00:38:48,682 [Travis] And he's like, "Take that down." 977 00:38:49,725 --> 00:38:52,853 And I said, "No. I'm not doing it." 978 00:38:52,978 --> 00:38:55,355 ? 979 00:38:55,356 --> 00:38:59,360 And he's like, "Dave Meltzer just posted it." 980 00:38:59,485 --> 00:39:01,569 And I'm like, "Who is Dave Meltzer?" 981 00:39:01,570 --> 00:39:04,030 Why would I care what this guy said? 982 00:39:04,031 --> 00:39:05,908 That was a plea. 983 00:39:06,033 --> 00:39:07,785 I was desperate. 984 00:39:07,910 --> 00:39:10,454 I was scared to death. 985 00:39:10,455 --> 00:39:12,789 You know, they were saying like people were dying 986 00:39:12,790 --> 00:39:15,083 alone in the hospital during Covid. 987 00:39:15,084 --> 00:39:17,293 I'm like, "That's not happening." 988 00:39:17,294 --> 00:39:19,504 It's not happening. 989 00:39:19,505 --> 00:39:21,881 [Jim] But it was sad 990 00:39:21,882 --> 00:39:24,592 to see a guy that had been that 991 00:39:24,593 --> 00:39:27,930 vibrant and that strong and that powerful. 992 00:39:30,683 --> 00:39:32,517 He didn't know where he was. 993 00:39:32,518 --> 00:39:33,936 You could tell it was Paul, 994 00:39:34,061 --> 00:39:35,855 but Paul wasn�t there anymore. 995 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:41,277 a video of his father's 996 00:39:41,402 --> 00:39:44,112 deteriorating condition in the hospital, 997 00:39:44,113 --> 00:39:47,073 Travis faces backlash from the wrestling world. 998 00:39:47,074 --> 00:39:48,324 [Travis] Wrestlers were upset, 999 00:39:48,325 --> 00:39:50,410 the community, the brotherhood. 1000 00:39:50,411 --> 00:39:53,288 As if I had betrayed him, showing him in this state. 1001 00:39:53,289 --> 00:39:55,623 And I will tell you what I think my father would say, 1002 00:39:55,624 --> 00:39:58,418 if he saw it, he'd be mad. 1003 00:39:58,419 --> 00:40:01,130 And the next day he'd say, "He did the right thing." 1004 00:40:01,131 --> 00:40:03,882 Because he taught me how to make the right decision, 1005 00:40:03,883 --> 00:40:06,092 even if it wasn't the decision he would make. 1006 00:40:06,093 --> 00:40:08,012 But he always supported me. 1007 00:40:08,013 --> 00:40:09,512 I got a phone call from the social worker 1008 00:40:09,513 --> 00:40:11,556 a couple days later and got a couple apologies. 1009 00:40:11,557 --> 00:40:13,975 Sat down with the doctor, and the doctor said, 1010 00:40:13,976 --> 00:40:16,145 "Listen, he doesn't have much time left." 1011 00:40:16,270 --> 00:40:19,397 I said, "Okay, well then, he's coming home with me." 1012 00:40:19,398 --> 00:40:21,107 And I took him home. 1013 00:40:21,108 --> 00:40:23,651 Best decision of my life. 1014 00:40:23,652 --> 00:40:26,029 Now that I know that Travis 1015 00:40:26,030 --> 00:40:27,989 used the video to try to 1016 00:40:27,990 --> 00:40:30,284 get his dad out during Covid 1017 00:40:30,409 --> 00:40:33,829 makes a lot more sense because that was deplorable. 1018 00:40:33,954 --> 00:40:35,956 It was absolutely deplorable. 1019 00:40:36,082 --> 00:40:39,709 And the bottom line is he got his dad out of there 1020 00:40:39,710 --> 00:40:43,047 and that's a good thing. 1021 00:40:45,424 --> 00:40:47,385 [Travis] I think he was waiting for me. 1022 00:40:47,386 --> 00:40:51,262 His brother and sister and my cousin came up. 1023 00:40:51,263 --> 00:40:54,307 My niece, my nephew, my kids, 1024 00:40:54,308 --> 00:40:57,520 myself got to spend time with him every day. 1025 00:40:57,645 --> 00:40:59,480 I allowed my mom to come visit. 1026 00:40:59,605 --> 00:41:01,564 She would spend an hour with him 1027 00:41:01,565 --> 00:41:03,359 and then she would go home. 1028 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:05,568 [Brian] I had talked to Paul less than a week 1029 00:41:05,569 --> 00:41:07,862 before he passed. 1030 00:41:07,863 --> 00:41:09,990 And he could barely talk. 1031 00:41:10,116 --> 00:41:13,160 Travis said that he got real excited 1032 00:41:13,285 --> 00:41:15,995 when he said it was me on the phone and 1033 00:41:15,996 --> 00:41:18,915 kinda took that as a great 1034 00:41:18,916 --> 00:41:21,502 feeling of true friendship, 1035 00:41:21,627 --> 00:41:23,838 that he would remember me. 1036 00:41:23,839 --> 00:41:25,630 I used to sell Cokes in the Tampa stadium 1037 00:41:25,631 --> 00:41:26,715 and watch Paul play football. 1038 00:41:26,716 --> 00:41:28,299 He was your hero when you were a little kid, right? 1039 00:41:28,300 --> 00:41:29,217 He sure was. 1040 00:41:29,218 --> 00:41:30,301 [Brian] And I remember hanging up and tears 1041 00:41:30,302 --> 00:41:32,054 were coming from my eyes. 1042 00:41:32,179 --> 00:41:35,974 It just reminded me that we're only passing through. 1043 00:41:35,975 --> 00:41:39,311 [Travis] I was with him 'til every last second. 1044 00:41:41,147 --> 00:41:43,190 He died with me. 1045 00:41:43,191 --> 00:41:45,859 [Brian] I believe he died in peace. 1046 00:41:45,860 --> 00:41:47,820 That he wasn't hurting. 1047 00:41:47,945 --> 00:41:50,656 He just beat me to heaven. 1048 00:41:50,657 --> 00:41:53,116 [Travis] My children have seen me make mistakes 1049 00:41:53,117 --> 00:41:54,826 and I'm fortunate, I have great relationships 1050 00:41:54,827 --> 00:41:56,704 with both of them. 1051 00:41:56,705 --> 00:41:58,663 The conversation I had with my mother 1052 00:41:58,664 --> 00:42:01,666 later in life, I was angry. 1053 00:42:01,667 --> 00:42:05,128 The way I was acting towards her was no different than 1054 00:42:05,129 --> 00:42:07,297 the way she was acting towards my dad. 1055 00:42:07,298 --> 00:42:09,925 So, I was guilty of that. 1056 00:42:10,051 --> 00:42:12,970 I knew some of my dad�s decisions and how 1057 00:42:13,095 --> 00:42:15,805 it hurt my mom and I was guilty of that. 1058 00:42:15,806 --> 00:42:17,474 ? 1059 00:42:17,475 --> 00:42:21,144 As time passed, I not only forgave her, 1060 00:42:21,145 --> 00:42:23,397 but I came to love her. 1061 00:42:23,522 --> 00:42:29,235 ? 1062 00:42:29,236 --> 00:42:31,571 [Travis] The last gift he left me 1063 00:42:31,572 --> 00:42:33,282 was his legacy. 1064 00:42:33,407 --> 00:42:35,533 That I would get to share. 1065 00:42:35,534 --> 00:42:37,952 That first year, people that were online, 1066 00:42:37,953 --> 00:42:40,289 they didn't all comment about my dad. 1067 00:42:40,414 --> 00:42:43,458 They said, "How are you?" I'm like, "How am I?" 1068 00:42:43,459 --> 00:42:45,795 And they're like, "Man, we're here for you." 1069 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:48,254 And I'm now interacting with these people 1070 00:42:48,255 --> 00:42:49,924 that I thought I hated. 1071 00:42:50,049 --> 00:42:52,159 All this anger and resentment I had about 1072 00:42:52,218 --> 00:42:55,929 the times he was away now has purpose. 1073 00:42:55,930 --> 00:42:58,641 My dad very much respected the fans that came 1074 00:42:58,766 --> 00:43:01,560 to see him and the person he was in the ring with. 1075 00:43:01,685 --> 00:43:03,144 So often what I'll hear is, 1076 00:43:03,145 --> 00:43:06,107 "I was at that event with my father." 1077 00:43:06,232 --> 00:43:08,858 and they are like, "Your dad is amazing." 1078 00:43:08,859 --> 00:43:10,360 And I get to reply, 1079 00:43:10,361 --> 00:43:12,737 "Sounds like your dad was pretty amazing too!" 1080 00:43:12,738 --> 00:43:14,280 [Crowd] [indistinct chatter] 1081 00:43:14,281 --> 00:43:17,867 [Arn] WrestleMania One. That was his peak. 1082 00:43:17,868 --> 00:43:20,286 Remember him that night. 1083 00:43:20,287 --> 00:43:22,163 And keep it in your heart. 1084 00:43:22,164 --> 00:43:24,332 That's the one that you remember. 1085 00:43:24,333 --> 00:43:26,126 [Gerry] He did it better than anybody else that 1086 00:43:26,127 --> 00:43:28,336 ever stepped outta the squared circle. 1087 00:43:28,337 --> 00:43:31,131 [Jim] I don't remember anybody having really 1088 00:43:31,132 --> 00:43:34,009 anything bad to say about Paul Orndorff as a person. 1089 00:43:34,010 --> 00:43:35,678 In the wrestling business 1090 00:43:35,803 --> 00:43:38,304 that may be almost unheard of. 1091 00:43:38,305 --> 00:43:40,265 [Brian] Handsome, sexy, rugged, 1092 00:43:40,266 --> 00:43:43,059 all the things that he was. 1093 00:43:43,060 --> 00:43:45,103 Paul was truly Mr. Wonderful. 1094 00:43:45,104 --> 00:43:46,438 [Announcer] The pile driver! 1095 00:43:46,439 --> 00:43:49,817 [Travis] People say, "Your dad was an amazing wrestler." 1096 00:43:49,942 --> 00:43:52,153 and I'm like, "And a better father." 1097 00:43:52,154 --> 00:43:54,362 [Announcer] Mr. Wonderful, Paul Orndorff! 1098 00:43:54,363 --> 00:43:56,113 [Travis] Wrestling got his body, 1099 00:43:56,157 --> 00:43:59,410 fans got his mind, and I got his heart. 1100 00:43:59,460 --> 00:44:04,010 Repair and Synchronization by Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0