Two weeks ago, word spread that “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff was in ill-health following the release of an upsetting video shared by his son. In the video, the WWE Hall of Famer was unrecognizable and appeared to be confused while eating the contents of condiment packets.
Travis Orndorff intended to make fans aware of his father’s condition, but he received a lot of backlash from those in the wrestling business and fans saying his father wouldn’t want to be seen in that condition. The video has now been deleted, but fans have been left wondering precisely what the status of Orndorff’s health was.
Now Hannibal TV has reported that the 71-year-old is suffering from the late stages of dementia which is the same condition Terry Funk has been reported to have. Thankfully though, he is at home with his son and being cared for by family. Sadly, there is no cure for dementia, so all that his loved ones can do is keep him comfortable and ease his distress.
Current fans may not realize, but Orndorff was an important part of establishing WWE as a national brand as an opponent for Hulk Hogan. The pair would face off dozens of times in the mid-80s, and Orndorff, along with Roddy Piper, would wrestle Hogan and Mr. T in the main event of the first WrestleMania.
Unfortunately, nerve damage to his arm and neck that was left untreated caused him to retire in 1988 due to atrophy of his right bicep. Although he returned the following year and worked for WCW and Herb Abrams’ UWF, he never regained his former main event status and stepped away from a full-time schedule in 1995.
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