Posts Tagged ‘Paul Orndorff’

Chris Adonis Reminded Vince McMahon Of Paul Orndorff

Chris Adonis, formerly known as Chris Masters, apparently reminded Vince McMahon of Paul Orndorff.

Adonis was recently interviewed on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet to discuss several professional wrestling topics. During the interview, Adonis touched on his time with WWE. He revealed that he actually reminded Vince McMahon of WWE Hall Of Famer “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff.

“I know for certain that I reminded Vince of Paul Orndorff,” Chris Adonis said. “To the extent where they even had Paul Orndorff work with me when we did WrestleMania 21. Coincidentally out here in LA, which is going to be here again now, 20 years later.

“It was really interesting though. So like, they have the ring set up for Wrestlemania if you need to go over anything or whatever. But they specifically designated some time for me to work with Paul, which looking back, was unbelievable to be able to work with Paul Orndorff.”

As for what Orndorff taught him during their time together, Adonis explained that the legend really helped him understand how to properly channel his anger and rage in a healthy way.

“I just remember him trying to teach me about like real intensity and how to translate that in the ring and me just being so young and green though that it was just so next level for me like I wasn’t, you know, I was hearing it but being able to receive that as a 20-year-old and under all these different circumstances and pressure.

“What he was trying to show me, I think, is what you build up when you go through life. Because you build up this edge because good stuff happens but also bad things happen, right? And then those bad things, you build those calluses, and you build that rage, that anger.

“And not necessarily negative anger but anger that can be channeled in positive ways like through pro wrestling, so I just think I was too young to really receive what he was giving me, but it was still useful information to take in.”

Previously, Adonis signed with WWE in 2003 where he competed under the ring name Chris Masters. That initial run lasted until 2007 when he was released. After competing on the independent circuit for a few years, Adonis again returned to WWE in 2009, but was again released in 2011.

That marked his final run with WWE to date, as he has since worked for promotions such as IMPACT Wrestling and the NWA.

Quotes via WrestleZone

Paul Orndorff Interview: Piper, Hogan, Vince, Early WrestleMania Years & More

WWE Hall of Famer “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff recently appeared on The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling. Here are the highlights:

What he learned from working with Rowdy Roddy Piper:

“Roddy actually was in the business longer then I was and started sooner than I did and Roddy was a smart guy. I used my body and Roddy used a lot of his brains. I wished that I could do interviews and do the stuff the way he did and I really did. I tried to be like him when I did interviews but I had that fire in my heart that I was one of those type of guys that whatever I did I was going to do it better that anybody else and I feel like I pretty much have done that in  a lot of cases.”

Hulk Hogan’s current issues and their relationship:

“Let me tell you something right now. I don’t care and I don’t know what he did. When it comes down to him, I love him like a hated brother. We all have brothers that some of them we love and some of them we don’t but I don’t hate him now for nothing! He made me and helped make me. I was more to him then he was to me but I took him to a whole new level when it came to the matches because he never had anybody that had the intensity and had the body that I had.”

The rumor that he was a stand in for Andre The Giant at WrestleMania 3:

“To be honest, I truly don’t remember. I probably was. If you heard that then it just depends where you heard it from and who started it. My memory isn’t real good now because of the cancer and the chemo and the radiation it messes with you. But I would have done whatever they wanted me to do.”

How hard did he work on the “Mr. Wonderful” physique:

“The good lord gave me something and he gave me intensity. He gave me a body and he gave me the work and how hard I worked the body the way that it was. I went to the gym six days a week, three hours a day and it was part and it was my life. It wasn’t all about the money it was just that I was one of those guys that was a gym rat and a guy named Harry Smith in Tampa, Florida is the one that got me in and I used to train at his gym and Harry took a liking to me in High School. I had a pretty big name in High School from football and track and anything else I did. I worked out with him for fifth-teen years and I kept getting bigger and bigger.”

Working for Vince McMahon Sr. and Vince McMahon Jr:

“I worked for Vince Sr. (Mr. McMahon) for two or three years and then Vinny came in and just took off. He was and is so smart and he loved the business too and he knew how to treat people and had that kind of a personality. Vince McMahon helped make me and I helped make him.”

Wanting to be a part of the expansion of the WWF:

“Vince’s father was a very smart man as well but Vince (Jr) was a whole new era. He took it to a whole new level and I was a part of it and I went with it. I fought for it because I wanted to be a part of it because I knew that I was different than anybody else. There wasn’t anyone like me at that time. There was nobody with that energy, aggressiveness and the body that I had. I could have been Mr. America if I wanted to be but I chose wrestling. I could have played pro-football but I chose wrestling.”

The infamous WrestleMania 1 training vignette (Orndorff and Orton shoot on a bystander):

“It was a shoot. When I hit him, I hit him. He went down. If it was planned I didn’t know about it. That was a whole different ballgame back then and it isn’t like it is now, now it’s a joke.”

Did he like switching from a heel to a baby face:

“No. I like being a bad guy. But the people were cheering me being a bad guy. I am not bragging it may sound like it but there was nobody in this business that had the aggression and had the body that I had, nobody! To this day there hasn’t been one. This is the one and only and that’s why I was the only one. I’ve seen guys that have the bodies but they didn’t have the ability because I was a worker. I worked every night and I’d go 25,35,45 minutes and that is what made me and that is that I knew how to work and I knew how to work the people.”

Here’s the audio:

Davey Richards On What To Expect At TNA Slammiversary, Training With WWE HOF’er

TNA performer Davey Richards was interviewed to promote the upcoming TNA Slammiversary pay-per-view event. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On what to anticipate at TNA Slammiversery: “We are going to do what we always do and go out there and deliver the best package of professional wrestling match that we can on the planet today. For this one, I don’t want to spill the beans but we’re going to have something truly special and something that hasn’t been done in a very long time and it takes a very unique blend and a lot of trust from a company to do and they are going to allow us to do it. It’s going to be something that I think we are going to be remembered for a very long time and something I’m very proud to be a part of. So definitely don’t miss it.”

On training under “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff and Tony Kozina: “Paul was real old school. When I say old school, people always say what does that mean. He was really just get in there and do the basics over and over and over again I have a lot of respect for what you do where you had to have it perfect because you were taking someone’s life in your hands. I learned all the basics and a real good fundamental grasp of wrestling and Tony really helped me out with getting out there and getting my name known and getting out there and travelling and being recognized and really sacrificed a lot of things for himself to really help me get out there and make my name. I wouldn’t be where I am today without either one of those guys so I’m eternally in debt both are great guys. Paul was a little more scary and a little more stern and Tony is definitely the funniest person I have ever met so it’s very unique blend of guys.”

Check out the complete interview by clicking here.

Photo Of WrestleMania XXX After Party, New WWE Legends House Trailer (Video)

– WWE added a new preview to their official YouTube channel of the upcoming WWE Network reality show “Legends House,” which is scheduled for an April 17th premiere. You can check out the new preview video below.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Sgt. Slaughter posted the following photo from the official WrestleMania XXX after party on his Twitter account. The photo features (in order): Bret Hart, Sgt. Slaughter, Tim White, Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.

  • WWE Diva Suffers WARDROBE MALFUNCTION At WrestleMania XXX — **PHOTOS HERE** [>>]
  • Paul Orndorff Interview: Being Tougher Than Hogan, Never Getting A WWF Title Run

    “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff sat down with CJ Sabia on the debut episode of the Blue Steel Cage on the VOC Nation Radio Network. Check it out as “Mr. Wonderful” about his body and extensive training regimen in the 1980s, his shoot-style wrestling ability, recovery from neck injury, thoughts on Mr T, wrestling for WCW, and experiences turning on and wrestling Hulk Hogan.

    Blue Steel Cage airs weekly, Friday nights at 9 PM ET on the VOC Nation Radio Network at vocnation.com, and simulcast on thebradyhicks.com. The show takes a look at professional wrestling from the viewpoint of an experienced former wrestling promoter, covering today’s wrestling news from both The WWE and the independent wrestling scene. Call into the show (855) VOC-RADIO.

    On Not Beating Hogan for the WWF World Title:

    “That’s what they should have done. And instead of making hundreds of millions of dollars they could have made thousands of millions of dollars if they had done that. We talked about it some and that’s what they should have done … I guess for some reason because [Hulk] was 6’5” and weighed 320 pounds that he was this big huge thing that nobody should beat him for the belt. If they would have said “Let’s go out there, Paul, and you fight for your life and Terry, you go out there and you fight for your life,” you can bet your ass I would have fought. I guarantee … I would have won and [Hulk] knows it.”

    On Today’s Product:

    “It’s been so downgraded. You look at boxing, you look at MMA fighting, that’s what people are watching. It’s more believable. That’s what people want to see. They don’t want to see that phoney baloney out there. They want to see something real. They want to see somebody lose a tooth, have a black eye.”

    On Working with Hulk Hogan

    “It worked out because the heel ran the show. I ran the matches, and I worked off of [Hulk Hogan]. [Hogan did] his best to work off of me because [he’d] never be able to keep up with me. I did that with Hogan. That’s why we worked together good. We [were] two Florida boys. I wasn’t buddy-buddy with him. I didn’t weigh 300 pounds but I weighed 240 pounds and I was a badass and he wasn’t.”

    On the Art of Being a Great Wrestler:

    “I still call it a sport, because it is a sport. To me it takes years and years and years and you’ll never master it. As long as you have an opponent, you have to work around that opponent. And you’ll never master it. Never. You can be good at it, you can be great at it like I was. Or you can be good at it and okay with it. Whatever.”

    DDP Speaks On Working With David Arquette, Learning From Undertaker & More

    The following are highlights of a new WGD Weekly interview with Diamond Dallas Page:

    Working with David Arquette in WCW and the reaction of the fans to his becoming WCW Champion: “…David Arquette is his own animal. As much heat as he ever took, for him, …all the money he made for that pay per view when he busted me over the head with the guitar and Jarrett took the World Title, the money he made, he gave to Melanie Pillman…When he pinned Bischoff, not me, and I will go on record as saying that was the biggest cluster fu*k ever! and it never should’ve happened, but it did. That being said, that was the booking committee, it was not David Arquette, and every fan that has ever roasted him should dip their own ass in boiling oil, because everyone of you that has buried David Arquette if put in the same position, you would’ve jumped through a hoop of burning oil to do the same sh*t. That’s why when everybody busts balls on that, I just want to smack someone. I’m like really, you, ‘marko mark?’ You would’ve died for that…”

    A conversation he had in his early days wrestling in WCW backstage with Hulk Hogan: “…I walked through the curtain after my match and Hulk pulls me over and he says, ‘how are you getting so much better?’ I said, ‘wow, Hulk, thanks, how do you even know?’ He goes, ‘I’ve been watching your match the last couple nights.’ I’m thinking, your watching my matches? So, he says, this is what they are doing, I don’t hardly ever see you on TV, just once in a while. He says, this is what they are doing with you, they’re letting you learn your craft on the road here…I said, I go to the Power Plant, he said, what is the Power Plant…I told Hulk, I figured out that the more that I train people down there…and if you only work when they book you, then you never really get any good, because you’re not wrestling enough…I go down there every day I’m not wrestling and what I figured out is the more I train people, the more I learn and the more I learn! the better I got. Hulk really didn’t understand it because he came from a different generation where you went from one territory to another, but he said, well, whatever it is your doing you need to keep doing it because it might not be this year, or next year, or even the year after, but if you keep doing what you’re doing, somewhere down the line, you and I can draw huge money together, and then he walked away…”

    A great reaction from Paul Orndorff backstage before the spot on Nitro with him and Randy Savage, where he was disguised as LaParka: “…when I did LaParka against Savage, it was one if my favorite moments in wrestling. Nobody knew that was coming. There has never been a moment that was like that in professional wrestling…you had no fu$#*ng idea…Bischoff pulled me aside in a room, with Sullivan…he goes okay, here is the deal, we are going to dress you up as LaParka and keep you guys in here the whole time, no one is going to know…so, you’re going over with a Diamond Cutter, I said, ‘Oh my god,’ he says, and then you rip off the mask and the place is going to go bat sh*t, and it did. So, I’m in the back with LaParka, and he can barely talk English, so I’m mimicking him, how do I do your walk, how do you play the guitar, what do you do with the chair? He is showing me his sh*t, so then to get to Mr.Wonderful, he is an agent at the time. He is walking around giving finishes. He gets to the door and knocks on it. I open the door in full LaParka gimmick. Now LaParka is about six foot! but I’m six four, legit, so, Orndorff is a good six one, he knows he is taller than LaParka. He is looking down his glasses at the sheet and he looks up and he goes, ‘You’re going over?” Then he looks back up at me and he sees my blue eyes, and it LaParka, but he goes, ‘ You’re not LaParker.” Then he could just see my eyes light up and they just went, ‘ding,’ and he realized it’s me, and he just says, ‘ I love it,’ then I do the thing and he says, ‘mums the word,’ then he walks away…”

    A life lesson he learned from agreeing to do the “stalker” angle in WWE against the Undertaker: “…I’ve already learned, walk away from the table. I learned that in WWE. If I walk away from Vince and I don’t do the stalker angle, and I go, ‘wow, good stuff, but not for me.’ If I walk out and say call me when you want to do people’s champion versus people’s champion, I wouldn’t have made it to the elevator. All I had to do was walk away from the table, but I just thought, they know what they are doing…what I learned out of that was never be afraid to walk away from the table. After that, I have never signed a contract the first time, I don’t care what it is. I don’t agree to anything the first time, let me think about it…”

    Thoughts on the comments from fans he reads across the internet: “You know, I read a lot if what people write on YouTube, as obviously I have my DDP TV videos, which is hundreds of them…and people write a lot of comments. I also read when there is something I said in an interview…now I don’t remember the article, but you know, you get these jerk offs that go online and they think they know the business…I don’t know who they are, but there are certain people who just don’t like me no matter what I do, for whatever reason…I get that, not everybody is going to like you, but when they just write stupid sh*t, I can’t help but laugh…No matter how rude some of the comments can be, I find it entertaining…”

    Check out the complete interview above.

  • VERY DETAILED Breakdown Of EXACTLY How Much Money HHH & The McMahon’s Earn >>
  • WWE To Induct An Actual Match Into 2014 Class Of The WWE Hall Of Fame?

    WWE is playing around with the idea of inducting a match into the 2014 class of the WWE Hall Of Fame in April.

    According to a recent PWInsider.com report, the idea being pitched in WWE right now is for Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff and Mr. T to be inducted, making it the first time in history that an actual match itself is inducted into WWE’s Hall Of Fame, as all four were involved in the main event of the first ever WrestleMania.

    It’s possible that Jimmy Snuka and Bob Orton Jr. will also be inducted, as they were part of the WrestleMania I main event as well. If the idea comes to fruition, it would leave the door open for future matches to be inducted into the Hall Of Fame as well.

    Mr. T has reportedly turned down offers from WWE in the past, but company officials are reportedly negotiating with him to make the aforementioned idea possible.

    Obviously if this idea pans out, it would make Hogan, Piper, Orndorff, as well as Orton and Snuka if they are involved, two-time Hall Of Famers. The only two-time Hall Of Famer at the moment is Ric Flair, who was both inducted as an individual and as part of the Four Horsemen.

  • New WMXXX Matches Revealed, Undertaker To Retire? + Royal Rumble Surprises
  • Former WWE Champion Batista Appears On TV, The Heenan Family Reunites, Bob Orton & Bill DeMott

    – Former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion Batista accompanied Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire Saturday night in Corpus Christi, Texas for his match against Mikey Garcia. The bout aired on HBO, which Rey Mysterio acknowledged via Instagram.

    “My big #homey #Batista just popped up on HBO boxing with NONITO DONAIRE! It’s been a minute since I’ve seen him! Miss u my homey! #Philippinopride,” wrote the inactive WWE Superstar.

    Batista with Nonito Donaire

    – Members of The Heenan Family reunited Saturday at the Big Event convention in Flushing, New York. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, King Kong Bundy, Haku, The Barbarian and Paul Orndorff (sporting a curly moustache) took photo-ops together with fans.

    – WWE Hall of Famer “Cowboy” Bob Orton turns 63-years-old on Sunday. Also celebrating a birthday is WWE developmental trainer Bill DeMott, who turns 47.

    New SummerSlam Video Preview, WWE Hall Of Famer’s Son & Granddaughter Arrested

    -Brooke Orndorff, the granddaughter of WWE Hall Of Famer “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff was arrested in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Tuesday and charged with robbery and battery. The arrest was the result of an incident that happened on August 3rd. Brooke’s father, Paul Orndorff III, was also arrested and charged with being party to robbery, party to battery and two counts of financial identity fraud. For more information on this story, visit TheCitizen.com.

    -WWE has posted a “web exclusive” SummerSlam preview on their official YouTube channel. The video description reads: “The Miz takes a stroll backstage and gets ready to host “The Biggest Party of the Summer” with other WWE Superstars such as Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, and The Prime Time Players.”

    You can check out that video below:

    http://youtu.be/Co0YbOSGl8w

    WWE SummerSlam Spoilers

    WWE Ranks The Ten Greatest Superstars To Never Win A World Championship

    In an all-new 10 Count currently airing on WWE Classics On Demand, Matt Striker counts down the ten greatest Superstars to never win a recognized World Championship. The rankings are as follows:

    10. Arn Anderson

    9. Chief Jay Strongbow

    8. Paul Orndorff

    7. Nikita Koloff

    6. Junkyard Dog

    5. Scott Hall

    4. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

    3. British Bulldog

    2. “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase

    1. “Rowdy” Roddy Roddy Piper

    WWE Hall of Famer Killer Kowalski and Lance Storm were also listed as honorable mentions.

    Matches featured in the piece include Arn Anderson vs. NWA World Champion Barry Windham (WCW Slamboree, May 23, 1993), Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Superstar Billy Graham (WWF at the Philadelphia Spectrum, November 25, 1982), Paul Orndorff vs. WWF Champion Hulk Hogan (Saturday Night’s Main Event, January 3, 1987), Nikita Koloff vs. Sting (WCW Great American Bash, July 14, 1991), Junkyard Dog vs. NWA World Champion Ric Flair (Clash of the Champions XI: Coastal Crush; June 13, 1990), Scott Hall vs. WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting (WCW Uncensored, March 15, 1998), Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. “Ravishing” Rick Rude (WrestleMania IV, March 27, 1988), British Bulldog vs. WWF Champion Shawn Michaels (In Your House: Beware of Dog; May 28, 1996), “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase vs. WWF Champion “Macho Man” Randy Savage (WWF at Madison Square Garden, April 25, 1988), “Rowdy” Roddy Piper vs. WWF Champion Hulk Hogan (WWF The Wrestling Classic; November 7, 1985).

    CM Punk Explains Why He Tapes Up His Wrists, Legends of the Ring’s WrestleMania 29 Plans

    – Speaking to WWE Magazine, CM Punk explains why he tapes up his wrists for every match.

    “With taping up my wrists, there’s both an aesthetic and a utilitarian purpose,” he says. “Obviously, I’m big on imagery with Straight Edge. As for X’ing up the current CM Punk, mostly uses red pen—it’s my favorite color. But on the other end of the spectrum, taping up my hands and wrists helps me grip whomever I’m wrestling as well as the ropes. If I have a strained wrist, you’d never know thanks to the tape job. So it’s both functional, and it looks cool. Plus, it takes less than a minute to tape up both wrists, so it’s certainly not a time consuming process.”

    – Legends of the Ring has announced they will be participate in the WrestleCon festivities that are taking place WrestleMania weekend 2013 April 5-7 with an event at Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Names scheduled to appear include The Honky Tonk Man, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Demolition Ax, Demolition Smash, Kamala “The Ugandan Giant,” Mr. Fuji, Ken Patera and Tito Santana. (Event Information)

    – Rey Mysterio is today’s featured Superstar on WWE.com.

    Paul Orndorff Slams Bret Hart, Ric Flair and Ultimate Warrior

    WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff appeared on Inside The Ropes on Thursday night and slammed Bret Hart, Ric Flair and Ultimate Warrior (audio available here) . Highlights are are as follows:

    Facing Ric Flair in 1982 for NWA World Championship: “He was just another body. Some are better than others. I believed in making it look real. I was probably hard to work with because I wanted it to make real and I knew how to wrestle.”

    Experience of working at the first WrestleMania in the main event: “It was special. There were so many people. It was the largest crowd to ever watch it. And then the pay per view of it was just ungodly. This was my opportunity to be really noticed and be seen. My paycheck….it was huge. I made more money in that 30 minutes than I did in a whole year with the NWA. People expected it and they were gonna get it from me.”

    Working with Mr. T in the main event of WrestleMania: “I wasn’t crazy about it. I was very protective WrestleMania 1of the business. I was taught that. You take care of it. You don’t give out all your trade secrets. But then again you look at somebody like Ric Flair and you can say how can you hide something when they look like that? So I guess I started to give in a little bit.”

    Transition in WWF from wrestling to entertainment in mid 80’s: “It depends on your personality. I protected it. To me that wasn’t protecting it. As you can see right now, because they didn’t protect it, where it is now, there’s only two shows now. Look how many there was, there was one in every state, now look where it is.”

    On Vince McMahon using guys like Ultimate Warrior, more about the body: “I thought it was the worst move they could’ve made. Vince did it on purpose. He did it so he could be the only one.”

    On Ultimate Warrior: “He never paid his dues. You gotta pay your dues, go and learn your trade that’ll make it better when you are on that big stage. It’s called experience and nobody has any now, because there’s nowhere to go to get it.”

    Right decision on giving belt to smaller stars like Randy Savage and Bret Hart?: “No. Absolutely not. It’s like putting the belt on someone who wants to be a wrestler. It didn’t work. It downgraded, made the belt worthless. When Terry Funk, Harley Race had world titles, it meant more.”

    Opinion on long rumur that Hogan wouldn’t drop the belt to Bret Hart in 1993…: “I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t have either. Bret Hart was a nobody from Canada and Hogan was the greatest star in wrestling. I don’t blame him. He did the right thing.”

    Quick Fire Thoughts

    Ultimate Warrior: “I gotta go to the bathroom………………..NEXT!”

    Vince McMahon: “One of a kind.”

    Hulk Hogan: “Great.”

    Bret Hart: “I don’t care much for Canadians.”

    Randy Savage: “OK.”

    Ric Flair: “A Joke.”

    Jericho Responds To Online Critics, WWE Remembers SuperBrawl

    — Chris Jericho posted a message on Twitter in response to online critics.

    “Funny how some of u never stop complaining and think u know it all,” he wrote. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride…you’ll have a lot more fun!”

    — WWE highlighted World Championship Wrestling’s annual February pay-per-view event SuperBrawl on this week’s episode of Vintage Collection. Matches featured include The Fabulous Freebirds vs. The Young Pistols (WCW SuperBrawl), Billy Kidman vs. Vampiro (WCW SuperBrawl 2000), Scott Steiner vs. Diamond Dallas Page (WCW SuperBrawl Revenge), Steve Austin, Paul Orndorff and Rick Rude vs. Sting, Dustin Rhodes and Brian Pillman in a Thundercage Match (WCW Superbrawl IV).

    The 1998 edition is currently airing its entirety on WWE Classics On Demand.

    — Tommy Dreamer will be holding a wrestling seminar on March 8 in Winnipeg. Cost is $35 and spots are limited. E-mail danny@cwecanada.ca for more information.

    Maryse Celebrates Release From WWE, Alex Riley Injury Update

    — Maryse Ouellet celebrated her release from WWE’s shackles Friday at a night club in Los Angeles, California. She posted a photo on Twitter of a cake that reads “Congratulations on your release Maryse Be Sexy.” She captioned the pic as “lets get this party started.”

    Meanwhile, Eve Torres praised her longtime rival. She tweeted, “(Maryse) is an incredible performer & a beautiful woman inside & out. She taught me how to have fun in the ring. #ThankYouMaryse.”

    — Alex Riley is still working through a hip injury he suffered during WWE’s tour of Mexico earlier this month. He underwent an MRI following the tour and was cleared to wrestle this past week. He returned to action at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping as he took part in the post-broadcast 41-Man Battle Royal.

    — WWE will hold a live event at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Sunday, January 22, 2012. The event is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

    — WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff turns 62 years old Saturday.

    Obama Use Hogan’s Entrance Song, Orndorff Benefit Scheduled

    — At last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, United States President Barack Obama came out to Hulk Hogan’s patriotic theme song “Real American” while his birth certificate flashed on the screen.

    Video is available here.

    — A benefit is being held for WWE Hall of Famer Paul Orndorff, who has been battling cancer, next Sunday from 1:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. at the Southern Comfort Bar in Conley, Georgia. Wrestlers are advertised are advertised to appear there in support of Orndorff.

    — Chris Jericho fills in for Nikki Sixx this Wednesday on XM Satellite Radio’s Sixx Sense.

    — Former WWE and WCW talent Dave Taylor celebrates his 54th birthday today.

    source: PWInsider.com

    JR Blog: Sting In The HOF, Paul Orndorff’s Cancer, WWE’s MVP

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross is back with another blog update, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com As always, check out JR’s website for his delicious line of BBQ products. Here are some highlights of what Ross said about:

    Sting In The WWE Hall of Fame:

    We’re getting lots of emails and Tweets, @JRsBBQ, regarding Sting these days. BTW has he left TNA? I actually don’t know the answer to that one but suspect that Sting is still officially with TNA. Nonetheless many fans hope that Sting is inducted in the WWE HOF in Atlanta at WM27. Theoretically, if Sting were not working for another wrestling company, it would be a splendid idea. It still might be but that’s not for me to speculate on. Sting was the first and only WCW star that Turner’s people ‘made’ in Atlanta that never wrestled for WWE as best that I recall.

    Paul Orndorff Announcing He Has Cancer:

    Sorry to hear of Paul Orndorff was recently diagnosed with having cancer. PO is a tough man, I know this without hype or speculation, and saw him in action as a young dude being mentored by Cowboy Bill Watts in Mid South Wrestling. Paul was a former running back for the University of Tampa and played with former NFL star Freddie Solomon. Our prayers are with PO and I have complete faith that Mr. Wonderful will be physically wonderful at the end of the day. Paul was a helluva hand in his day who was never afraid of ‘heat’ when he was one of the most hated villains in the business. Trust me, all wrestling villains could not honestly say that they had absolutely no fear of intense, fan angst but Mr. Wonderful could.

    Who Will Be The MVP Of WWE In 2011

    Who will be WWE MVP by year’s end. If he stays healthy an argument could be made, at least in my point of view, that it might be CM Punk. Punk knows how to be physical and punishing in logical, easy to follow methods plus the guy can talk. Those traits work for me. Plus he won’t miss work, moan about non, major injuries and seems to never burn out.