The Real Reasons These Famous Wrestlers Retired

Publish date: 2024-05-03

Paul Orndorff may not be a humongous superstar, but it's hard to imagine where wrestling would be without him. He wasn't just part of the first WrestleMania: he was in the freaking main event, teaming with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (who gave him the nickname "Mr. Wonderful") against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. He had a WWF title shot after about a month with the company, and was one of the top heels from the jump.

Sadly, that same high bar of success was what ultimately took Mr. Wonderful out of the game. The end was set into motion when Orndorff injured the nerves in his arm. Most people would have immediately gone straight to the hospital to get treated, but Orndorff refused. Why? Because at the time of the injury, he was in the middle of his second battle with former partner Hulk Hogan, which many fans look at as one of the greatest feuds of all time, from both a creative and a financial standpoint. Mr. Wonderful wasn't about to bail on that kind of cash and glory, so he pushed on. But it cost him, as he had to step away from the ring for two years.

Orndorff worked tirelessly to rehab his arm, and managed to not only get it back to its full strength, but made it even stronger. It didn't look that way on the surface, however, as his injured arm was obviously smaller. But he was able to keep his career going over in WCW until 1995, when his arm literally began to wither away. At this point, he finally retired from competition to train the next generation.

On the bright side, now that he's been able to stop worrying about his arm, he's found time to grow a sweet, sweet mustache.

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