Dave Smith sent this recap in.
I was listening to Inside The Ropes 15th Episode (www.facebook.com/theinsidenetwork) on Thursday night and at 42 mins 20seconds they interviewed Paul Orndorff, these are the highlights:
About 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 “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 using guys like 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 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.”
Was it right decision giving belt to smaller stars like Savage and Bret “No. Absolutely not. It’s like putting the belt on a wannabe, 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 rumour that Hogan wouldn’t drop the belt to Bret 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.”