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Second
generation superstar "Cowboy" Bob Orton Jr. first started
teaming with his father Bob Orton Sr. until Senior retired in
1980. During the late 70's Orton found himself
blacklisted from most territories after reportedly working
stiff in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and injuring
at least one wrestler For a time, Orton wrestled in
Angelo Poffo's outlaw promotion International Championship
Wrestling, teaming with Randy
Savage.
In 1981, Orton's mainstream
exile ended when he was hired by Bill Watts' Mid-South
Wrestling (MSW). In 1982, Orton moved to the World
Wrestling Federation (WWF) where he worked a program against
WWF champion Bob Backlund before leaving the WWF for
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling (MACW). Orton
wrestled as a babyface for several months before turning heel
and helping Dick Slater injure "Nature
Boy" Ric Flair after NWA champion Harley Race placed a bounty on
Flair. Orton teamed up with Don Kernodle to win the NWA
World Tag Team Titles.
After dropping the
titles, Orton returned to the WWF where he formed a
partnership with "Rowdy" Roddy
Piper. Orton served as "Ace", Piper's bodyguard and
helped him in his feud against Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka.
During a match with Snuka, Orton's arm was injured and he
ended up wearing a cast for over a year (which he usually
found himself using as a weapon against opponents whenever the
right opportunity arose). Orton was involved in the main
event at Wrestlemania I and accidently caused his team to lose
when he jumped off the top rope and blasted colleague Paul
"Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff with his cast rather than his target
Mister T.
Orton
continued to serve as Piper's bodyguard until Piper left the
WWF to film They Live. In Piper's absence,
Orton aligned himself with "Adorable" Adrian Adonis, even when
Piper returned and demanded that Adonis abandon his segment
The Flower Shop that had replaced Piper's
Pit.
His
partnership with Piper dissolved, Orton later teamed with Don
Muraco to form a tag team known as "The Tank (Muraco) and the
Technician (Orton)". Eventually that partnership ended
and Orton left the WWF.
Orton was
recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and made a
surprise appearance at Wrestlemania XXI when he helped his son
Randy Orton in Randy's match with the Undertaker. Bob
Orton Jr. returned with his cast and blasted the Undertaker
but even this interference wasn't enough to help his son
defeat the Undertaker. However, Bob Orton Jr. was never one to
quit and at Summer Slam 2005, he returned again to help his
son finally defeat the Undertaker.
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