We Found the Old WCW Power Plant Website Through Internet Archive

I have a tendency to do deep dives through the Internet Archive.

Most of the time, it’s mainly for content for The Big Bang May 6. I remember old wrestling domains where I used to scour for wrestling news and look up the reported stories of the day. Trust me when I say that there were some serious doozies.

Naturally, the other site would be WCW.com.

The other day, I went back to the old internet home of World Championship Wrestling and ended up on a saved page from July 7, 2000.

Midway down the page, I noticed there was a link titled “ARE YOU READY FOR THE POWER PLANT?” Underneath the headline stated “A unique program for training WCW hopefuls that focuses on conditioning, discipline and humility. The result: A fleet of new grapplers with huge potential, minimal egos and an old school respect for the business.”

Now, 9 out of 10 times I would click on this link, nothing would come up for it. It would be a dead link, with nothing coming up. Thinking it was just an article, I took a chance and clicked on it.

IT WAS MORE THAN WHAT I EXPECTED. IT WAS A POWER PLANT SUBSITE.

Before the days of WWE having a signup page for the Performance Center, WCW’s internet team struck first a decade earlier by having a page set up for the WCW Power Plant. I was mindblown.

The site itself worked for the most part. Save an image here or there, everything still worked.

There were two biographies for the main trainers of the WCW Power Plant in Atlanta:

First, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff.

Then, Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker.

Ironically enough, the person who Sarge is wrestling in his bio photo is none other than CHRIS BENOIT. Unbelievable.

As I scoured another one of the linked pages, I came across the “ARE YOU READY?” link that was on WCW’s main page. There was an exclusive interview with “Mr. Wonderful”! Since it’s been 25 years, and I don’t think Chad Daimani would mind, I’ve decided to post the text from that article in here right now:

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As the New Blood continues to push toward the main event, more than just Eric Bischoff, Vince Russo and the locker room are celebrating the change. Paul "Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff might be an alumnus of the Millionaires' Club, but his current passion is training this sport's next generation of Goldbergs, Stings and Hogans at the Power Plant. Chad Damiani spoke with professional wrestling's most respected instructor:

CD: Paul, thanks for sitting down with WCW.com.

PO: It's my pleasure.

CD: Before we talk about your boys, let's discuss the unhealthy phenomenon of backyard wrestling schools.

PO: Don't get me started on that. First of all, you need proper training. A perfect example is pee wee football. Growing up, I played high school, sandlot and professional ball. Nothing gets me more frustrated than watching some father who has never played trying to teach these kids. There are correct techniques for blocking, catching and tackling. If you're not doing it the right way, you are doing it the wrong way. You're going to get hurt.

There are some so-called wrestling instructors out there who are simply trying to emulate what they see on television. I've spent 25 years in this business. I've taken every move, and I know all the ways that a wrestler can protect himself. These kids think hurting themselves in somebody's backyard is going to get them a career. It's sad, and very dangerous.

CD: In your opinion, what's the greatest misconception concerning professional wrestling?

PO: The idea that anybody can do what we do.

CD: A lot of these kids are focused on fighting hardcore matches. How do you feel about WCW's hardcore division? Are you training wrestlers at the Power Plant to wrestle that style of match?.

PO: Absolutely not. There's no wrestling involved in those type of matches. I think it's absurd. What kind of talent does it take to hit somebody with a trash can? We condition our guys like pro boxers, and sports involving physical contact. The focus is heavy conditioning. When I watch these hardcore bouts, all I think about is the possibility of injury. You can break a shoulder, neck or arm so easily. I think these guys just do it for the money.

CD: Critics of wrestling feel these types of matches are pushing kids to endanger themselves.

PO: It's absurd. It all boils down to the parents. You have to control and monitor your children, instead of just placing them in front of a television.

CD: You spoke a little about how you train athletes at the Power Plant. What qualities do you when you review candidates?

PO: Young people, big people, special people -- we are always recruiting. It's hard, because the talent pool is limited. I used to run three-day open tryouts, but we've stopped. We would test these young men for their heart and guts. Within 45 minutes to an hour, most of the candidates would quit. Honestly, we weren't trying to run anyone off. If you're not in shape and you take a bump, you open yourself up to serious injury.

Now, we review tapes that people send into WCW. Please, don't send in backyard tapes. I throw them out without even looking at them.

What we are looking for are people that look the part, and have a certain manner about them. We prefer athletes who have a history in professional sports, because they always prove to be more disciplined. I know, because we have a lot of TV, you need to have cruiserweight matches, but people still come to see the heavyweights. We do take on smaller athletes occasionally. There's always a chance that you will run into a De La Hoya, Hagler or maybe a Hearns. But that athlete only comes around every 50 years.

I like larger athletes, 240-60 pounds, that can really move.

CD: You like larger athletes, yet the Power Plant has trained quite a few cruiserweights and smaller athletes.

PO: Yes, we do. There is just so much TV right now. You need to have the lighter matches to keep the energy up, but I still believe that people come to see the heavyweights. That's not to say some of the smaller guys don't have a lot of potential. Take boxing for example. Oscar De La Hoya, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns. There are special guys, every 50 years or so, who can really pull their weight, despite their size.

CD: When you have trained cruiserweights like Crowbar and Kid Romeo, how do you teach them to do all those crazy aerials?

PO: I don't. I'm not a supporter of goofy, crazy moves. That's not what wrestling is about. Those moves may take a great deal of athleticism, but they end up desensitizing the crowd. Everything gets old, and these guys have to take more and more risks. Moves are meaningless without match psychology.

CD: You moved in front of the camera again earlier this year. Do you ever want to stop teaching and make a full return?

PO: Absolutely not. I'm very happy. I've been able to find kids that are hungry, news faces that aren't overexposed. I've worked them aggressively, and now my boys are 2-3 times more conditioned than most of our current athletes. I'm very proud of what I've accomplished.

CD: Both wrestlers and promoters have commended you on more than just the athletic acumen of your boys. People have also been very impressed with their attitudes.

PO: Thank you. All of my boys from the Power Plant are under my authority. We teach them to be pros, true pros, and to leave their egos at home. When they work an event, whether it's a Nitro or with one of the independent promotions we have agreements with, they know that these families have spent their hard-earned money to see a show. My boys work to give them every penny's worth.

CD: Thanks for your time, Paul.

If you'd like to send a demo tape to the Power Plant, you can use the following address.

WCW Power Plant

C/o Paul Orndorf

One CNN Center, Box 105366

Atlanta, GA 30348-5366

Incredible stuff. I wonder if the PO Box is still available.

There is one more page listed: WCW POWER PLANT ALUMNI.