Tony Atlas Says His Real-Life Fight With Paul Orndorff Was ‘Blown Out of Proportion,’ Praises Jesse Ventura, Thinks William Perry Was Scared of Him at WrestleMania II

– WrestlingInc.com and Andy Malnoske recently interviewed WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas, who discussed a variety of topics. Below are some highlights.

Atlas on jesse Ventura: “I wanna thank Jesse for his service. He served in the Navy SEALs and fought for our country. Not only did Jesse Ventura have a great body but he had a great head on his shoulders and was a wonderful guy. He tried years ago to get a union going for the wrestlers and later on became the [governor] of Minnesota and did a wonderful job. We were in competition in wrestling but as far as a person is concerned, Jesse Ventura is a great, true American.”

Atlas on how William “The Refrigerator” Perry was afraid of him for the WWF vs. NFL Battle Royal at WM II:Atlas and Paul Orndorff having a real-life fight: “It got blown out of proportion. We got angry at each other and pulled the car over. Paul tried to sucker punch me and I took him down and put him in what’s called a crater. Every amateur wrestler knows what a crater is where he couldn’t move. The only thing he could do is bite my ear. … I went to the hospital to get it stitched up and the doctor kept me there all night. He told me a human bite is the worst bite you can get. So they gave me a tetanus shot but it really wasn’t a fight. He threw a punch. I ducked and cratered him. That was the whole incident.”

Atlas on his Hall of Fame induction: “It’s a great honor when your peers recognize you as being successful in your sport. But being a Hall of Famer, you carry a heavy load because I don’t just represent Tony Atlas, I represent Tony Atlas and WWE. So, anything that I do wrong in life, this ring will come off my finger.”

Atlas on Hulk Hogan getting temporarily removed from HOF for his racist comments: “If Vince would do that to Hulk Hogan, then what would he do to me? He would kick me out and never put me back. So I do what I can to give back to the fans and WWE Universe and the people who put Tony Atlas where he’s at now because the fans are No. 1.”