Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Mike Rotunda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
| Mike Rotunda | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Ring name(s) | Mike Rotunda Mike Rotundo Captain Mike Irwin R. Schyster I.R.S. Michael Wallstreet Mike Drond Mr. Wallstreet V.K. Wallstreet |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Billed weight | 248 lb (116 kg) |
| Born | March 30, 1958 Syracuse, New York |
| Trained by | Dick Beyer |
| Debut | October 22, 1981 |
| Retired | 2004 |
Lawrence Michael (Mike) Rotunda (born March 30, 1958), also known as Captain Mike Rotundo, Michael Wallstreet and Irwin R. Schyster, is a former American professional wrestler. He is currently a road agent for WWE.
Contents |
Career
After graduating from Syracuse University, Rotunda began wrestling in 1981 as a fan favorite in Florida Championship Wrestling. He often teamed with his real life brother-in-law, Barry Windham.
World Wrestling Federation (1984-1987)
Rotunda and Windham joined the World Wrestling Federation as the US Express in 1984. They won the WWF World Tag Team Championships twice, first winning them from Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis in January 1985. The US Express' most notable feud was with The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, who they lost the tag titles to at the first WrestleMania. The US Express regained the belts in June 1985, but lost them two months later to Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine. Windham left the WWF soon after, and Rotunda was teamed with "Golden Boy" Dan Spivey as "The American Express," who had limited success in 1986.
National Wrestling Alliance (1987-1991)
Rotunda left the WWF in early 1987 and returned to Florida, where he won the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship in March. There, he feuded with Sir Oliver Humperdink's "Shock Troops."
Later in the year, Rotunda joined the National Wrestling Alliance affiliate Jim Crockett Promotions, where he lingered at mid-card level as a face before turning heel and joining Kevin Sullivan's Varsity Club, a group of wrestlers with amateur wrestling credentials. Rotunda began bickering with fellow Varsity Club member Rick Steiner, a graduate of the University of Michigan, over which of the two had a superior alma mater. This in turn led to the two arguing over which of them was the superior wrestler.
Rotunda went on to win the NWA World Television Championship from Nikita Koloff in January 1988 and subsequently gave the Florida title to Steiner. He then began a feud with Jimmy Garvin because Sullivan wanted Garvin's wife Precious. Steiner eventually left the group and began feuding with Rotunda, with the enemies trading the Television Championship before Rotunda lost the title to Sting.
"Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Dan Spivey joined the Varsity Club in late 1988, and Rotunda teamed with Williams to win the NWA World Tag Team Championships from the Road Warriors. Referee Theodore Long turned heel during the match and administered a fast count, enabling Rotunda and Williams to overcome the champions. Long went on to become a manager following the controversial officiating.
In May 1989, Williams and Rotunda were stripped of their titles and Rotunda briefly left the NWA. He returned in 1990 as a face, using the maritime gimmick Captain Mike Rotundo. He formed a "crew" consisting of Abdullah the Butcher and Norman the Lunatic and feuded with Kevin Sullivan's new stable, "Sullivan's Slaughterhouse" (Cactus Jack, Buzz Sawyer, and Bam Bam Bigelow).
In mid-1990, Rotunda turned heel again and became Michael Wallstreet with Alexandra York and her computer as his manager. The two would claim to have the ability to pick how to win the match and how long it would take for Wallstreet to become victorious. In this brief run he was undefeated and often a timer was present on screen to further the duo's claim. The partnership was a brief one, as Rotunda left the NWA for a bigger role in the WWF in early 1991.
World Wrestling Federation (1991-1995)
In the WWF, Rotunda became Irwin R. Schyster (I.R.S.) and he is perhaps best known for this role. Irwin R Schyster was a heel "tax-man" gimmick (he was portrayed as a former IRS tax collector from Washington, D.C.) who harassed all of the faces and fans, urging them to pay their taxes. However, he was a sound technician in the ring - this would later see him form the team of "Money Inc." with Ted DiBiase and together the two men won the WWF World Tag Team Championships a further three times. Money Inc.'s first title reign was at the expense of the Road Warriors (using the name "the Legion of Doom" in their WWF stint), making Rotunda the only tag team wrestler to defeat the Warriors twice for Tag Team titles.
After Money Inc. was disbanded due to Ted DiBiase retiring from wrestling on a performing basis, Rotunda went back to singles wrestling. Rotunda's biggest singles feud was with Razor Ramon. He also engaged in feuds with Tatanka, who he accused of failing to pay a gift tax on a sacred headdress. In an ironic twist of fate, Tatanka was eventually revealed as the mystery druid when Rotunda was feuding with the Undertaker. The feud with the Undertaker was a long and drawn out one, with both gaining momentum leading up to their clash at the 1995 Royal Rumble. This included I.R.S defeating many jobbers on Monday Night RAW, re-possessing graves, and also interfering in a Casket Match between the Undertaker and Yokozuna. When the two eventually squared off, the Undertaker was victorious following a choke slam, but was thwarted when his urn was stolen after the match. During this period Rotunda suffered an injury at the hands of Lex Luger, which resulted in a shattered disc after being hit in the chin. During the healing process Rotunda was given a role as an agent, but again moved onto to WCW to wrestle on a full time basis.
World Championship Wrestling (1995-2000)
When returning to WCW, he reprised his role of Michael Wallstreet, wearing similar attire to that of Ted DiBiase. His persona and wrestling ability were almost the same as his previous I.R.S. character, but he failed to recapture his earlier success, despite changing his name to both VK Wallstreet (a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon) and Mister Wallstreet. He joined the nWo briefly at the request of DiBiase after defeating Mike Enos on the December 9, 1996 edition of Nitro, and wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling as a member of "nWo Japan". Despite his nWo involvement, he was kicked out of the group by J.J. Dillion on April 21, 1997 because his nWo contract was apparently invalid, but still declared himself to be "anti-WCW", participating as a jobber on WCW Saturday Night. In 1999 he reformed the Varsity Club with Kevin Sullivan, but it never reached the level of its prior success, partly due to nagging injuries on Rotunda's part, and was disbanded in early 2000.
Later career
Rotunda continued to wrestle primarily in Japan throughout the 1990s until he retired to run a security company with his wife (Blackjack Mulligan's daughter) in 2004.
Rotunda also has a son (Wyndham) who currently plays NCAA Division 1 college football at Troy University in Troy, Alabama.
Rotunda was rehired by WWE as a road agent in 2006, and has made face appearances (like most retire wrestlers do) as Irwin R. Schyster. One such appearance was on the August 6, 2007 edition of Monday Night RAW; Mr. McMahon was discussing his IRS troubles with The Coach, and when the conversation ended, Rotunda lowered the paper covering his face (The Financial Times) and revealed himself.
More recently, Rotunda appeared as I.R.S on the December 10, 2007 15th Aniversary edition of Monday Night Raw winning a 15 man Battle Royal only later to be paid off by Ted DiBiase to eliminate himself.
Wrestling facts
- Finishing and signature moves
- Signature weapon(s)
Championships and accomplishments
- World Wrestling Federation
- WWF Tag Team Championship (5 times) - with Barry Windham (2) and Ted DiBiase (3)
Categories: Articles lacking sources from May 2007 | All articles lacking sources | 1958 births | Living people | All Japan Pro Wrestling alumni | American professional wrestlers | American sport wrestlers | New World Order wrestlers | People from Syracuse, New York | Smoky Mountain Wrestling alumni | World Wrestling Entertainment alumni | World Championship Wrestling alumni