 Rotunda,c. 1983 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lawrence Michael Rotunda Jr.[1] (1958-03-30)March 30, 1958 (age 67)[1][5] |
| Alma mater | Syracuse University[1][4] |
Spouse | Stephanie Windham |
| Children | 3, includingBray Wyatt andBo Dallas |
| Family | Blackjack Mulligan (father-in-law) Barry Windham (brother-in-law) Kendall Windham (brother-in-law) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Irwin R. Schyster (IRS)[1] Michael Wallstreet[1] Mike Drond Mike Rotunda Mike Rotundo Mr. Wallstreet V.K. Wallstreet[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 248 lb (112 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Syracuse, New York (as Mike Rotunda) Washington, D.C. (as Irwin R. Schyster)[2][3] |
| Trained by | The Destroyer[4] |
| Debut | 1981[1][5] |
| Retired | 2007 |
Lawrence Michael "Mike" Rotunda Jr. (born March 30, 1958) is an American retiredprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with theWorld Wrestling Federation andWorld Championship Wrestling in the 1980s and 1990s under thering namesMike Rotunda,Mike Rotundo,Michael Wallstreet,Irwin R. Schyster, andV.K. Wallstreet.[1][5][4]
Rotunda held numerous singles and tag teamchampionships including theNWA World Tag Team Championship,NWA World Television Championship andWWF World Tag Team Championship. On July 23, 2022, he was inducted into theGeorge Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame[2][7][8] and as a member ofThe U.S. Express, Rotunda andBarry Windham were inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame in April 2024.
Rotunda was born on March 30, 1958, inSt. Petersburg, Florida. He attended Newark Valley High School inNewark Valley, New York. He transferred to Owego Free Academy where he lettered in football and wrestling. He graduated from OFA in 1976. He participated inamateur wrestling, becoming a sectional champion in the 215 lb class in 1976, and placing 4th at the New York State Championships. After graduating from high school, Rotunda attendedSyracuse University. He competed in football and amateur wrestling, becomingEastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion in 1981, in the heavyweight division and becoming aletterwinner in 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1981.[1]
After graduating from Syracuse University, Rotunda traveled to Germany where he trained as a professional wrestler underThe Destroyer. He debuted in 1981, wrestling for promotions includingLutte Internationale,Jim Crockett Promotions andChampionship Wrestling from Florida.[4][9]
Rotunda andBarry Windham joined theWorld Wrestling Federation asThe U.S. Express in 1984, during which time he was billed asMike Rotundo rather than Rotunda. They won theWWF World Tag Team Championship twice, first fromDick Murdoch andAdrian Adonis in January 1985. The US Express' most notablefeud was withThe Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, to whom they lost the title at the firstWrestleMania. The US Express regained the belts in June 1985, but lost them two months later toBrutus Beefcake andGreg Valentine. Windham left the WWF soon after. Rotunda continued to wrestle in singles matches until he left the WWF himself, in early 1986.
He briefly returned to the WWF in the fall of 1986 to team with "Golden Boy"Dan Spivey as a new version of "The U.S. Express", but they were more or less used as a jobber team against up-and-coming teams such asDemolition in house shows. They were not considered top contenders.
The US Express reunited in January 1986 in Japan. This would be Rotunda's first tour of Japan.
The U.S. Express went to theAWA to wrestle atWrestleRock 86 on April 20, 1986, defeatingThe Fabulous Ones. The team did not stay long as Windham left the AWA very shortly after debuting. Rotunda stayed around for a few more months with little success.
Rotunda left the WWF in early 1987 and returned to Florida, where he won theNWA Florida Heavyweight Championship in March. There, he feuded with SirOliver Humperdink's "Shock Troops" stable.
In late-1987, Rotunda joined theNational Wrestling Alliance affiliateJim Crockett Promotions, where he lingered at mid-card level as a face beforeturningheel and joiningKevin Sullivan'sVarsity Club, a group of wrestlers with legitimateamateur wrestling credentials. Rotunda began bickering with fellow Varsity Club memberRick Steiner, a graduate of theUniversity of Michigan, over which of the two had a superioralma mater. This in turn led to the two arguing over which of them was the superior wrestler.
Rotunda won theNWA World Television Championship fromNikita Koloff in January 1988, and subsequently gave his Florida Heavyweight Championship to Steiner. He then began a feud withJimmy Garvin, because Sullivan wanted Garvin's wifePrecious. Steiner left the group and began feuding with Rotunda, the enemies trading the Television Championship before Rotunda lost it toSting.
"Dr. Death" Steve Williams andDan Spivey joined the Varsity Club in late 1988, and Rotunda teamed with Williams to win theNWA World Tag Team Championship from theRoad Warriors. RefereeTheodore Long turned heel during the match and administered a fast three count, enabling Rotunda and Williams to overcome the champions. Long went on to become amanager following the controversial officiating. In May 1989, Williams and Rotunda were stripped of the title. In mid-1989, Sullivan and Rotunda feuded with theSteiner Brothers,
In early-1990, Rotunda turned face, using theshipowner gimmickCaptain Mike Rotunda. He formed a "crew" (consisting ofAbdullah the Butcher andNorman the Lunatic) and feuded with Kevin Sullivan's new stable, "Sullivan's Slaughterhouse" (Cactus Jack,Buzz Sawyer, andBam Bam Bigelow).
In mid-1990, Rotunda turned heel again and becameMichael Wallstreet, withAlexandra York (and her computer) as his manager. They founded theYork Foundation. The two claimed to know (via computer analysis) how to win each 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 onscreen to further the duo's claim. The partnership ended when Rotunda left the NWA for a new role in the WWF, in January 1991.
After WCW, Rotunda made his debut in March 1991 forNew Japan Pro Wrestling.
Rotunda returned to the WWF in April 1991, becomingIrwin R. Schyster, abbreviated toI.R.S.. Schyster had a heel gimmick as a formerIRS tax collector from Washington, D.C., harassing wrestlers and fans as "tax cheats" and scolding them to "pay their fair share". For example, at a show in Rhode Island, he attacked the state for being a tax haven for yacht owners from New York, or when wrestling in New Hampshire, he would get on the microphone and criticize the fans there for not having to pay a state income tax. When wrestling in England atSummerSlam 1992, he admonished the crowd for not paying taxes and therefore being a burden on the Royal Family. To further add to this persona, one of his finishing moves was called The Write-Off (i.e., a flying clothesline to an oncoming opponent).
He made his pay-per-view debut atSummerSlam 1991, defeatingGreg "The Hammer" Valentine. Schyster also made it to the finals of the1991King of the Ring tournament, defeatingThe Berzerker,Hacksaw Jim Duggan andJerry Sags before losing toBret Hart in the final match. He then had a short-lived feud withBig Bossman in the fall of 1991. This culminated in a 6-man elimination tag team match atSurvivor Series, where he teamed withThe Natural Disasters in a losing effort against Bossman and The Legion of Doom (the former Road Warriors). In January 1992, he competed in the Royal Rumble match entering at number 18 and lasted 28 minutes, giving him the third longest run behindRoddy Piper and winnerRic Flair.
In February 1992, Schyster formed the tag teamMoney Inc. withTed DiBiase; the two won theWWF Tag Team Championship together three times and was the dominant Tag-Team of 1992–1993. In the eighteen months Money Inc. were together, they held the titles for a total of almost fourteen months.
Money Inc.'s first title reign was at the expense of The Legion of Doom, making Rotunda the only wrestler to twice defeat them for a tag team title. They then feuded with the Natural Disasters, losing the titles to them and then regaining them a few months later. Finally, in spring 1993, Money Inc. entered into a months long feud withThe Steiner Brothers, and in June the two teams traded the titles three times in ten days, with DiBiase and IRS losing the tag team title twice to the Steiners. Ted DiBiase retired from wrestling to become a commentator in the summer of 1993, resulting in Schyster going back to singles competition after a final attempt to reclaim the tag-titles in a cage match in the lead-up to Summerslam '93 in a losing effort against the Steiners.
After Money Inc. disbanded, IRS feuded withRazor Ramon, challenging him for theIntercontinental Championship at theRoyal Rumble. Though Schyster had seemingly won the title after interference byShawn Michaels, a second referee restarted the match, unbeknownst to Schyster, who was then given the "Razor's Edge" while celebrating with the title belt. Schyster then feuded withTatanka, whom he accused of failing to pay a gift tax on a "sacred headdress" he received fromChief Jay Strongbow.
In mid-1994 he joined his former partner DiBiase'sMillion Dollar Corporation, originally the plan was to have his brother in lawBarry Windham return reunite with Schyster and form a new tag team under the name "The New Money Inc." and they would have a big feud withLex Luger and Tatanka but Windham wasn't up to it and Schyster was paired withBam Bam Bigelow and after an unsuccessful effort to regain tag team gold. Schyster later refocused on singles wrestling. His feud withThe Undertaker included Schyster repossessing the headstone of a child, and interfering in a Casket Match between The Undertaker andYokozuna. When the two eventually squared off at the1995 Royal Rumble, the Undertaker was victorious following a chokeslam, but Schyster stole his urn after the match. I.R.S. then competed less frequently on WWF TV. His final three appearances on TV being a loss toSavio Vega in aKing of the Ring qualifying match in June 1995, the July 17, 1995, edition ofMonday Night Raw in a losing effort against Shawn Michaels and later that month as alumberjack atIn Your House 2: The Lumberjacks. His final appearance came on July 30, 1995, at a house show inJean, Nevada, where he unsuccessfully challenged Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship.[10] After this Rotunda then left the WWF.
Rotunda returned to WCW in September 1995. On the debut ofWCW Monday Nitro, which aired on September 4, 1995, he was introduced as Michael Wallstreet, but by the next episode he was known asV.K. Wallstreet (the "V.K." an allusion toVincentKennedy McMahon) with announcerEric Bischoff askingBobby Heenan on-air why his name had suddenly changed. Rotunda used the name for nearly a year while wrestling in a lower midcard position. The highlight of this run came at the 1996 Battlebowl, where he teamed withJim Duggan and made it to the semifinals before losing toDick Slater andEarl Robert Eaton.[11] Eventually his name returned to Michael Wallstreet andMr. Wallstreet, and in December 1996, he joined thenWo after being offered a membership by former tag team partner Ted DiBiase.[12] While in the nWo, Wallstreet remained in the low midcard. His highest profile match in this period was a loss toJeff Jarrett atnWo Souled Out in January 1997. On the April 21 episode ofNitro, Wallstreet was forced out of the nWo when his nWo contract was declared null and void byJ. J. Dillon, due to his pre-existing WCW contract.[12] After being forced out of the nWo, he continued to be against WCW by wearing an anti-WCW shirt to the ring and protesting what Dillon said. In the summer of 1997, he left forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling and was a member of nWo Japan.
He made only one appearance for WCW in 1998, under his real name, losing toBooker T. on January 31 at Boston Brawl.
He returned (as Mike Rotunda) to WCW atStarrcade 1999, reforming the Varsity Club with Rick Steiner and Kevin Sullivan to team with Jim Duggan against The Revolution (Shane Douglas,Dean Malenko,Perry Saturn, and Asya). His team lost when they abandoned Duggan during the match. In early 2000, he took part in a "Lethal Lottery" tournament for the vacatedWCW World Tag Team Championship, paired withBuzzkill. The two defeated Dean Malenko andKonnan in the first round, but lost in the quarterfinals to theHarris Brothers.[11] Rotunda left WCW in the spring of 2000. He returned to Japan and also made some appearances for theWorld Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico.
Rotunda returned to New Japan Pro-Wrestling in the summer of 1997 (as Michael Wallstreet), where he joinednWo Japan. He toured full-time with New Japan and was used in the midcard. Like manygaijin, he was not used at Dome Shows and was left off New Japan's top tournaments such as theG1 Climax and theSuper Grade Tag League tournaments. Wallstreet did participate in two other tournaments. In May 1998, he teamed withBig Titan in a tournament for the vacantIWGP Tag Team Championship, losing in the first round toKensuke Sasaki andKazuo Yamazaki.[13] In September 1998, he teamed withScott Norton in a tournament to decide the #1 contenders for the WCW World Tag Team Championship. They made it to the semifinals, where they lost to eventual tournament winners Kensuke Sasaki andYuji Nagata.[14]
In 1999,Masahiro Chono left nWo Japan and formed a new group:Team 2000. Wallstreet andnWo Sting followed. Wallstreet, along with the rest of Team 2000, feuded with nWo Japan throughout 1999. In December, Rotunda left New Japan when he was called back to WCW.
He returned on October 28, 2001, for a one-night teaming withMasahiro Chono defeatingHiroyoshi Tenzan andSatoshi Kojima.
Rotunda (as Mike Rotunda) returned toAll Japan Pro Wrestling in the summer of 2000, shortly after thePro Wrestling Noah exodus. He reunited the Varsity Club, this time with"Dr. Death" Steve Williams. The team won the 2000World's Strongest Tag Determination League[15] and also challenged for theWorld Tag Team Championship, againstTaiyō Kea andJohnny Smith on February 24, 2001, but lost.[16] In late 2001, Rotunda returned to Team 2000 as part of the All Japan branch and returned to New Japan for one match, on October 28, teaming with Chono to defeatTencozy.[17] Rotunda finished the year teaming with Williams in the 2001 World's Strongest Tag Determination League, which they finished in 5th place with 6 points.[18]
In January 2002,Keiji Mutoh jumped to All Japan and eventually became the owner and president. With the arrival of Mutoh, a growing roster, and nagging injuries, Rotunda returned to the midcard. He entered the 2002Champion Carnival, finishing in 5th place with 3 points.[19] Shortly after, he entered theGiant Baba Six Man Tag Team Tournament, teaming with Steve Williams andYoji Anjo. The team made it to the semifinals, losing toGenichiro Tenryu,Arashi, and Nobutaka Araya.[14] On July 20, 2002, Rotunda and Williams entered the Stan Hansen Cup 4-Way, and lost toMike Barton and Jim Steele, Rotunda being pinned by Barton.[20] In autumn, Rotunda and Williams entered the 2002 World's Strongest Tag Determination League, finishing in 4th place with 9 points.[21] Rotunda left All Japan in early 2003, after wrestling on theNew Year's Shining Series Tour. He worked forIWA Japan from 2003 to 2004.
Rotunda retired from professional wrestling on a regular basis in 2004, but still had sporadic matches and makes sporadic appearances.
Rotunda started to run asecurity company with his wife in 2004.
In 2005, Rotunda teamed up with his brother-in-lawBarry Windham atWrestleReunion losing toLarry Zbyszko andRon Bass.
Rotunda was rehired by WWE as aroad agent in 2006 and has made guest appearances as Irwin R. Schyster. One such appearance was on the August 6, 2007, edition ofWWE Raw; Mr. McMahon was discussing hisIRS troubles withJonathan Coachman, and when the conversation ended, I.R.S lowered the paper covering his face (Financial Times) and revealed himself.
Rotunda appeared as I.R.S. on the December 10, 2007 15th Anniversary edition ofRaw, winning a 15-man Battle Royal, only to be paid by his former tag team partner Ted DiBiase to eliminate himself and give DiBiase the win. This was his final match.[22]
On the March 10, 2008, episode ofRaw, The U.S. Express were falsely advertised for a rematch fromWrestleMania I against Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik. Before it could start,Jillian Hall offered to sing "Born in the U.S.A." for them, Rotunda gave her an airplane spin and the show went to commercial, effectively ending the feud.
In early 2009, Rotunda once again appeared as I.R.S in multiple segments of "Top Rope Theatre" on WWE.com. He played a prominent role in the conspiracy of the exclusively online storyline of the series, drawingKelly Kelly into his schemes in opposition to his arch enemy "Hacksaw"Jim Duggan.
I.R.S. appeared on the September 7, 2009, edition ofRaw, whichBob Barker hosted. He played a pricing game (similar to the "One Bid" qualifying segment ofThe Price Is Right) along withSantino Marella,Jillian Hall, andChris Jericho.
Rotunda appeared on an episode ofMonday Night Raw as a lumberjack in the "'80s Legend Lumberjack Match", in whichChristian defeatedTed DiBiase Jr.
On the May 5, 2010SmackDown, Rotunda helped throwDrew McIntyre out of the arena.
On June 7, 2010, I.R.S appeared onRaw in a comedy segment promoting the newA-Team film. After Ted DiBiase Jr. and Virgil were confronted by A-Team starsQuinton "Rampage" Jackson andSharlto Copley, in character asB.A. Baracus andH.M. "Howling Mad" Murdoch, respectively, Ted called in his "Uncle Irwin" (an allusion to the long-standing association of DiBiase Jr.'s father the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase with I.R.S dating back toMoney Inc.) into the room wherein Schyster announced he had repossessedJerry Lawler's crown, because Lawler had not paid long overdue taxes on the crown's gems. Later in the show, I.R.S, DiBiase Jr., Virgil andRowdy Roddy Piper were confronted by the A-Team andDusty Rhodes, who attacked them and reclaimed the crown.
On the June 28 Raw, Rotunda was one of the four people who entered the ring to celebrateRicky Steamboat's career, but were attacked by the Nexus.
Rotunda appeared on the April 9, 2012, edition ofRaw. He, along with numerous other WWE officials and superstars, attempted to break up a brawl betweenBrock Lesnar andJohn Cena.
On the January 6, 2014 "Old School" episode ofRaw, Irwin R. Schyster encounteredBig E Langston on his way to a match and told him to pay his taxes, to which Langston smiled. Immediately prior, Langston walked past fellow Million Dollar Corporation members,Nikolai Volkoff andTed DiBiase.
He continued work as a WWE road agent and was occasionally seen on TV in 2008.[23][24]
He was furloughed, along with many other WWE employees, on April 15, 2020, and was officially released on September 10, 2020.[25][26]
In January 2021, on Raw Legends Night, Rotunda, as I.R.S., made his first appearance since being released by the WWE in a segment backstage with Ric Flair.
On September 3, 2021, theGeorge Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame announced that Rotunda will be inducted into its 2022 Class, along with announcerJim Ross andTrish Stratus. The induction ceremony took place July 21–23, 2022.[27]
On January 23, 2023, Rotunda, as I.R.S., made a backstage appearance atRaw is XXX alongsideTed DiBiase.[28]
On March 8, 2024, Rotunda, alongside his former tag team partner and brother-in-lawBarry Windham, under theirU.S. Express gimmick, were announced as the first tag team inductee for the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024.[29]
Rotunda is married to Stephanie Rotunda (née Windham), the daughter of professional wrestlerBlackjack Mulligan, and sister ofBarry andKendall Windham.[30] They have 3 children together, their sonsWindham andTaylor were professional wrestlers who worked in WWE, best known as Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas respectively. They also have a daughter named Mika.[31] On August 24, 2023, Rotunda's son Windham died.[32]
On October 28, 2025, Barry Windham stated in an interview withBill Apter that Rotunda was inhospice care.[33] This was contradicted by Rotunda's daughter Mika, who issued her own statement that her father was not in hospice care, but a rehabilitation center after suffering a massive heart attack a month earlier.[34]
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