WWE Alum Mike Rotunda Excelled In 3 Separate Sports Before Pro Wrestling

In late October, WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham indicated that his brother-in-law and former tag team partner, Mike Rotunda, had entered into hospice care. The matter turned out to be a misunderstanding, according to Rotunda's daughter, who stated soon after that Rotunda was instead in a rehabilitation center recovering from a heart attack. But during the brief moment everyone feared the worst, many began to look back on the career of Rotunda, and discovered that the man was more than just the wrestler who portrayed I.R.S. for WWE in the 90s, or the father of WWE star Bo Dallas and late WWE star Bray Wyatt.

Over the course of his 26 year career, which saw him work for WCW, WWE, NWA, All Japan, AWA, and Championship Wrestling from Florida among other promotions, Rotunda found great success as both a singles wrestler, including holding the NWA Television Championship three times, and as a tag wrestler, having eleven different reigns as a tag team champion. Among his partnerships were Money Inc. with Ted Dibiase, The U.S. Express with Windham, which led to a WWE Hall of Fame induction for the duo in 2024, and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, And while he wasn't a high profile member, Rotunda was also part of the nWo, joining the group shortly after their formation in 1996.

As it turned out, Rotunda's pro wrestling success was informed by his amateur wrestling success, dating back to his time at the University of Syracuse. As documented by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rotunda had been a star at wrestling, baseball, and football in high school, but was actually recruited to Syracuse in order to play nose tackle for the football team. By chance, he attended a Syracuse Orange wrestling practice with a friend on the team, wound up in a practice match with the team's top heavyweight wrestler, and beat him. That wrestler quit the team, Rotunda took his spot, and he would go on to become a four year starter for the Orange, while also continuing to play football for two of those years. Rotunda would win the Eastern Intercollegiate Heavyweight Championship in 1981 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament that year (which ironically included future partner Williams), ultimately losing in his second match.

More importantly, however, his success at Syracuse played a pivotal role in his pro wrestling career. It most certainly helped Rotunda get his foot in the door, as his success was noticed by Syracuse alumnus Dick "The Destroyer" Beyer, who encouraged Rotunda to pursue pro wrestling and even trained him. Later, Rotunda's time at Syracuse would be the inspiration behind the Varsity Club, a stable consisting of Rotunda, Kevin Sullivan, Rick Steiner, and later Williams, playing off the legitimate collegiate success of Rotunda, Steiner, and Williams. Along with Rotunda's time in the U.S. Express, the Varsity Club helped establish him as a recognizable name in Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW, and opened the door for future success later on, all of which wouldn't have been possible if not for Rotunda's success at Syracuse.