Aside from The Beatles song, “Taxman” and Irwin R. Schyster, not a lot of people like paying their taxes, at least until the refund checks roll through. Throughout the mid-90s and the 'Occupational Era', the WWE had tapped on Michael Rotunda to be IRS, the taxman.
I.R.S. is certainly Iron Mike Rotunda’s most well known character. But as for the man behind the tie, he didn’t live the most outlandish career or life where the internet knows everything about him. That’s where we come in. Where the rest of the Internet failed, TheSportster succeeded in finding out some tidbits about IRS.
9 Are Bo Dallas And Bray Wyatt the sons of IRS?
For die-hard fans, the answer to this question is already known. But while a lot of second and third generations stars bare a resemblance to their fathers, Bo Dallas and Bray Wyatt both worked hard to cultivate their own images.
Neither man opted to emulate their father’s clean-shaven, clean-cut style. The familial relation was never acknowledged on WWE TV.
8 What about his other children?
The B-Lister and The Fiend aren’t the only children of the Taxman. He has one daughter as well. Mika Rotunda didn’t decide to follow her brothers, uncles, grandpa, or father into the ring.
Related: Alexa Bliss & The Fiend & 8 Other Female-Male Wrestling Pairs That Didn't Work Out
Instead, Mika headed into the radio business in her hometown of Tampa. She is the host of The Weekly Check-Up, a show covered health topics.
7 How are Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham Related?
Mike Rotunda got his start in the wrestling business on Germany under the tutelage of old school legend, Dick The Bruiser. It wasn’t long before promotions like Jim Crockett and WWE came calling. In the WWE, he was partnered up with Barry Windham as the US Express.
The two certainly formed more than your average tag team bond. Eventually Rotunda would meet Barry’s sister Stephanie. After dating, he mustered up the courage to ask Blackjack Mulligan for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
6 Legit Athlete
Like plenty of superstars, IRS wasn’t just a great worker in a professional wrestling ring. He was also amazing on the amateur circuit as well. As a collegiate athlete, he was one of the Syracuse orange men. He also competed in football at Syracuse as well. He was a four time letter winner while at his alma matter.
Considering his he parlayed his amateur career into a successful pro wrestling career, Rotunda joined a long line of legit tough guys and shooters.
5 “Real American” Was Meant For The U.S. Express
During the early days of the Golden Era, Mike Rotunda wasn’t IRS, he was just himself. Honestly, with his skill set that was all that he needed. He teamed up with friend and eventual brother-in-law Barry Windham and won WWE tag team titles on three occasions. As The U.S. Express, they even had a theme song specifically written for them.
Related: 10 Best Entrance Themes From The WWE Golden Era
It was Rick Derringer’s “Real American,” which clearly wound up becoming the most iconic theme song in WWE - just for Hulk Hogan instead of Iron Mike Rotunda.
4 He Had An Awful Gimmick In WCW
In the occupational gimmick heavy New Generation, the idea of a wrestling Taxman does seem a little ridiculous. But Rotunda pulled it off to a tee and with his skill, he was able to have consistently good matches during his run. If you’re thinking that IRS is one of the worst gimmicks ever, you’re wrong. It’s not even one of the worst for Rotunda, nor is it the worst occupational gimmick ever.
That honor goes to “Captain” Mike Rotunda in the NWA. Instead of capitalizing on the fact that Rotunda was Captain of his wrestling team and forward the Varsity Club storylines, the Captain wore a silly navy hat and the NWA tried to make us believe that he was a ship captain.
3 The Varsity Club Across Promotions
Aside from IRS, Rotunda’s best known character was himself, actually. For several years during his run in the NWA, he’d head to the ring in his Syracuse letterman jacket, flanked by fellow collegiate athlete Rick Steiner and Kevin Sullivan to form The Varsity Club.
Across several mother double tough collegiate wrestlers like Dangerous Danny Spivey or Dr. Death Steve Williams would also be a part of the faction in the NWA and Japan. Even for a brief moment, in the latter days of WCW, he and Rick Steiner reconnected as well.
2 Assaulted By The Nexus
When The Nexus debuted in 2010, it was exciting because the group was new and was dangerous. They also had a grand ol’ time decimating anyone and everyone in their path. That also included the multitude of legends who paved the way for the rookie insurgents in the first place.
Related: Nexus: Every Member Ranked By Promo Ability
On one such night on Raw, that landed the likes of Michael Hayes and IRS in their crosshairs and unfortunately the legends were left laying.
1 Celebrating (?) Bray’s First Title Win
From the moment Bray Wyatt first debuted on the main roster, it was clear to everyone that he was a different kind of cat. He was a unique and charismatic superstar and had the fans behind him, despite being a heel.
When he finally won the title, it turns out that his father was actually too busy agenting other matches to celebrate with him. Unfortunately for Bray and the entire family, the run did not last long enough to really enjoy, as Bray dropped the title to Randy Orton less than a month later at WrestleMania.
