The Father Of Bray Wyatt & Bo Dallas Was Quite A Wrestling Character Himself

Posted by Sebrina Pilcher on Thursday, May 9, 2024

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Bray Wyatt captured the hearts and minds of wrestling fans around the globe with his epic return at the end of WWE Extreme Rules. It was perfectly executed, and left a lot of intrigue and speculation for fans that has only grown in the following weeks on SmackDown. Is it going to be Bray battling his own alter egos? Or is the so-called "Wyatt Six" going to be a stable? Now the appearance of the mysterious Uncle Howdy character has fueled more speculation that it could be Bray's real-life brother, the former Bo Dallas. It's going to be fascinating to see how it all plays out in the world of Wyatt in WWE.

However, the Wyatt (real last name, Rotunda) family lineage begins with their father, Mike Rotunda, who portrayed a wide variety of characters himself throughout his 20+ year wrestling career. Let's explore the characters of Father Wyatt, but remember to DO YOUR TAXES!

REALTED: 5 Things We Want From Bray Wyatt's WWE Return (& 5 We Don't)

Mike Rotunda Was Part Of The U.S. Express Tag Team In WWE Before Joining NWA And The Varsity Club

Mike Rotunda was an accomplished amateur wrestler at Syracuse University, and traveled to Germany after graduation to train in professional wrestling. He debuted in 1981 in Quebec before joining Jim Crockett Promotions and Championship Wrestling from Florida. He started making waves after joining WWE in 1984, along with Barry Windham to form the U.S. Express tag team. They won the WWD Tag Team Championship for the first time in January 1985, which led to a match at the inaugural WrestleMania against the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. The Express lost at WrestleMania, but regained the belts a few months later to become two-time champions.

Rotunda left WWE in 1986, and eventually found his way to Jim Crockett's NWA. He was initially a midcard face, but turned heel to join Kevin Sullivan's Varsity Club, a group of amateur wrestlers clad in singlets representing their colleges. The Steiner Brothers were part of the group, and Dr. Death Steve Williams and Dan Spivey would later join. Early on, Rotunda and Rick Steiner would argue about who had the superior alma mater, which led to them arguing about who was the superior wrestler. Rotunda won the NWA World Television Championship in January 1988, and would eventually feud, and trade the title with Rick Steiner after he departed Varsity Club.

Mike Rotunda Started Getting His Character Chops By Becoming A Ship Captain And Michael Wallstreet

Rotunda left NWA briefly, and returned with a new gimmick as a shipowner, Captain Mike Rotunda. He formed his "crew" consisting of Abdullah the Butcher and Norman the Lunatic (who became Bastion Booger), and they feuded with Rotunda's old friend Kevin Sullivan and "Sullivan's Slaughterhouse," which featured Cactus Jack, Buzz Sawyer, and Bam Bam Bigelow. That was short-lived, however, as Rotunda turned heel again as a new persona, Michael Wallstreet. He was managed by Alexandra York (Terri Runnels), and part of The York Foundation. The gimmick was that they claimed to know -- through data analysis -- how to win each match and how long it would take for Wallstreet to win a match. It was silly for sure, but there were no more laughs once Rotunda rejoined WWE.

RELATED: 9 Things Fans Should Know About Mike Rotunda, WWEs's IRS

Mike Rotunda Really Came Into His Own In WWE As IRS

Rotunda returned to WWE in April 1991, and became Irwin R. Schyster, or IRS. His gimmick was that of a heel tax collector constantly berating fans and fellow wrestlers for being tax evaders and needing to pay their fair share. IRS made his PPV debut at SummerSlam 1991 defeating Greg Valentine, but he really came into his own after forming the Money Inc. team with the Million Dollar Man, Ted DiDibiase. IRS and DiBiase had great chemistry, and were kind of already doing the same bit, so it proved to be a great pairing. They won the WWE Tag Team Championships three times before DiBiase retired to become a commentator in 1993.

IRS became a singles competitor, and seemingly defeated Razor Ramon to win the Intercontinental Championship at Royal Rumble 1994 after interference from Shawn Michaels, however, the referee restarted the match, and IRS got hit with a Razor's Edge and lost. In mid-1994, DiBiase formed the Million Dollar Corporation, where IRS frequently teamed with Bam Bam Bigelow. He had a singles feud with The Undertaker, which saw IRS repossessing the headstone of a child, and stealing Paul Bearer's urn. He was being used on television less in 1995, and eventually left the company.

REALTED: 10 Things Fans Forgot About WWE's The Million Dollar Corporation Stable

Mike Rotunda Returned To WCW As V.K. Wallstreet & A Varsity Club Reboot

Rotunda returned to WCW in September 1995 as V.K. Wallstreet. He used the name for about a year while toiling in the midcard, before changing to simply Mr. Wallstreet. He had a brief run in the NWO after being offered a spot by DiBiase in December 1996, but was forced out in April 1997. Rotunda then went to New Japan Pro Wrestling, and was part of NWO Japan for about two years before returning to WCW. His return was at Starrcade 1999, reforming the Varsity Club with Kevin Sullivan and Rick Steiner.

Rotunda left WCW again in April 2000 and went to All Japan Pro Wrestling for a few years before retiring in 2003. The Father Wyatt certainly had an interesting career as a journeyman, and it's possible we could see him return as part of Bray's storyline.

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