The U.S. Express was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

composed of Mike Rotunda and

Barry Windham Barry Clinton Windham (born July 4, 1960) is an American retired professional wrestler. The son of wrestler Blackjack Mulligan, he is best known for his appearances with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). ...

in the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

. Windham was later replaced by Dan Spivey and the team was renamed the American Express.

History

Championship Wrestling from Florida (1983–1984)

In September 1983, Windham and Rotunda formed the U.S. Express in

Championship Wrestling from Florida Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) was the corporate and brand name of the Tampa, Florida wrestling office existing from 1961, when Eddie Graham first bought into the promotion, until 1987, when it closed down. It is also referred to as ...

. The feuded with the Zambuie Express ( Elijah Akeem and Kareem Muhammad), the Long Riders ( Ron Bass and Black Bart) and Hector Guerrero and

Chavo Guerrero Sr. Salvador Guerrero Llanes (January 7, 1949 – February 11, 2017), better known as Chavo Guerrero or Chavo Guerrero Sr., and also known during the 21st century as "Chavo Classic", was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for ...

On March 14, 1984 they defeated the Long Riders for NWA United States Tag Team Championship (Florida version). They dropped the titles back to the Long Riders on March 27. Afterwards they won the titles three more times until losing to Hector and Chavo Guerrero on July 14.

World Wrestling Federation (1984–1985)

Rotunda and Windham (real life brothers-in-law as Rotunda was married to Windham's sister Stephanie) had teamed off and on in the Florida territories before both were signed by the WWF in 1984. Once they joined the WWF they were given a patriotic gimmick along with the

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

classic " Born in the U.S.A." as their entrance music. "Captain" Lou Albano also became their manager. During this time Mike Rotunda would often be referred to as "Mike Rotundo" by WWF commentators. The U.S. Express made their WWF wrestling debut on October 30, 1984 when they defeated the “Enhancement Talent” team of Mohammad Saad & Bobby Bass. On January 21, 1985 the U.S. Express beat the team known as the “North South Connection ( Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch) for the WWF World tag-team titles. They would hold the titles for only two months before losing them to the team of

The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff were a professional wrestling tag team who competed in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1984 to 1987. History After Sheik had lost the WWF World Championship to Hulk Hogan and Volkoff, who had left the ...

WrestleMania I WrestleMania (sequentially known as WrestleMania I) was the inaugural WrestleMania and ...

at the world famous

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

when the Sheik hit Windham over the head with Freddie Blassie's cane allowing Volkoff to get the pin. The U.S. Express became two-time Tag Team Champions when they regained the titles from Volkoff and the Sheik on June 17, 1985 in Poughkeepsie,

on an episode of WWF Championship Wrestling. Their second reign would also last about two months before they lost the belts to The Dream Team ( Greg "The Hammer" Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) at The Spectrum in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

after Beefcake rubbed Lucious Johnny V's lit cigar in Windham's eyes (kayfabe), blinding him and getting the pin. The team broke up near the end of 1985 when Barry Windham left the WWF to return to Florida. They had their last match together under the WWF banner exactly one year to the day after they made their debut. Initially, Rick Derringer, who was working with the WWF at the time, wrote the track "Real American" for the team. When Windham left the WWF and the team split, the music was passed on to WWF Champion

Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...

, with the song going on to still be associated with Hogan.

Japan and various promotions (1986)

In January 1986 they went to Japan to work for

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba ...

. Participated at the AWA's WrestleRock 86 in April 1986. The team was not billed as the U.S. Express since the name was owned by the WWF. The brothers-in-law reunited to defeat the Fabulous Ones ( Stan Lane and

Steve Keirn Stephen Paul Keirn (born September 10, 1951) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in multiple National Wrestling Alliance territories as Steve Keirn as one-half of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, as w ...

) while Rotunda was on a brief break from the WWF between January and May 1986. They returned to Florida on May 6 as they defeated

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for h ...

and Ron Bass by disqualification.

The American Express (1986–1987)

Only days after Barry Windham left the WWF, Mike Rotunda was linked up with Dan Spivey and they became the American Express. Some referred to them as the U.S. Express II since the patriotic gimmick of the original U.S. Express was recycled with Spivey taking Barry Windham's place. After the conclusion of their feud with the Dream Team, Mike Rotunda briefly left the WWF. After his subsequent return, the team reunited, feuding with The Moondogs, The Hart Foundation and The Islanders whom the team faced in their last match together on February 9, 1987 After Mike Rotunda left the WWF, Dan Spivey was repackaged as "Golden Boy" Dan Spivey before he left the WWF as well. Spivey would wrestle in

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...

(reuniting with Rotunda for a time as a member of Kevin Sullivan's

Varsity Club The Varsity Club was a professional wrestling heel stable in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The stable was formed in 1987 and lasted until 1989. The stable was briefly resurrected in 1999–2000. Histor ...

in 1988-1989) and returned to

as Waylon Mercy in 1995. He retired from wrestling that year.

Universal Wrestling Federation (1987) and aftermath

On October 7, 1987 they reunited for Bill Watts's Universal Wrestling Federation as they teamed with Brad Armstrong and Tim Horner as they lost to

The Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Christian scriptures, first appearing in the Book of Revelation, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. Revelation 6 tells of a book or scroll in God's right hand th ...

. Rotunda went to wrestle for

. In 1991, he returned to the WWF as Irwin R. Schyster, with his gimmick being a ruthless accountant. He left WWF in August 1995 and returned to WCW as VK Wallstreet and Michael Wallstreet. He left WCW in 2000 and wrestled for

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority sha ...

and

. Windham as well wrestled for

becoming a member of

. In 1989 he returned to WWF as the "Widow Maker" which as short lived. He returned to WCW in 1990 and retired in 1994. In 1996 he came out of retirement and returned to the WWF as the "Stalker" a wild game hunter gimmick with camouflage on his face. He later formed a tag team with Bradshaw as the New Blackjacks. In 1998 he left WWF and returned to WCW. This time he teamed with his brother Kendall Windham with the West Texas Rednecks. He left WCW in 1999 and went to

Reunions (2001, 2004, 2005, 2008)

After both men worked for WCW they worked for

and reunited on January 28, 2001. They teamed with

Curt Hennig Curtis Michael Hennig (March 28, 1958 – February 10, 2003) was an American professional wrestler. He performed under his real name for promotions including the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; now WWE) ...

as they lost to

Johnny Smith Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote "Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Early life During the Great D ...

, Jim Steele and George Hines. On May 5, 2004 for IWA Japan they teamed with

Ryo Miyake is a Japanese fencer. At the 2012 Summer Olympics he competed in the Men's foil, but was defeated in the second round. He won a silver medal in the team foil event. During the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics, Miyake worked as a deliv ...

as they defeated Jim Duggan, Animal Warrior and Keizo Matsuda being refereed by Ted DiBiase. They participated at Wrestle Reunion as they lost to

Larry Zbyszko Lawrence Whistler (born December 5, 1951), better known by the ring name Larry Zbyszko, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his feud with his mentor, Bruno Sammartino, during the early 1980s as well as his w ...

and Ron Bass on January 28, 2005. On the March 10, 2008 episode of ''WWE RAW'', U.S. Express made an appearance in a rematch from WrestleMania I against Volkoff & The Iron Sheik. Before the match could begin, they were interrupted by diva Jillian Hall. She offered to sing "Born in the USA" for them before being given an airplane spin by Rotunda.

Championships and accomplishments

** NWA United States Tag Team Championship ''(Florida version)'' ( 3 times) *''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

'' **PWI ranked them #48 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with in 2003 *

WWF World Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:U.S. Express WWE teams and stables WWE World Tag Team Champions