On this day June 17, 1985, Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo, known as the U.S. Express, defeated the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff to win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
The patriotic team of Windham and Rotundo had previously lost the titles to the foreign villains at WrestleMania just a few months earlier. Their rematch victory was met with loud cheers from the crowd, as the duo reclaimed their place at the top of the tag team division during the height of Hulkamania and wrestling’s national boom.
Backed by their entrance music Real American, the U.S. Express embodied the pro USA energy of the era and became a fan favorite team during the early years of WWF’s expansion.
80s insight: Pro wrestling in the 80s thrived on heroes and villains, and nothing fired up a crowd more than the U.S. Express standing tall against the Iron Sheik and Volkoff.
The patriotic team of Windham and Rotundo had previously lost the titles to the foreign villains at WrestleMania just a few months earlier. Their rematch victory was met with loud cheers from the crowd, as the duo reclaimed their place at the top of the tag team division during the height of Hulkamania and wrestling’s national boom.
Backed by their entrance music Real American, the U.S. Express embodied the pro USA energy of the era and became a fan favorite team during the early years of WWF’s expansion.
80s insight: Pro wrestling in the 80s thrived on heroes and villains, and nothing fired up a crowd more than the U.S. Express standing tall against the Iron Sheik and Volkoff.
