TAYLOR MADE: INFLUENCED BY THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND — AND NOW, HALL OF FAMER (2024-03-12)
I am not a huge fan of professional wrestling for obvious reasons, but there was a time when I was glued to the TV set, watching those guys bashing each other with chairs and flying off the top turnbuckle.
That was in the 1980s when Owego grad Mike Rotunda made his name in the World Wrestling Federation — and offered at least a little motivation for my involvement with the sport to this day.
The WWF was big among college boys back then, especially at most of the 44 beverage-serving establishments in Cortland which several of us frequented when we should have been studying.
Next month, after 40 years, Rotunda is being inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame Class of 2024 as part of the U.S. Express tag team with Barry Windham, who was previously inducted as a member of the Four Horsemen.
The duo would win two WWF tag team championships together, and would also compete in the very first WrestleMania in 1985, facing the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff during an era of patriotic volatility.
Rotunda made his debut in the WWF in 1981 and retired in 2004, although he did make a few appearances afterward. He also wrestled under other names, Irwin R. Schyster (IRS) being the most notable, and won three more tag team titles with Ted DiBiase (Million Dollar Man) using the moniker Money, Inc.
As an amateur wrestler, Rotunda placed fourth at 215 pounds at the 1976 New York state championships after transferring from Newark Valley to Owego, but headed to Syracuse University to play football.
John Janiak, a two-time NCAA All-American at SU, helped point him to the mat and Rotunda won the heavyweight title to help the Orangemen knock off defending champion Lehigh at the 1981 EIWA championships.
I met Rotunda when former Tioga and SU standout John Dougherty (both NCAA qualifiers) brought him to one of our wrestling practices during the 1978-79 season.
Rotunda and Dougherty were just a few of the influences on my passion for wrestling. I got my start on the mat in 1973 when Tioga coach Mike Norcross convinced me I was too short to play basketball (although the fact I scored just 13 points in two years of youth ball probably helped sway me as well).
Of course, my parents were very supportive with mom going to numerous matches and dad juggling it with Saturday skiing with my siblings.
I believe those influences have played a role in my remaining close to the sport more than 50 years later. I would be remiss if I failed to give credit to my high school and college teammates, the parents and wrestlers I’ve been involved with during coaching stints at Tioga, and to those whom I've been involved with from a media standpoint.
By the way, the annual 50-50 raffle in my father’s memory will be drawn Wednesday night (March 13) with proceeds (normally earmarked for sports-related activities) this year going to the Nichols Bicentennial Celebration. Text me at 570-867-2767 or email me at timtaylor2661@gmail.com for more info.
