Today In Pro Wrestling History (Jan 21): Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo Win WWF World Tag Team Championship

Today in Pro Wrestling History: On January 21, 1985, at the Hartford Civic Center, a significant moment unfolded in WWF history.

The US Express, composed of Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo, captured the WWF World Tag Team Championship from the North-South Connection.

Windham and Rotundo’s Epic Win

Today In Pro Wrestling History January 21
Windham and Rotundo with Lou Albano

The US Express, with its combination of youthful charm, technical prowess in the ring, and a patriotic persona, quickly became fan favorites. During their tenure, they would go on to have two reigns as WWF Tag Team Champions.

A Memorable Theme Song: An interesting side note to their success was the theme song “Real American,” written and recorded by Rick Derringer.

Originally, the team used Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” as their theme song. However, while collaborating with the WWF, Rick Derringer composed a new anthem for them titled “Real American.”ย 

This song would be the entrance music for the US Express and was acknowledged as such on the first Wrestling Album. However, after the dissolution of Windham and Rotundo as a team, the song was famously adopted by Hulk Hogan.

“Real American” became an integral part of Hogan’s persona, as iconic as his legendary t-shirt-tearing entrance.

These stories may also interest you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ0wRbfJcAs

Canโ€™t get enough pro wrestling history in your life? Sign up to unlock ten pro wrestling stories curated uniquely for YOU, plus subscriber-exclusive content. A special gift from us awaits after signing up!

Want More? Choose another story!

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and Flipboard!

PWSTees Ad

Pro Wrestling Stories is committed to accurate, unbiased wrestling content rigorously fact-checked and verified by our team of researchers and editors. Any inaccuracies are quickly corrected, with updates timestamped in the article's byline header.
Got a correction, tip, or story idea for Pro Wrestling Stories? Contact us! Learn about our editorial standards here. Ever wanted to learn more about the people behind Pro Wrestling Stories? Meet our team of authors!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy!

Be sure to follow Pro Wrestling Stories on Twitter @pws_official and Facebook @prowrestlingstories to keep up with the latest!