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| The Kalmikoffs | |
|---|---|
 Ivan Kalmikoff (right) andMighty Igor in 1972 | |
| Stable | |
| Members | Ivan Kalmikoff Karol Kalmikoff Nikita Kalmikoff Stan/Igor Kalmikoff |
| Name(s) | The Kalmikoffs Ivan Kalmikoff and Karol Krauser Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff Ivan and Nikita Kalmikoff Karol and Stan/Igor Kalmikoff |
| Billed from | Soviet Union |
| Debut | October 28, 1953 |
| Disbanded | 1965 |
TheKalmikoffs were aprofessional wrestling group of fictitious Soviet brothers. It began as a tag team consisting ofIvan (Edward Bogucki) andKarol (Karol Piwoworczyk) who were later joined by "brothers"Nikita (Nikita Mulkovitch) andStan (or Igor) (Eric Pomeroy). They were very successful in the mid-1950s to early 1960s, especially the original tag team of Ivan and Karol.
The original two members debuted on October 28, 1953 inAmarillo, Texas as Ivan Kalmikoff and Karol Krauser against George and Jack Curtis. Already known as the Kalmikoffs, they later became fictional brothers; they also became a successful tag team in the Minneapolis territory (futureAmerican Wrestling Association) and in Canada winning several titles.
In 1962, after the formation of the AWA, Karol shortly left the promotion and Ivan begun teaming with another brother, Nikita with some success. After Karol returned to the AWA, the original duo won theAWA World Tag Team Championships.
By 1963, Ivan settled into a part-time job in the Detroit zoo as a landscaper. Karol Kalmikoff begun teaming with yet another "brother", Stan Kalmikoff, sometimes called Igor. The tandem didn't last, however, as Karol suffered a fatal heart attack on September 12, 1964 inSalt Lake City. Ivan would spend some time managingMighty Igor Vodic while the other "brothers" moved on to other gimmicks.
In 1939 or 1940, Karol Krauser modeled for theFleischer Studios inFlorida for theSupermananimated shorts.[1]
Karols wife Zosia was also one of the first female wrestlers in the late thirties and early forties. She was managed by Jack Pfeifer and billed out as "Zoska Burska"
BornEdward Bogucki (May 21, 1918 - June 9, 1996) inDubois,Pennsylvania, Ivan found early success outside the Kalmikoffs inDory Funk'sNWA Western States Sports inAmarillo, Texas.
Karol Piwoworczyk (August 12, 1912 – September 12, 1964) inHolyoke,Massachusetts, Karol won one singles championship before dying in 1964.
