Nikita Koloff

Nikita Koloff

Nikita was brought into the National Wrestling Alliance by his "Uncle"Ivan to prove Soviet superiority. Their ultimate goal was to dethroneNWA World championRic Flair. He was billed fromMoscow in the Soviet Union, and then from Lithuania after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Career[]

He grew up without knowing his father and aspired to play professional football. He started lifting weights in junior high school and built up a massive body, weighing 275 lbs (125 kg) with a 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) frame.

He was a 1977 graduate of Robbinsdale High School where he was an all-conference receiver. Simpson played college football at Golden Valley Lutheran College before transferring to Moorhead State. Simpson suffered an injury playing football but rehabbed to play for Moorhead State University where he suffered another injury.

Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling (1984–1989)[]

In 1984, Simpson was going to try out for the USFL whenRoad Warrior Animal, a professional wrestler from the Minnesota area, called him to ask him to become a professional wrestler. Simpson decided to go with wrestling and was told to shave his head bald and to show up.Jim Crockett, Jr., the promoter of theNWA'sJim Crockett Promotions, renamed himNikita Koloff, the Russian Nightmare, and teamed him with "uncle"Ivan Koloff andDon Kernodle, a turncoat American. Koloff debuted in1984 with barely any training at the time and won his first match in 13 seconds, with the only edict from Crockett being that should Koloff trip on the ropes, he would be fired on the spot.

Koloff wrestled briefly inPuerto Rico for theWorld Wrestling Council (WWC) and engaged in some bouts withHercules Ayala. He returned with Ivan Koloff in1986 and faced The Invaders 1 and 3 at a big house show at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium inBayamon.

While he learned more about the sport on the road with Ivan and Kernodle, Koloff was booked in very short matches until his skills developed. During television promos, Nikita stood behind Ivan and Kernodle with his arms folded while they took interviews. As his wrestling ability and speaking skills grew, so, too, did the length of his matches and interviews. His improvement negated the need for Kernodle to continue teaming with Ivan and, shortly thereafter, the Russians turned on the American turncoat. Koloff went to great lengths to keep the "Evil Russian"gimmick as realistic as possible. He learned Russian and refused to come out of character, even when away from the ring.

With Kernodle out of the picture, Uncle Ivan Koloff introduced a new comrade namedKrusher Khruschev. In December 1984, Jim Crockett rewarded the Russians withNWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship. Three months later, onMarch 18,1985, Koloff and Ivan defeatedDusty Rhodes &Manny Fernandez to win theNWA World Tag Team Championship. Ivan invoked theFreebird rule which dictated that any two of the three could defend the titles. Ivan and Krusher lost the titles toThe Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton &Robert Gibson) onJuly 9.

Prior to committing themselves with Jim Crocket Promotions, The Koloffs feuded with thenAWA World Tag Team champions theRoad Warriors in both the AWA and the NWA in a brutal series during 1985. One of their encounters was voted Match of the Year runner-up by the readers ofPro Wrestling Illustrated. The feud was often fought in steel cage Russia chain matches, with lights-out stipulations. The Russian 'chain match', using thicker chains than normal chain matches, was considered a Nikita Koloff specialty.

Continuing to improve, Koloff became a big enough star to get a match against NWA World ChampionRic Flair atThe Great American Bash 1985 onJuly 6. Koloff lost to Flair and was even attacked by a fan during the match, but he established himself as a superstar in the wrestling business. According to Koloff, it was his favourite match of his career.

The Koloffs went on to regain the NWA World Tag Team championship from the Rock 'N Roll Express three months later, onOctober 13, but lost it to the same opponents on November 28 atStarrcade 1985 in aSteel Cage match.

In spring of1986, Koloff started one of the biggest, most anticipated feuds in the history ofJim Crockett Promotions when he attackedNWA United States Heavyweight ChampionMagnum T.A. Following an incident where Magnum hit on-screen NWA PresidentBob Geigel for demanding an apology after T.A. started a brawl with Nikita during a contract signing (which started when the Koloffs berated Magnum's mother, who was present), T.A. was stripped of his championship. The two were then booked to compete in a best-of-seven series, which took place duringThe Great American Bash 1986 tour. The winner of the series would be declared champion. Koloff and T.A. wrestled all summer, ending up tied after six matches with one no contest. The final match took place onAugust 17 and featured run-ins by Kruschev and Ivan and several false-finishes. Nikita defeated T.A. to win the championship.

The following month, Koloff defeatedWahoo McDaniel to unify his U.S. championship with Wahoo'sNWA National Heavyweight Championship onSeptember 28. He was readying to embark on a feud withRon Garvin that would last through the upcomingStarrcade 1986. The idea of headbooker Dusty Rhodes was for Koloff to reignite his feud with Magnum T.A. the following year. The plan called for T.A. to defeat Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Starrcade 86; after a short program of rematches with Flair, T.A. would begin a long program with Koloff that ran throughThe Great American Bash Tour of 1987. As of the beginning ofOctober, Rhodes had not decided whether to give Koloff the championship at some point during the feud.

In October 1986, Magnum T.A. was involved in a career-ending car accident. Dusty Rhodes saw an alternate opportunity. The Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev had been growing in popularity throughout the country with his political reform of Glasnost and Perestroika. The era of evil Russian heels was coming to an end. Rhodes decided to strike while the iron was hot, booking Koloff to become a face and his greatest ally against theFour Horsemen. The historic moment took place on October 24 inCharlotte, North Carolina. Rhodes needed a partner to take onOle Anderson andJames J. Dillon in a Cage match. The fans in Charlotte erupted when Koloff entered the cage to help Rhodes. This evening established Koloff as one of the top faces in the NWA.

Immediately after his face turn, Koloff resumed his quest for Ric Flair's NWA World Heavyweight championship and came very close to winning it on several occasions. Flair's Four Horsemen comrades bailed him out almost every time. The two fought to a double disqualification at Starrcade '86 onNovember 26. After StarrCade, Koloff was firmly established as one of the NWA's most popular stars. In1987, Krusher, who left Jim Crockett Promotions for theWorld Wrestling Federation, asked Koloff to join him. However, Koloff declined the offer because he felt loyalty to the promotion and he didn't want to start a new gimmick.

Throughout the early months of 1987, Koloff continued to defend the United States championship against members of the Four Horsemen andPaul Jones' Army, which now included "Uncle" Ivan. In March, as part of his ongoing feud with Ivan andDick Murdoch, Koloff's neck was "injured" by a Murdochbrainbuster on the concrete floor. OnApril 11, Koloff and Dusty Rhodes won thesecond-annual Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, defeating the Four Horsemen team ofTully Blanchard andLex Luger in the finals.

As the 1987 Great American Bash tour got under way, the feud between Koloff, Rhodes,The Road Warriors, andPaul Ellering versus The Four Horsemen and J.J. Dillon was booked as the centerpiece. The tour began and ended with two revolutionary matches created by Rhodes, known asWarGames: The Match Beyond. The team ofThe Super Powers andThe Legion of Doom emerged victorious in both contests.

Also during The WarGames, Flair and Blanchard reaggravated Koloff's neck injury by delivering twoSpike Piledrivers. The injury set up the pretext for dropping the U.S. championship to Lex Luger. OnJuly 11, 1987 Koloff faced Luger in a Steel Cage match and was defeated after being hit with a chair. This ended Koloff's reign of nearly 11 months, which still stands today as the fifth longest U.S. championship reign in the more than 33-year history of the championship. Dusty Rhodes booked Koloff to rebound quickly, winning theNWA World Television Championship from Tully Blanchard onAugust 27.

In the fall of 1987, Jim Crockett Promotions acquiredBill Watts'Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). Dusty Rhodes decided which members of the UWF roster to retain and how best to use the infusion of new talent that he now had access to on an exclusive basis, beginning with a cross-promotional program between NWA Television Champion Koloff andUWF Television Champion,Terry Taylor. The feud began when Taylor, alongside his fellow members of Hot Stuff International, Inc.Eddie Gilbert andRick Steiner, attacked Koloff and stole his championship belt. Koloff and Taylor were booked to face each other in a unification bout atStarrCade '87, but Koloff vowed to get his TV belt back before the match. During a TBSWorld Championship Wrestling broadcast leading up to what would be Jim Crockett's first foray intopay-per-view, Taylor and Gilbert jumped Koloff again, beating him unconscious, and draping his version of the TV title across his limp body. On November 26, Koloff and Taylor battled in what would be the only NWA/UWF unification bout at theUIC Pavilion inChicago. In front of his first pay-per-view audience, Nikita became the undisputed Television Champion by defeating Taylor on November 26. He still has the UWF belt as a trophy from that night.

Koloff lost the NWA World Television championship toMike Rotunda ofThe Varsity Club onJanuary 30,1988. During this period, Koloff had altered his appearance somewhat, dropping some muscle mass (Koloff used anabolic steroids during the early part of his career but stopped when he saw where they were leading - he lost his muscle mass due to taking time off to take care of his wife, Mandy) and growing his hair out into a crewcut. He was given the singles main event when he wrestled NWA World ChampionRic Flair at the final Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament. Koloff defeated Flair by disqualification so the championship was retained by Flair. He then lost toBarry Windham in the finals of the tournament for the vacant NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, before beginning a feud withAl Perez and teaming withSting to feud with the Four Horsemen. During the year, he legally changed his name to Nikita S. Koloff.

In the fall of 1988, Koloff was quickly losing interest in professional wrestling due to personal reasons. His wife Mandy was suffering from [Hodgkin's disease and died in the summer of1989. After Ivan himself turned face when manager Paul Jones went against him, Koloff helped Ivan briefly against Jones' henchmen, the maskedRussian Assassins, and then he took a sabbatical onNovember 27. A booked showdown atStarrcade '88 inDecember was to pit Ivan and Koloff against the Russian Assassins. Koloff's departure resulted in theJunkyard Dog substituting for him as Ivan's partner. The Russian Assassins were victorious.

Eventually, Koloff eased back into the business part-time. He returned as a special guest referee atWrestleWar '89 in match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship between The Road Warriors and Mike Rotunda and"Dr. Death" Steve Williams. Rotunda & Williams were disqualified for attacking Koloff, and later stripped of the championship.

Despite some people's beliefs, Nikita was never offered any sort of contract with World Wrestling Federation. He metVince McMahon only twice: first time while working out in a gym inLas Vegas (they shook hands and said "hello") and again at Road Warrior Hawk's funeral.

American Wrestling Association and Universal Wrestling Federation (1989–1990)[]

In late 1989, Koloff wrestling withVerne Gagne's AWA (as a part of a talent share with the NWA) in his native Minnesota. The promotion was in its twilight and given Nikita's stature, Gagne positioned Nikita to challenge thenAWA World Heavyweight ChampionLarry Zbyszko almost immediately. Koloff continued to wrestle in the NWA and the AWA for the remainder of the year and the first half of1990, headlining numerous television broadcasts and Twin Wars '90, the last major event with the AWA under Gagne. Koloff also wrestled briefly inHerb Abrams'Universal Wrestling Federation, where he reignited a feud with 'Uncle' Ivan.

Return to WCW (1991–1992)[]

Koloff returned toWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) onFebruary 24 atWrestleWar 1991 to attack Lex Luger. He claimed that Luger stole the championship from him in 1987 and he wanted it back. Luger had stolen the championship (he was aheel then), but now Koloff was the heel. He went after Luger for the next couple of months, and atSuperBrawl 1991 onMay 19, accidentally hit Sting with a chain during a tag team match between Luger-Sting and theSteiner Brothers, starting his next feud. Koloff defeated Sting in aRussian Chain match atThe Great American Bash onJuly 14. The feud continued throughAugust, but before the program was finished, Koloff disappeared again to run his gym, "Nikita's Fortress of Fitness," inConcord, North Carolina.

Koloff returned to WCW inFebruary1992, this time as ababyface to save Sting from an attack by theDangerous Alliance. He explained on WCW's syndicated shows that he saw the error of attacking Sting. He was going after Lex Luger, and Sting accidentally got in the way. Because of the explanation, the fans were happy to see him return. Koloff joined Sting and his team (includingRicky Steamboat,Barry Windham, andDustin Rhodes) against the Dangerous Alliance (Rick Rude,Steve Austin,Arn Anderson,Larry Zbyszko, &Bobby Eaton) in the WarGames atWrestleWar '92 onMay 17. Koloff was booked in a program with Rick Rude for theWCW United States Heavyweight Championship. Late 1992 found him feuding with another big man,Big Van Vader, who atHalloween Havoc, ended Koloff's in-ring career with astiff clothesline to the head. The blow resulted in a herniated disk in Nikita's neck. In addition to the neck injury, Koloff suffered a hernia while attempting to slam Vader.

Retirement[]

Koloff became a born-again Christian in1993 and started a ministry. He also ran his own small wrestling promotion, the Universal Wrestling Alliance (UWA) as an outreach of his ministry.

He made a few appearances for NWATotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (NWA:TNA) in2003 as a masked man called "Mr. Wrestling IV" who attackedDusty Rhodes. He finally unmasked but ended up helping Rhodes against theSports Entertainment Xtremestable.

OnJuly 15,2006, Koloff received theFrank Gotch Award from the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame at the International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Waterloo, Iowa for contributing to the positive public image of wrestling.

Other media[]

Koloff has written two books:Breaking the Chains in 2000, which is a Christian Living guide andWrestling with Success in 2004 along with Jeffrey Gitomer, which is a guide to positive thinking in life situations. He also wrote a book about Christian Wrestlers:Wrestling with God, 2001, by Chad Bonham. Koloff also appeared on an episode of America's Funniest People in which his daughter won the $10,000 grand prize. Koloff is also an actor. This is his filmography:

Personal life[]

Nikita married his first wife, Mandy Smithson, on September 20, 1988. Mandy died from Hodgkin's disease on June 14, 1989. At her funeral he met Mandy's longtime friend and his future wife, Victoria. They married on August 17, 1990. The couple had two daughters together, Kendra, who was born in June 1992, andKolby, who was born in May 1996, while Victoria had two daughters (Teryn and Tawni) from her previous relationship. Nikita and Victoria were divorced on April 23, 2007.

Koloff legally changed his name to Nikita Koloff in 1988.

Nikita is a member of a religious group called Fellowship of the Sword and serves as an East Coast representative.

In wrestling[]

• Finishing moves
  • Russian Sickle

• Signature moves
  • Bearhug
  • Jaw Clutch

• Managers
  • Ivan Koloff
  • Pedro Biaggi

• Tag teams and stables
  • The Russians
  • The Super Powers

• Entrance music
  • "In the Air Tonight" byPhil Collins (AWA)

Championships and accomplishments[]

• Legends Pro Wrestling
  • Inducted into the LPW Hall of Fame (4/24/10)

• Jim Crockett Promotions

• NWA National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)¹
• NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (1 time) – withIvan Koloff andKrusher Khruschev, then with Koloff andBaron von Raschke after Kruschev was injured
• NWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – withIvan Koloff
• NWA World Television Championship (1 time)
• UWF Television Championship (1 time)²
• Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament Winner (1987) - withDusty Rhodes

• National Wrestling Alliance
  • NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2008)

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• PWI Feud of the Year (1987)withDusty Rhodes andThe Road Warriors vs.The Four Horsemen
• PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1987)
• PWI ranked him #17 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1992
• PWI ranked him #64 of the 100 best tag teams of the PWI Years withIvan Koloff in 2003.
• PWI ranked him #113 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • 5 Star Match (1992)withDustin Rhodes,Sting, Ricky Steamboat, andBarry Windham vs.Rick Rude,Steve Austin,Arn Anderson,Bobby Eaton, andLarry Zbyszko (May 17,WarGames match,WrestleWar)

¹Koloff defeatedWahoo McDaniel to unify the title with theNWA United States Heavyweight Championship. The title was also won afterGeorgia Championship Wrestling was purchased byJim Crockett Promotions.
²Koloff defeatedTerry Taylor to unify the title with theNWA World Television Championship. The title was also won afterBill Watts'Universal Wrestling Federation promotion was purchased byJim Crockett Promotions.

External links[]

• Profile
• NikitaKoloff.com (Official Website)