[4] His fellow students included other future professional wrestlers Barry Darsow, Brady Boone, Curt Hennig, John Nord, Rick Rude, and Tom Zenk. The title was also won after Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation promotion was purchased by Jim Crockett Promotions. Koloff and Sting went on to face on another in a Russian Chain match at The Great American Bash on July 14 which was won by Koloff. Frederick Kenneth Blassman (February 8, 1918 - June 2, 2003) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name "Classy" Freddie Blassie.Renowned as "The Hollywood Fashion Plate", he was a one-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion, and was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994. Second of a two-part series. Mike Schmitz), The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Nikita Koloff Billed From Russia WCW Debut 1984 AWA Debut 1989 Koloff debuted in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1984 as the Russian Nightmare, and teamed with "uncle" Ivan Koloff and Don Kernodle, a turncoat American. Stillwater, OK 74075 [6] His character has been described as "wrestling's equivalent of the Drago character in Rocky IVbig, strong, scary and Russian. Ivan invoked the Freebird rule which dictated that any two of the three could defend the titles. had earned his respect, and that Nikita would work to earn the respect of the American people. NWA United States Heavyweight Title: Nikita Koloff (c) vs. Magnum TA - Double Count Out. In front of his first pay-per-view audience, Nikita became the Television Champion by defeating Taylor on November 26. Neal Koloff, formerly known as Jeff Lewis Neal along with Aleksandr Koloff, the former Tyson Alexander Dean are now known as The Koloff Dynasty. Ivan and Krusher lost the titles toThe Rock 'n' Roll Express(Ricky MortonandRobert Gibson) on July 9. Immediately after his face turn, Koloff resumed his quest for Ric Flair's WCW World Title and came very close to winning it on several occasions. Have the courage to follow your dreams. Choose to believe something good can happen. About a month after their feud ran its course, Magnum TA was involved in a devastating car accident that he thankfully survived, but would never be able to wrestle again. Koloff and Taylor were booked to face each other in a unification bout at StarrCade '87, but Koloff vowed to get his TV belt back before the match. 2 Koloff defeated Terry Taylor to unify the title with the NWA World Television Championship. You can tell that some people are only taking peoples money and doing a cameo while they eat, or drive in their car. wrestled all summer, ending up tied after six matches with one no contest. Real Name Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson) Ring Names Nikita Koloff ( June 24, 1984 - Present) Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) Weight 275 lbs (125 kg) Born March 9, 1959 (age 63) Birth Place Minneapolis, Minnesota Billed From Lithuania ( December 27, 1991 - October 25, 1992) Soviet Union ( June 24, 1984 - December 26, 1991) Flair's Four Horsemen comrades bailed him out almost every time. 6 Nikita Koloff Koloff was a big name in the 80s who eventually spent a few years at WCW in the early years of the company. He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestling heels, or villains, of all time. Statistics and information about the 1283 matches fought by Nikita Koloff in our events database. [9] The two fought to a double disqualification at StarrCade '86 on November 26. With a major babyface role to be filled and the Soviet heel becoming played out, it was decided that Koloff would turn face by partnering with Dusty Rhodes. "He gives support to the Eblen Charities," said Murdock. He explained on WCW's syndicated shows that he had seen the error of attacking Sting. Love this podcast. He played college football and was dreaming of an NFL career when injuries sidelined him. Your login session has expired. Throughout the early months of 1987, Koloff continued to defend the United States title against members of the Four Horsemen and Paul Jones' Army, which now included "Uncle" Ivan. Check here, Be the first one to comment on this story. As his wrestling ability and speaking skills grew, the length of his matches and interviews grew as well. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, World Championship Wrestling between 1984 and 1992, where he was billed from Russia (and, following the Nikita Koloff Overcoming Adversity It's Time to Man Up! I told them I'd be back, but she was a priority. His wife, Mandy, would fall ill to Hodgkin's Disease, and he would step away from the ring to care for her. LLBD. [17] To enhance the verisimilitude of his character, Koloff learned to speak Russian. He has acted in a small number of films and television episodes, as well as appearing on an episode of America's Funniest People in which his daughter won the $10,000 grand prize. Rotunda and Williams were disqualified for attacking Koloff, and later stripped of the titles. And who knows? You can live your dreams if you can embrace change. Young Scott was a weight training fanatic and superb football player at Robbinsdale High School, a Minneapolis suburb. Despite being pretty much as green as one could possibly be in pro wrestling, Nikita Koloff certainly had people around him to ensure his success. And it was at that time, at that moment, that I told WCW that I was going to step away, take a sabbatical if you will. Jim Crockett, Jr., the promoter of the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions, renamed him "Nikita Koloff", the Russian Nightmare, and teamed him with "uncle" Ivan Koloff and Don Kernodle, a turncoat American. Rotunda & Williams were disqualified for attacking Koloff, and later stripped of the titles. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson on March 9, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler. On November 26, Koloff and Taylor battledinChicago. At SuperBrawl Ion May 19, 1991, Koloff accidentally hitStingwith a chain while interfering in a tag team match betweenSting and Lex LugerandThe Steiner Brothers. Koloff defeated Flair by disqualification so the title was retained by Flair. You can, because you think you can. He was inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame of 2008. Improve yourself, find your inspiration, share with friends, There is a mistake in the text of this quote. On top of that, he had several classmates in Robbinsdale High that would also become pro wrestlers who werent necessarily on the football team, including Curt Hennig, Rick Rude, and Barry Darsow, a.k.a. Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most Popular Podcasts ; Due to being on TBS in prime time on Thanksgiving Night, the worst threat Ric Flair could throw at Nikita Koloff during their Starrcade '86 match was "I'll kick your butt you son of a gun!" He debuted on June 5, 1984 and won his first match in thirteen seconds. Nikita Koloffs time in the Russians earned him not only the first championship gold in his career, but also his only tag team titles in his career. The right side of his body was paralyzed for months, ending his in-ring career. A big brawl during a contract signing resulted in the belt being vacated and the two rivals meeting in a best of seven series to determine a new US Champion. Booker T just voted in the Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards. Search for love, for it is the most important ingredient of life. Post by marino13 onSep 17, 2012 at 1:51pm. Nikita Koloff Pray Together, Stay Together It's Time to Man Up! 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. Lots of guests who tell their personal stories of faith. I'm in the main event. Alongside Nidia Guenard, Huffman was the You can keep up with all your wrestling news right here on. Of course, part of that story was, 'We're gonna take all the . Nikita and Robby bring us a wonderful Valentines special broadcast. On November 26, Koloff and Taylor battled in what would be the only NWA/UWF unification bout at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. While speaking about his eventual retirement from professional wrestling in 1992, which he had already been planning for, Koloff was asked if he would have stayed in the business had Vince McMahon come calling with an offer. Among the various Russian bad guys in the sport, one that fans should definitely know about is Nikita Koloff, who made his debut in WCW in the mid-1980s and ended up becoming a surprisingly popular babyface after a couple of years. The Russians would win the NWA World Tag Team Championship, but more importantly, they would terrorize every babyface in the promotion. Koloff was born on March 9, 1959 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of four children born to Paige and Olive Simpson. Tully on Tully (Melbourne) "Quiet Company" LIVE at the AU review's 6th Birthday Party in Brisbane. Courtesy photo. The AU Review. Koloff continued wrestling in the NWA and the AWA for the remainder of the year and the first half of 1990, headlining numerous television broadcasts and Twin Wars '90, the last major event with the AWA under Gagne. The couple had two daughters together, Kendra, who was born in June 1992, and Kolby, who was born in May 1996, while Victoria had two daughters (Teryn and Tawni) from her previous relationship. Today, Nikita speaks with Doak Turner for another great episode of questions and answers. His improvement negated the need for Kernodle to continue teaming with Ivan and, shortly thereafter, the Russians turned on the American turncoat. World Championship Wrestling (1991, 1992), George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, second-annual Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, NWA United States Heavyweight Championship, Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year, "Nikita Koloff Q&A Part 1: Mentors, ring psychology, chains", "Nikita Koloff Q&A Part 2: Mid-Atlantic days, loyalty, fan memories", "Hall of Fame Inductions Report: Bret Hart, Larrry Hennig, Mike DiBiase, Dory Funk Sr., Bop Roop", Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, Creative Control/The Harris Brothers (Gerald/Ron Harris and Patrick/Don Harris), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nikita_Koloff&oldid=1121200145, Golden Valley Lutheran Royals football players, Minnesota StateMoorhead Dragons football players, Minnesota State University Moorhead alumni, NWA/WCW/WWE United States Heavyweight Champions, Players of American football from Minnesota, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2010, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 11 November 2022, at 01:18. 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