Nikita Koloff was born on Nelson Scott Simpson on March 9,1959 and is an American retired professional wrestler.
54 Facts About Nikita Koloff
2.
Nikita Koloff 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.
3.
Nikita Koloff was born on March 9,1959, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of four children born to Paige and Olive Simpson.
4.
When Nikita Koloff was 10, his family relocated to the suburb of Robbinsdale.
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Nikita Koloff attended Robbinsdale High School where he played for the Robbinsdale Robins football team as a defensive lineman and on offense was an all-conference wide receiver.
6.
Nikita Koloff enrolled in Golden Valley Lutheran College where he played college football alongside fellow future wrestler Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis.
7.
Nikita Koloff suffered an injury playing football but rehabbed to play for Minnesota State University Moorhead where he suffered another injury.
8.
Nikita Koloff debuted on June 5,1984, 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.
9.
Nikita Koloff wrestled briefly in Puerto Rico for World Wrestling Council and engaged in some bouts with Hercules Ayala.
10.
Nikita Koloff returned with Ivan Koloff in 1986 and faced Invader I and Invader III at a big house show at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon.
11.
Nikita Koloff's improvement negated the need for Kernodle to continue teaming with Ivan and, shortly thereafter, the Russians turned on the American turncoat.
12.
Nikita Koloff went to great lengths to keep the "Evil Russian" gimmick as realistic as possible.
13.
Nikita Koloff learned Russian and refused to come out of character, even when away from the ring.
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Nikita 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.
15.
In 1985 and 1986, Nikita Koloff wrestled several matches for Capitol Sports Promotions in Puerto Rico as part of a talent exchange, facing Hercules Ayala on several occasions.
16.
Nikita Koloff was readying to embark on a feud with Ron Garvin that would last through the upcoming Starrcade 1986.
17.
The idea of head booker Dusty Rhodes was for Koloff to reignite his feud with Magnum T A the following year.
18.
Rhodes decided to strike while the iron was hot, booking Nikita Koloff to become a face and his greatest ally against The Four Horsemen.
19.
The fans in Charlotte erupted when Nikita Koloff entered the cage to help Rhodes.
20.
Immediately after his face turn, Nikita Koloff resumed his quest for Ric Flair's NWA World Title and came very close to winning it on several occasions.
21.
On 1987, Krusher, who left the NWA for the World Wrestling Federation, asked Nikita Koloff to join him.
22.
However, Nikita Koloff declined the offer because he felt loyalty to the promotion and he didn't want to start a new gimmick.
23.
On July 11,1987, Nikita Koloff faced Luger in a steel cage match and was defeated after being hit with a chair.
24.
The feud began when Taylor, alongside his fellow members of Hot Stuff International, Inc - Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner- attacked Nikita Koloff and stole his championship belt.
25.
Nikita Koloff still has the UWF belt as a trophy from that night.
26.
Nikita Koloff lost the NWA TV Title to Mike Rotunda of The Varsity Club on January 30,1988.
27.
Nikita Koloff was given the singles main event when he wrestled NWA World Champion Ric Flair at the final Jim Crockett Sr.
28.
Nikita Koloff defeated Flair by disqualification so the title was retained by Flair.
29.
Nikita Koloff then lost to Barry Windham in the finals of the tournament for the vacant NWA United States Championship, before beginning a feud with Al Perez and teaming with Sting to feud with the Four Horsemen.
30.
Nikita Koloff's departure resulted in the Junkyard Dog substituting for him as Ivan's partner.
31.
Nikita Koloff met Vince McMahon only twice: first time while working out in a gym in Las Vegas, Nevada and again at Road Warrior Hawk's funeral.
32.
In late 1989, Nikita Koloff began wrestling with Verne Gagne's AWA in his native Minnesota.
33.
Nikita 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.
34.
Nikita Koloff wrestled briefly in Herb Abrams' Universal Wrestling Federation, in no way affiliated with the original UWF of Bill Watts, where he reignited a feud with 'Uncle' Ivan.
35.
Nikita Koloff returned to WCW on February 24,1991, at WrestleWar.
36.
Nikita Koloff attacked Lex Luger, claiming he had "stolen" the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship from him in 1987 and that he wanted it back.
37.
At SuperBrawl I on May 19,1991, Nikita Koloff accidentally hit Sting with a chain while interfering in a tag team match between Sting and Lex Luger and The Steiner Brothers.
38.
The feud came to an abortive end in August 1991 when Koloff left WCW to focus on running his gym, "Nikita's Fortress of Fitness," in Concord, North Carolina.
39.
Nikita Koloff returned to WCW in February 1992, saving Sting from an attack by The Dangerous Alliance.
40.
Nikita Koloff explained on WCW's syndicated shows that he had seen the error of attacking Sting.
41.
At WrestleWar on May 17,1992, Nikita Koloff teamed with Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, and Dustin Rhodes to face The Dangerous Alliance in a WarGames match.
42.
Nikita Koloff went on to feud with Rick Rude over Rude's WCW United States Heavyweight Championship.
43.
Nikita Koloff made a few appearances for NWA:TNA in 2003 as a masked man called "Mr Wrestling IV" who attacked Dusty Rhodes.
44.
Nikita Koloff finally unmasked but ended up helping Rhodes against the Sports Entertainment Xtreme stable.
45.
Nikita Koloff was billed as the nephew of fellow faux-Russian Ivan Koloff, from whom he took his ring name.
46.
Nikita Koloff was nicknamed "The Russian Nightmare", a play on Dusty Rhodes' nickname, "The American Dream".
47.
Nikita Koloff had an "evil" appearance with a black singlet, shaved head, and goatee.
48.
Nikita Koloff's finishing move was the "Russian Sickle", a clothesline.
49.
Nikita Koloff 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.
50.
Nikita Koloff's character appeared in the 2004 videogame Showdown: Legends of Wrestling as well as the 2021 game Retromania Wrestling.
51.
Nikita Koloff married his first wife, Mandy Smithson, on September 20,1988, who died from Hodgkin's disease on June 14,1989.
52.
Nikita Koloff is a member of a religious group called Fellowship of the Sword and serves as an East Coast representative.
53.
Nikita Koloff defeated Wahoo McDaniel to unify the title with the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship.
54.
Nikita Koloff defeated Terry Taylor to unify the title with the NWA World Television Championship.