As a foreign heel during a time when such a gimmick was money, Nikolai Volkoff was on a different level altogether. He was able to garner nuclear heat with just his entrance announcement, and fans loved to hate this despicable foreigner who was making the lives of their favorite wrestlers hell.
Be it with Boris Zhukov as The Bolsheviks or with The Iron Sheik as a foreign heel team, the Yugoslavia (now Croatia) born performer knew how to rile up crowds and get them to hate him. However, with time, fans have forgotten quite a few things about the former WWE Tag Team Champion, so here's a refresher.
12 Using Weightlifting As His Path To North America
With a dream to come to North America and leave behind Yugoslavia's tyrannical communist regime, Nikolai Volkoff chose to become a champion athlete in weightlifting to ensure he could get a ticket to the West. In fact, his hard work (six hours of workout daily) got him a passport to travel to Vienna, Austria, as a national athlete.
Here, he approached the Canadian embassy and told them he was a successful athlete, thus gaining an extended stay in the country. Soon after, he would meet Stu Hart, who took Nikolai under his wings and trained him in pro wrestling.
11 His Father's Only Request
Before Nikolai Volkoff left the country to make a living for himself, his father had just one proposition: that he complete schooling. As a 15-year-old with big dreams, Nikolai readily agreed, and he ensured to finish his education by the time he turned 17.
With this important business taken care of, Volkoff then turned his attention to claiming a valid passport, as stated in the previous point. But it was only after meeting this request of his father that the future WWE star could think of leaving Yugoslavia.
10 The Sam Houston Rib
Ribbing between wrestlers was at its notorious worst during the 1970s and '80s, and Nikolai Volkoff endured his fair share of the same. Ex-WWE star Sam Houston, in a 2009 shoot with Wrestling Epicenter, revealed that he once stuck toilet paper to the back of Volkoff's ring gear before his match.
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This was done thanks to a band-aid to help the paper stick, as Sam slapped Nikolai on his lower back and wished him luck. Much to the latter's annoyance, thousands of fans saw him enter the ring and believed he had just come from the toilet.
8 Soviet Spite
Nikolai Volkoff may have played the menacing Russian heel throughout his career, but in reality, he hated the Soviets due to their strained relations with Yugoslavia, and hence disliked his gimmick. He would only do it out of respect for Vince McMahon Sr; that is until a meeting with "Classy" Freddie Blassie changed his outlook.
Apparently, Blasie asked Volkoff to channel his hatred of Soviet Russia into his gimmick, thus showing the world how nasty those from the land of Stalin can be. As a result, he played the character looking to portray those he despised as badly as possible, and it worked, while also helping him earn a ton of heel heat and money.
7 Greengrocers, Bashed Fruit, & Vegetables
This one comes straight from the mouth of long-time WWE man Bruce Prichard on his Something To Wrestle With podcast. The former Brother Love revealed that Nikolai Volkoff was quite the thrifty spender when he was away from home.
Allegedly, when on the road, the big man would head to the nearest greengrocers and request all the bashed fruit and vegetables they planned to get rid of that afternoon. He would use this produce to prepare quite the feast back in his hotel room, thus finding a cheap way to keep himself full when traveling.
6 Iron Sheik's full get-up run
Nikolai Volkoff enjoyed some of his best moments when he tagged with The Iron Sheik as part of Freddie Blassie's foreign recruits. And the two had quite the ride throughout this time, leading to some amazing stories to be shared.
One time, Volkoff agreed to travel alone by plane as some of the Sheik's Iranian friends wanted to meet him, and they requested some time to themselves. So imagine the former's surprise when he saw his tag team partner running in his full wrestling garb in the airport, asking for the plane to be stopped. Hilarious now, potential for disaster then, but luckily, Nikolai stepped in to help escalate any tensions and ensure both got on the flight safe and sound.
5 The Good Samaritan
Freddie Blassie, in his book, Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks!, revealed that it was Nikolai Volkoff who helped him reconnect with his daughter. Poignantly, it also helped the two performers become better friends.
Blassie's daughter had approached Volkoff, wanting his help in reconnecting with her father, and the Croatian hero readily agreed. He urged his manager to forgive and forget the past, and after a hard yet meaningful conversation, Freddie was able to get back on good terms with his offspring.
4 Staying With WWE Till Near The End Of The Millennium
Nikolai Volkoff may have last appeared on WWE TV on an early episode of Shotgun Saturday Night in 1995, but that was not the last of his association with the company. In 2016, he revealed he worked for the Fed for a few more months past that episode.
Apparently, he would attend smaller live events as glorified enhancement talent near the end of his run. Volkoff had no qualms about giving back to the business.
3 Running For Office
The legendary heel once wanted to represent Baltimore and Harford County in Maryland as a Republican candidate in 2006. Nikolai Volkoff's main agenda was that living standards were going down despite taxes being raised through the roof.
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However, he fell short in his efforts and lost the election in the Republican Primary for State Delegate in Maryland's District 7. But Nikolai deserves a pat on the back for wanting to ensure others did not go through the same troubles he did when he was a child growing up in Yugoslavia.
1 He Officially Retired In 2018
For someone who has seen generations of wrestling first-hand, Nikolai has quite the determination to continue wrestling. While his run with WWE ended in 1997, it was not the end of his in-ring career.
In fact, he continued to follow a part-time schedule and make appearances on the independent circuit. As of writing, Volkoff wrestled his final match, teaming with Jim Duggan to overcome Mecha Mercenary and Nicky Benz at Battleground Championship Wrestling in Feasterville, Pennsylvania on May 5, 2018. At that time, Nikolai was 70 years old.