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'{{BLP sources|date=March 2010}} {{Infobox professional wrestler |name=Nikita Koloff |image=NikitaKoloffRadio.jpg |birth_name = Nelson Scott Simpson |caption=Koloff (center) speaking on radio in July 2006. |names=Nikita Koloff |height={{height|ft=6|in=3}} |weight={{convert|267|lb|abbr=on}} |birth_date={{birth date and age|1959|3|9|mf=y}} |death_date= |birth_place=[[Minneapolis, Minnesota]] |resides= |billed=[[Moscow, Russia]]<br />[[Lithuania]] |trainer=[[Ivan Koloff]]<br />[[Don Kernodle]]<br />[[Eddie Sharkey]] |debut=1984 |retired=1992 }} '''Nikita Koloff'''<ref name=Interview>{{cite web |url=http://www.puroresu.com/personalities/koloff_nikita/grip.html |title=Interview: Nikita Koloff |accessdate=2010-11-28 |publisher=PURORESU.com |date=June 2001}}</ref> (born '''Nelson Scott Simpson''' on March 9, 1959) is an [[United States|American]] retired [[Professional wrestling|professional wrestler]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ozcg4p1OZh4C&pg=PT15&dq=Nikita+S.+Koloff&lr=&cd=6#v=onepage&q=koloff&f=false | title=Mysteries of Wrestling: Solved | first1=Adam | last1=Kleinberg | first2=Adam |last2=Nudelman}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_ETsSqWv5PkC&pg=PA137&dq=Nikita+S.+Koloff&lr=&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Nikita%20S.%20Koloff&f=false | title=Wrestling with Success: Developing a Championship Mentality| first1=Nikita | last1=Koloff |first2=Jeffrey | last2=Gitomer}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=T13aPZVgC70C&pg=PA104&dq=Nelson+Scott+Simpson+koloff&cd=1 | title=Wrestling With God | first=Chad | last=Bonham | page=104}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=nbK_unlaQCUC&pg=PA144&dq=Nikita+S.+Koloff&lr=&cd=11#v=onepage&q=&f=false | title=Wrestling's most wanted: the top 10 book of pro wrestling's outrageous ... | first=Floyd | last=Conner}}</ref> actor, and minister. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, he wrestled as '''"The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff''', which was a play on the nickname of fan favorite [[Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)|"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes]] (in fact, it was Rhodes who gave him the nickname). Nikita was brought into the National Wrestling Alliance by his "Uncle" [[Ivan Koloff|Ivan]] to prove Soviet superiority. Their ultimate goal was to dethrone [[NWA World Heavyweight Championship|NWA World champion]] [[Ric Flair]]. A physical marvel, Koloff was also hailed as the '''Russian Road Warrior'''. He was billed from [[Moscow]] in the [[Soviet Union]], and then from [[Lithuania]] after [[History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991)|the fall of the Soviet Union]]. Koloff, now a preacher, appears on the Lifetime Network series, ''[[Preachers' Daughters]]''. ==Career== He grew up without knowing his father and aspired to play professional [[American football|football]]. He started [[Weight training|lifting weights]] in [[Middle school|junior high school]] and built up a massive body, weighing 275&nbsp;lb (125&nbsp;kg) with a 6&nbsp;ft 2 in (188&nbsp;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 [[Minnesota State University Moorhead|Moorhead State University]] where he suffered another career-ending injury. ===Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling (1984–1989)=== In 1984, Simpson was going to try out for the [[United States Football League|USFL]] when [[Road 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 the [[National Wrestling Alliance|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. Koloff debuted in 1984 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 in [[Puerto Rico]] for [[World Wrestling Council|WWC]] and engaged in some bouts with [[Ruben Cruz|Hercules Ayala]]. He returned with [[Ivan Koloff]] in 1986 and faced The Invaders 1 and 3 at a big house show at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in [[Bayamón, Puerto Rico|Bayamon]]. 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 named [[Barry Darsow|Krusher Khruschev]]. In December 1984, Jim Crockett rewarded the Russians with [[NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship]]. Three months later, on March 18, 1985, Koloff and Ivan defeated [[Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)|Dusty Rhodes]] and [[Manny Fernandez (wrestler)|Manny Fernandez]] to win the [[NWA World Tag Team Championship|NWA World tag team title]]. Ivan invoked the [[Fabulous Freebirds#Freebird Rule|Freebird rule]] which dictated that any two of the three could defend the titles. Ivan and Krusher lost the titles to [[The Rock 'n' Roll Express]] ([[Ricky Morton]] and [[Reuben Kane|Robert Gibson]]) on July 9. Prior to committing themselves with Jim Crocket Promotions, The Koloffs feuded with then [[AWA World Tag Team Championship|AWA World tag team champions]] the Road 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 of [[Pro 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 heel to get a match against NWA World Champion [[Ric Flair]] at [[The Great American Bash#1985|The Great American Bash 1985]] on July 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.<ref name=Drago>{{cite web | url=http://prowrestling.net/article.php?Nikita-Koloff-on-whether-WWE-was-interested-in-him-competing-in-War-Games-being-up-for-the-role-of-Ivan-Drago-in-Rocky-IV-42363 | title=Nikita Koloff on whether WWE was interested in him, competing in War Games, being up for the role of Ivan Drago in Rocky IV | accessdate=June 9, 2015}}</ref> The Koloffs went on to regain the NWA World Tag Team title from the Rock 'N Roll Express three months later, on October 13, but lost it to the same opponents on November 28 at [[Starrcade (1985)|StarrCade 1985]] in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Cages|steel cage match]]. In spring of 1986, Koloff started one of the biggest, most anticipated feuds in the history of [[Jim Crockett Promotions]] when he attacked [[WWE United States Championship|NWA United States Heavyweight Champion]] [[Magnum T.A.]]. Following an incident where Magnum hit on-screen NWA President [[Bob 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 title. The two were then booked to in a best-of-seven series, which took place during [[The Great American Bash#1986|The 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 on August 17 and featured run-ins by Kruschev and Ivan and several false-finishes. Nikita defeated T.A. to win the title. The following month, Koloff defeated [[Wahoo McDaniel]] to unify his US Title with Wahoo's [[NWA National Heavyweight Championship]] on September 28. He was readying to embark on a feud with [[Ron Garvin]] that would last through the upcoming [[Starrcade#1986|Starrcade 1986]]. The idea of head [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Book|booker]] 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|NWA World Championship]] at StarrCade 86; after a short program of rematches with Flair, T.A. would begin a long program with Koloff that ran through [[The Great American Bash#1987|The Great American Bash Tour of 1987]].<ref name=WCW8388Book>{{cite book | first=Graham | last=Cawthon | title=the History of Professional Wrestling Vol 3:Jim Crockett and the NWA World Title 1983-1989 | publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform | year= 2013 ||isbn=149480347X}}</ref> As of the beginning of October, Rhodes had not decided whether to give Koloff the title 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 the [[Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)|Four Horsemen]]. The historic moment took place on October 24 in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. Rhodes needed a partner to take on [[Ole Anderson]] and [[James 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 Title and came very close to winning it on several occasions. Flair's Four Horsemen comrades bailed him out almost every time.<ref name=WCW8388Book/> The two fought to a double disqualification at StarrCade '86 on November 26. After StarrCade, Koloff was firmly established as one of the NWA's most popular stars. On 1987, Krusher, who left WCW for World 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.<ref name=Drago/> 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. In March, as part of his ongoing feud with Ivan and [[Dick Murdoch]], Koloff's neck was "injured" by a Murdoch [[brainbuster]] on the concrete floor (of course this was a work). On April 11, Koloff and Dusty Rhodes won the [[Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament#1987|second-annual Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament]], defeating the Four Horsemen team of [[Tully Blanchard]] and [[Lex Luger]] in the finals. As the [[The Great American Bash#1987|1987 Great American Bash]] tour got under way, the feud between Koloff, Rhodes, [[The Road Warriors]], and [[Paul 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 as [[WarGames match|WarGames: The Match Beyond]]. The team of [[The Super Powers]] and [[The Road Warriors|The Legion of Doom]] emerged victorious in both contests. Also during The War Games, Flair and Blanchard reaggravated Koloff's neck injury by delivering two spike piledrivers. The [[Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Work (noun)|worked]] injury set up the pretext for dropping the US Title to Lex Luger. On July 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. title reign in the more than 33-year history of the title. Dusty Rhodes booked Koloff to rebound quickly, winning the [[WCW World Television Championship|NWA World Television Championship]] from Tully Blanchard on August 27. In the fall of 1987, Jim Crockett Promotions acquired [[Bill Watts]]' [[Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)|Universal Wrestling Federation]]. 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 and [[UWF Television Championship|UWF Television Champion]], [[Terry Taylor]]. The feud began when Taylor, alongside his fellow members of Hot Stuff International, Inc. - [[Eddie Gilbert (wrestler)|Eddie Gilbert]] and [[Rick Steiner]]- attacked Koloff and stole his championship belt. Koloff and Taylor were booked to face each other in a unification bout at [[Starrcade (1987)|StarrCade '87]], but Koloff vowed to get his TV belt back before the match. During a [[TBS (TV network)|TBS]] [[World Championship Wrestling]] broadcast leading up to what would be Jim Crockett's first foray into [[pay-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 the [[UIC Pavilion]] in [[Chicago]]. 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 TV Title to [[Mike Rotunda]] of [[The Varsity Club]] on January 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 Champion [[Ric Flair]] at the final Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament. Koloff defeated Flair by disqualification so the title was retained by Flair. He 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 (wrestler)|Sting]] 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 of 1989. After Ivan himself turned face when manager Paul Jones went against him, Koloff helped Ivan briefly against Jones' henchmen, the masked Russian Assassins, and then he took a sabbatical on November 27. A booked showdown at [[Starrcade (1988)|StarrCade '88]] in December was to pit Ivan and Koloff against the Russian Assassins. Koloff's departure resulted in the [[Junkyard Dog]] substituting for him as Ivan's partner. The Russian Assassins were victorious. Eventually, Koloff eased back into the business part-time. He returned to WCW/NWA as a special guest referee at [[WrestleWar#1989|WrestleWar '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 titles. Despite some people's beliefs, Nikita was never offered any sort of contract with WWF. He met Vince McMahon only twice: first time while working out in a gym in Las Vegas (they shook hands and said "hello" and again at Road Warrior Hawk's funeral.<ref>Source: Nikita Koloff</ref> ===American Wrestling Association and Universal Wrestling Federation (1989–1990)=== In late 1989, Koloff wrestling with [[Verne 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 then [[AWA World Heavyweight Championship|AWA World Heavyweight Champion]] [[Larry Zbyszko]] almost immediately. Koloff wrestled continued 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. Koloff also wrestled briefly in [[Herb Abrams]]' [[Universal Wrestling Federation (Herb Abrams)|Universal Wrestling Federation]], after it was purchased by Crocket, where he reignited a feud with 'Uncle' Ivan.<ref>Nikita Koloff</ref> ===Return to WCW (1991–1992)=== Koloff returned to WCW on February 24 at [[WrestleWar#1991|WrestleWar 1991]] to attack Lex Luger. He claimed that Luger stole the title from him in 1987 and he wanted it back. Luger had stolen the title (he was a heel then), but now Koloff was the heel. He went after Luger for the next couple of months, and at [[SuperBrawl#1991|SuperBrawl 1991]] on May 19, accidentally hit [[Steve Borden|Sting]] with a chain during a tagteam match between Luger-Sting and the [[Steiner Brothers]], starting his next feud. Koloff defeated Sting in a [[Professional wrestling match types#Names and variations|Russian Chain match]] at [[The Great American Bash#1991|The Great American Bash]] on July 14. The feud continued through August, but before the program was finished, Koloff disappeared again to run his gym, "Nikita's Fortress of Fitness," in [[Concord, North Carolina]]. Koloff returned to WCW in February 1992, this time as a [[Face (professional wrestling)|babyface]] to save Sting from an attack by the [[Dangerous 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 (including [[Ricky Steamboat]], [[Barry Windham]], and [[Dustin Rhodes]]) against [[Richard Rood|Rick Rude]], [[Stone Cold Steve Austin|Steve Austin]], [[Arn Anderson]], [[Larry Zbyszko]], and [[Bobby Eaton]] in the WarGames at [[WrestleWar#Wrestle War 1992|WrestleWar '92]] on May 17. Koloff was booked in a program with Rick Rude for the [[WCW United States Heavyweight Championship]]. Late 1992 found him feuding with another big man, [[Big Van Vader]], who at [[Halloween Havoc#1992|Halloween Havoc]], ended Koloff's in-ring career with a [[Stiff (professional wrestling)|stiff]] 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]] in 1993. He now runs a ministry. He also runs his own small wrestling promotion, the Universal Wrestling Alliance UWA as an outreach of his ministry. He made a few appearances for [[Total Nonstop Action Wrestling|NWA:TNA]] in 2003 as a masked man called "Mr. Wrestling IV" who attacked [[Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)|Dusty Rhodes]]. He finally unmasked but ended up helping Rhodes against the [[Sports Entertainment Xtreme]] stable. On July 15, 2006, Koloff received the [[Frank 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'' (ISBN 1-57090-107-4) in 2000, which is a Christian Living guide and ''Wrestling with Success'' (ISBN 0-471-48732-5) 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: {| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;" |-style="background:#B0C4DE;" ! Year ! Film ! Role ! Notes |- |2007 ||''Stuck in the Past'' || Bartender || |- | 2009 || ''[[C Me Dance]]'' || Biker || |- | 2013 || ''[[Preachers' Daughters|Preacher's Daughters]]'' || Himself || Reality series |} ==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.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}They married on August 17, 1990. 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nikitakoloff.com/Career/bio_page_3.htm |title=Biography |accessdate=2010-11-28 |publisher=NIKITAKOLOFF.com |date=2010-11-28}}</ref> Nikita and Victoria were divorced on April 23, 2007.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} Koloff legally changed his name to Nikita Koloff in 1988.<ref name=Interview/> 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'' ([[Professional wrestling attacks#Clothesline|Clothesline]]) *'''Signature moves''' **[[Professional wrestling holds#Bearhug|Bearhug]] **[[Professional wrestling holds#Jaw Clutch|Jaw Clutch]] *'''[[Manager (professional wrestling)|Managers]]''' **[[Ivan Koloff]] **Pedro Biaggi *'''[[Music in professional wrestling|Entrance Music]]''' **"[[In the Air Tonight]]" by [[Phil Collins]] ([[American Wrestling Association|AWA]]) ==Championships and accomplishments== *'''Legends Pro Wrestling''' **Inducted into the LPW Hall of Fame (4/24/10) *'''[[Jim Crockett Promotions]]''' :*[[NWA National Heavyweight Championship]] ([[NWA National Heavyweight Championship#Title history|1 time]])¹ :*[[WWE United States Championship|NWA United States Heavyweight Championship]] ([[List of WWE United States Champions|1 time]]) :*[[NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]]) – with [[Ivan Koloff]] and [[Barry Darsow|Krusher Khruschev]], then with Koloff and [[Baron von Raschke]] after Kruschev was injured :*[[WCW World Tag Team Championship|NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'']] ([[List of WCW World Tag Team Champions|2 times]]) – with [[Ivan Koloff]] :*[[WCW World Television Championship|NWA World Television Championship]] ([[List of WCW World Television Champions|1 time]]) :*[[UWF World Television Championship]] ([[UWF World Television Championship#Title History|1 time]])² :*[[Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament]] ([[Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament#1987|1987]]) <small>with [[Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)|Dusty Rhodes]]</small> *'''[[National Wrestling Alliance]]''' **[[NWA Hall of Fame]] (Class of 2008) *'''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]''' :*[[PWI Feud of the Year]] (1987) <small>with [[Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)|Dusty Rhodes]] and [[The Road Warriors]] vs. [[Four Horsemen (professional wrestling)|The Four Horsemen]]</small> :*[[PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year]] (1987)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiinsp.htm|accessdate=2008-07-27|title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners Inspirational Wrestler of the Year |publisher=Wrestling Information Archive}}</ref> :*PWI ranked him #'''17''' of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the PWI 500 in 1992<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=1098&view=awards#awards | title=Nikita Koloff}}</ref> :*PWI ranked him #'''64''' of the 100 best tag teams of the PWI Years with [[Ivan Koloff]] in 2003. :*PWI ranked him #'''113''' of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "[[PWI Years]]" in 2003<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi500yr.htm|title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years|accessdate=2010-09-15|publisher=Wrestling Information Archive}}</ref> *'''Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards''' **[[Dave Meltzer#Rating system|5 Star Match]] (1992) <small>with [[Dustin Rhodes]], [[Sting (wrestler)|Sting]], Ricky Steamboat, and [[Barry Windham]] vs. [[Rick Rude]], [[Stone Cold Steve Austin|Steve Austin]], [[Arn Anderson]], [[Bobby Eaton]], and [[Larry Zbyszko]] (May 17, [[WarGames match]], [[WrestleWar#1992|WrestleWar]])</small> <small>¹Koloff defeated [[Wahoo McDaniel]] to unify the title with the [[WWE United States Championship|NWA United States Heavyweight Championship]]. The title was also won after [[Georgia Championship Wrestling]] was purchased by [[Jim Crockett Promotions]].</small><br /> <small>²Koloff defeated [[Terry Taylor]] to unify the title with the [[WCW World Television Championship|NWA World Television Championship]]. The title was also won after [[Bill Watts]]' [[Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts)|Universal Wrestling Federation]] promotion was purchased by [[Jim Crockett Promotions]].</small> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Portal|Professional wrestling}} *[http://www.nikitakoloff.com NikitaKoloff.com (Official Website)] {{WCW World Television Championship}} {{WWE United States Championship}} {{WCW World Tag Team Championship}} {{Authority control}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME =Koloff, Nikita | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = American professional wrestler, actor, minister | DATE OF BIRTH =March 9, 1959 | PLACE OF BIRTH =[[Minneapolis, Minnesota]] | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Koloff, Nikita}} [[Category:1959 births]] [[Category:American male professional wrestlers]] [[Category:American male film actors]] [[Category:Fictional Russians in professional wrestling]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American Christian religious leaders]] [[Category:Minnesota State University Moorhead alumni]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Minneapolis, Minnesota]] [[Category:Players of American football from Minnesota]] [[Category:Professional wrestlers from Minnesota]]'