Nikita Koloff

Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson on March 9, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler.

Koloff was born on March 9, 1959, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, one of four children born to Paige and Olive Simpson.

When he was two years old, his father left the family, leaving his mother as a single parent.

When Koloff was 10, his family relocated to the suburb of Robbinsdale.

While in junior high school, Koloff began weightlifting.

He 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.

His fellow students included other future professional wrestlers Barry Darsow, Brady Boone, Curt Hennig, John Nord, Rick Rude, and Tom Zenk.

Koloff graduated from high school in 1977.

He enrolled in Golden Valley Lutheran College where he played college football alongside fellow future wrestler Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis.

He suffered an injury playing football but rehabbed to play for Minnesota State University Moorhead where he suffered another injury.

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 dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania).

During his career, Koloff held championships including the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship, NWA World Tag Team Championship, NWA United States Championship, NWA World Television Championship, and UWF World Television Championship.

In 1984, Simpson was going to try out for the 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 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 was briefly trained by Eddie Sharkey.

He 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.

Koloff wrestled briefly in Puerto Rico for World Wrestling Council (WWC) and engaged in some bouts with Hercules Ayala.

In December 1984, Jim Crockett rewarded the Russians with the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.

Three months later, on March 18, 1985, Koloff and Ivan defeated Dusty Rhodes and Manny Fernandez to win the NWA World tag team title.

Ivan invoked the 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 Robert Gibson) on July 9.

Prior to committing themselves with Jim Crocket Promotions, The Koloffs feuded with then 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 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.

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 in a steel cage match.

In 1985 and 1986, Koloff wrestled several matches for Capitol Sports Promotions in Puerto Rico as part of a talent exchange, facing Hercules Ayala on several occasions.

He 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.

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, the length of his matches and interviews grew as well.

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 Krusher Khruschev (fellow Robbinsdale High School classmate Barry Darsow).

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.