Q&A with Koloff - #13

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Every gift counts and now every gift is doubled. trainaposter.com. This is the Truth Network. Nakita Kolof here. Questions and answers. Q&A with Kolof, the devil's nightmare.

Welcome back to Q&A with Kolof. Questions and answers. And today Mary Jo Jennie submitted some great questions for me to discuss with you. Unfortunately, she's not available to call. She's a schoolteacher down in the Columbia, South Carolina area and recently I actually had the opportunity though at a book giveaway in Aiken, South Carolina.

Brian and Jamie Johnson down there at their dealership. I was fortunate to meet Mary Jo. She's a huge, huge wrestling fan, a big Nakita Kolof fan.

Imagine that. She made the trip down from Columbia down to Aiken and she submitted these questions that I thought I would take the time to share with you on Q&A with Kolof. So Mary Jo, thank you for submitting these questions and here we go with question number one. She asked, which wrestler had the biggest impact on your career? And that's a great question and when I ponder that question, man, I can think back to a number of guys who actually had an impact on my career starting with, probably no surprise to you, Uncle Ivan Kolof. My precious Uncle Ivan, right? And certainly him and his partner Don Kornodle who Don and Sergeant Slaughter get the credit for the whole concept of a nephew for Ivan Kolof. Don and Ivan both were instrumental in the early part of my career and catapulting myself to a level of main event wrestling.

I mean these guys made sacrifices. Now if you're not familiar with my whole story, you're just going to have to buy the book, okay? I'm sorry. I don't have time to go over all that. Nikita, A Tale of the Ring and Redemption. Go on kolof.net.

Go to my store. Buy the book. You can hear the whole story. That said, I break into wrestling with no experience. Like none.

Like zero. Meaning I didn't even, not only did I not have an amateur background, I had no professional training. The night I walked into Raleigh, North Carolina and stepped into a ring in the Dorton Arena. And thankfully Ivan and Don took me under their wing. And what we did, I mean they showed me some basic things in the dressing room that night and then for the next two, three months, we would get to towns early.

Like two, three hours early. And I had what you might call on-the-job training. In fact, what these guys would do is they'd bump and thump all over the ring before the matches and teach me the mechanics of wrestling. And then I go out that night and have a very brief match, a very short match, and sit in Ivan and Don.

They were the World Tag Team Champions for the NWA. And I would watch their match, focused on their match. Uncle, Uncle Ivan would sit in my corner and watch my match.

You know, his protege, nephew. And then on the way home, we would discuss what was once called the psychology of wrestling. And so I learned the mechanics before the matches on the drive home, the psychology of old school wrestling. And so by far, I would say Don and Ivan had one of the biggest impacts on my career. And then I'd be amiss if I didn't throw in names like Dusty Rose, the American Dream, the Tower of Power, too sweet to be power if you will. Dusty had a tremendous impact. The Nature Boy, Ric Flair. Alright, let me do it for you because you're already doing it.

Woo! That guy. I know, I know. I just had to do that for you, the listener. Ric Flair certainly had an impact.

But so many guys. Ricky the Dragon, Steamboat. I learned from some of the best of the best of the best. Dory Funk Jr. I could go on.

Alright, let me move on. Those are just some of the guys that had a big impact on my career. Mary Jo, your next question. Which wrestler had the biggest impact on the walk with Christ? Now that's a great question too because back in the day, there weren't too many, as far as I was familiar with or aware of, too many Christ followers back in my wrestling days. In fact, there's only one man that comes to mind and it wasn't so much that he witnessed to me and shared his story or anything like that, but he would always leave what was called these tracks, if you're familiar with these tracks. I always knew George South was in the building or on the wrestling card because in every bathroom stall or by the bathroom sink, there was a track telling the plan of salvation.

And not that I ever read one per se, but I at least knew enough to know what they were. And so I would say, George, kudos to you for having the boldness to leave those tracks in every building you were at and every wrestling card that you were on. Because one day, Jesus is going to reveal to you all the wrestlers whose lives you impacted by leaving those tracks lying around in all the dressing rooms and all the bathrooms and all the buildings that we were in. So, George South.

Question number three. Mary Jo asks, where was your favorite place to wrestle and why? I have so many great memories of so many wonderful towns.

I'll say this about Charlotte, North Carolina. Some of the greatest matches starting with the Great American Bash in 1985 against the Nature Boy Ric Flair. First ever Great American Bash. First ever, or the largest crowd I ever wrestled in front of.

An estimated 25, 30, 35,000. Only 13 months into the business there at Memorial Stadium in Charlotte. And then Independence Arena, now called Bojangles Arena on Independence Boulevard. Two major matches I can remember. The best of seven against Magnum, T.A. where I won match number seven and took the U.S. title as the Russian Nightmare. People were not thrilled about that. In fact, they loved to hate me back in those days. He was the good, all-American boy, right?

Magnum, T.A. But also, that's where my turn took place. In a cage against Ole Anderson and J.J. Dillon where I came to the aid of the American Dream Dusty Roode and I switched from the most hated guy in wrestling to eventually becoming one of the most well-liked and fan favorites of wrestling there in Charlotte as well. So certainly, Charlotte has my heart. Greensboro, North Carolina, home of Starrcade. But also, I'll mention Baltimore. Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore Arena.

Because in 1987, it was there that once again, the American Dream Dusty Roode and the Russian Nightmare won the Crockett Cup Tag Team Tournament. A two-day tournament in Baltimore. So that certainly brings back a lot of great memories there in Baltimore. Let me tell you one other that had to do with Baltimore. Jim Crockett Jr. had the brilliant idea that Ric Flair and I would wrestle two matches in the same night in two different towns. Richmond, Virginia for the World Heavyweight Title and Baltimore, Maryland. And he thought, wow, I'll just stagger the start of the show and we'll throw you guys on a private plane and get you into Baltimore in plenty of time.

Well, it didn't quite work out that way. In fact, the fans in Richmond were not happy because the main event world title match was before intermission. Fans were not happy about that. We rush out to the airport, fly to Baltimore. I can remember getting into the ring, looking up at the clock in the arena and it was 12 midnight. The show started at 8 p.m. The fans probably got there at 6 or 7. But to the credit of the Baltimore fans, we wrestled that night in Baltimore 55 minutes after wrestling 35 or 40 minutes in Richmond. And I got out of the ring at 1255 in the morning. And I don't think the fans ever sat down the entire 55 minutes. And that's where Baltimore just kind of captured my heart. Baltimore, you rank right up there at the top as well. She asked, what's your greatest match?

Boy, Mary Jo, hard to pinpoint that one. There were so many and I've already mentioned a number of great matches, I felt. Especially the best of seven against Magnum. The war games, the very first war games, brings back lots of memories. And so just to throw those out. What were the reactions you got when people realized you were not Russian? That's a great question.

People are still figuring that one out all these years later. Wait, Nikita, you're really not from Russia? I'm really not. So I don't speak such great English because of good English tutoring. And I don't even know that I speak that great of English.

But it's not because of English tutoring. I speak English because I'm actually from the great state of Minnesota. Yeah, Minnesota. Home of the Swedes, Minnesota.

How are you? I still go back there sometimes. I have family back there. I have no desire to ever live back there. No offense, Minnesota.

However, I still have family back there and I know I'm home because how are you? I hear the people. I'm like, yep, I'm in Minnesota.

But it was a shocker for some. I'll tell you one quick story. Lex Luger and I were doing an autograph signing in Virginia and all of a sudden I hear this fluent Russian from this woman.

And I'm like, oh, dear Lord. Because I don't know any Russian. I know a few words. I can count to ten in Russian.

But I can't speak Russian fluently because I'm not from Russia. And I'm thinking, well, maybe I ignore her or she'll go away. Well, she's not going anywhere. She says something else fluently in Russian. I look up, I make eye contact and she's glowing, like glowing, like she gets to meet the Russian nightmare. And I look at her and I just pause and I go like this. I go, ma'am.

I go, I'm not really from Russia. And she went from a glow to an absolute scowl. Like she took a step back. She had a little girl with her. She goes, you're not really from Russia.

You know, she had kind of a broken accent of her own, right? I go, ma'am. I go, it's just a character that I portrayed.

I drove three hours here to meet you. And I go, I'm so sorry. And my good buddy Lex is stirring the pot going, nope, nope.

He really isn't from Russia. I'm like, hey, I got this, Luger. Stop.

Stop it. And anyway, and she was so mad she never did get an autograph. Poor little daughter with her. She drove through six hours in a car to meet her hero, the Russian nightmare who's not from Russia. So it has been a shocker for people to find out that I'm not from Russia. Last question from Mary Jo, Columbia, South Carolina. Tell about a downfall.

Ooh, good question. Tell about a downfall and how Christ picked you up. Whoa, man, that's a good one. You know, we're all broken and we're all flawed. And so when I think about that question, a downfall in how God picked me up. You know, I can look back in my life journey, the 27 plus years that I walked in with Jesus, and it hasn't been smooth sailing. I like to say it's been a journey of highs and lows, of twists and turns, of ups and downs. And there was a period, and maybe I'll do a show on this sometime, but there was a time where I went through a divorce. And it was not pleasant. In fact, it's really honestly the hardest thing I have ever gone through. And four beautiful children, and unfortunately, you know, I heard the words that I just don't love you anymore, don't want to be married to you anymore. And as much as I was open to reconciliation, because I believed God can and does do that, that he can reconcile things, man, it was hard. It was really, really hard. However, where some, you know, shake their fists at God, or how can you let this happen, or maybe go the opposite way and become promiscuous and sleep with everybody and anybody.

I did not do that. What I chose to do was press into my relationship with Jesus to run that much, even run harder after him, and just trust him. And I felt him say, pursue the path and the call I have on your life, and I'm going to take care of you. You're going to be okay, and you're going to make it through this.

So that was the decision I made, was to even run harder after him, even though that was a really difficult time in my life. And because of that, I believe the relationship I have with him now is even stronger than before that happened. And I'm very thankful, and I'm grateful that I have just a great relationship with all my children. I mean, my oldest daughter is 37, 38, you lose track of time, but anyway, I mean, she calls me daddy.

She's in her late 30s, and she calls me daddy, and one calls me papa, and the other calls me pops, and the other calls me, you know, calls me dad. So anyway, I'm just grateful for the relationship I have with him. Mary Jo, thank you, man. What great questions you submitted today on Q&A with Koloff. Hey, dial in, tune in next time for more great questions from you, the wrestling fan. Submit those questions, koloff.net. I want to hear from you, and if you're available, I'll give you a personal phone call, and we can discuss it in person. God bless you. Have a wonderful day.