Q&A With Koloff- #59

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Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is set for one flaw. Introducing first, from Lithuania, he weighs 123 kilos, the Russian nightmare, Nikita Kolov. Welcome to another episode of Q&A with Kolov, the Devil's Nightmare. Hilmi Ari, welcome to Questions and Answers with Kolov. Glad to be heard from you, sir. Hey, I really appreciate Hilmi.

It's great to have you on the show today. Let me just first ask this question of you. I know you've got some questions for me.

But let me first ask this question of you. For all of our listening audience out there, Hilmi Ari. That doesn't sound like a Cajun, Louisiana name.

Give us a little background on that name there, Hilmi. It's a little east. Little east of Louisiana.

How far east? Let's go Mideast, Middle East. Turkey. Turkey, yeah. I was born and raised in Turkey, moved to the US when we were six years old. Okay. You and I have gotten to know each other a little bit here of recent in your lovely bride, Tina.

It's been fun getting to know you guys. I know a little bit about that background. So your dad was full-blooded Turkish? He was. And my mother was from South Carolina. Okay. Well, there's more to that story here.

There is. But she lived all over the world. And I guess they met on a cruise. Mom got tired of me telling everybody that she was a mail-order bride. And she quickly corrected me for my lack of humor that she was not a mail-order bride. Well, I don't know why she didn't find you. I find you full of humor. But I don't know why she didn't find any humor in that. Well, you know, her pet line would be, I am not amused, at which you knew at that point you crossed the line.

So the best thing you could do is practice your Olympic backstroke and try to get out of it. It was good. Thankfully, having parents who were from two different countries, they taught me Turkish and English at the same time. So I was fluent.

I've never known not knowing two languages. Well, here's what's funny about what you did, that she was a mail-order bride. Is that M-A-L-E or M-A-I-L, mail-order bride? Well, unfortunately, she has since passed.

I would ask her, but then you would get the, I am not amused, and then that look. You go ahead, Nikita. Just keep on, man. Now, you just mentioned, so do you, and I didn't know this about you, you speak two languages fluently? I do.

Wow. English really is my second language. Yeah, mine too. You know, Russian was my first, right?

I've heard that. That I had to learn English, like, once I came to America. So I'm kind of like you, I'm a foreigner, kind of like you, Helmy. Well, in TV land, anyway.

Exactly. So, English and the other languages? Turkish. Say, it's nice to meet you, Nikita, in Turkish. Nikita Kolov here, and I am excited. Did you hear the huge announcement, the big announcement?

Well, maybe it's a minor announcement. Anyway, Facebook, go look up my new fan page, Nikita Kolov Fans, and like it, and follow today. It's nice to meet you in Turkish. Yeah, not English, Helmy. Turkish, it's nice to meet you, Nikita. It's nice to meet you, Nikita. Whoa, whoa.

I know I put you on the spot there. It's one of the drawbacks of going to school there and leaving, because they, in foreign countries, they teach you English, literally, in kindergarten. It's a second language to them. Then, from there, you go on and learn German, French, Italian. So, education is very important in that part of the world, and it was important to my parents.

You know what's fascinating about that story is, you just verified, and I told this story on another show about, I was doing a missions trip in Moldova, near the former Soviet Union. I met this little 11-year-old little guy, Henry, little wire rim, round wire rim glasses, and to your point, I mean, I just befriended him, and I'm like, and I don't know why, I'm like, Henry, how many, was he related to you, Helmy, Henry? No, anyway, and I'm like, how many languages do you speak? And he said, five. And I went, get out of town.

I'm like, get out of here. Like, five. Like, fluent? He's like, yes, sir. Just like you're saying, French, German, Russian, of course, English, and Spanish. And I'm like, and he could speak in fluent. Just like I put you on the spot, I put him on the spot. I'm going to say, all right, all right, Henry, say this in French, and say that in German, and he just rattled it off like you just did Turkish. But if you teach these kids, these talents at such a young age, there is no preconceived wall of, I don't want to learn this, or you're embracing, as a young person, knowledge.

So you're not hesitant to learn. You're just soaking it in. Yeah. Well, that's pretty amazing. I know your dad was a pretty outstanding doctor as well. That's what kind of brought him to the US, right?

It was. He wanted to better our family and came to the US. He had practiced, or he had gone to medical school in the 50s in Washington, DC, and moved back to Turkey, met mom. I think they got married in 63. I came along in 67, and we moved to the US in 72, 73. And we lived in a small town in Ohio called Massillon. And from there, dad was studying to take his boards.

And once he passed, he could practice anywhere in the country and chose a small town west of Charlotte called Lincolnton. Hi, I'm Nikita Kolov. Be sure to check out our radio show and podcast, The Man Up Show. It's time to man up on Truth Radio Network.

Check your local listings, or better yet, download the Truth Network app today. I've been there ever since. I know you had a tremendous practice there.

I know from some stories you shared with me, people absolutely loved your dad. And speaking of which, part of the reason we met was you got a printing business. What's the name of your printing business there in Lincolnton?

It's Lincoln Printing Services. Okay, and I know you do some great work. I know you've made banners for me, and 8x10 posters, pictures, and a number of... I know you do a whole host of things there at your print shop, and you do exemplary work.

I think that's how you say that word. Anyway, you do great work. You do great work. And being the entrepreneur you are, you're taking advantage, even in this whole past lockdown, shutdown, whatever downer you want to call it, for some people, you've taken advantage of that. You launched an entire online eBay business that you are just cranking out.

Here's what's crazy, homie. You've got some of the most unique products on your eBay website of anyone I've ever known. Maybe that must be that Turkish background of yours. I'll take those as a compliment. It is a compliment. It is a compliment. I love you and your bride, Tina. Hey, if people wanted to go on and see some of your unique products, how would they find you on eBay, homie?

It's very simple. The name of our store is called Name-TBD. So it's Name-TBD.

Hey, our official name is to be determined, but for now, it's Name-TBD. And that is Hilmi Ari's store. I want to encourage you, listen, for real, he has some of the most unique things I've ever seen, stuff that maybe you're looking for but don't know where to find it. I assure you, you will find it on Hilmi's site. So go check that out.

Name-TBD. So Hilmi, you've got a question or two for me today on Q&A with Koloff. I do.

You put me on the spot and I've stressed for three days over this, slept very little. All right. I know that you were involved in multiple tag teams and even three men. Was there a difference in preparation versus the two versus the three in that you felt like you had to get everybody involved or were there constraints from the promoters and even maybe the other team like, hey, I'm injured, so-and-so's not going to take bucks this evening, we're going to do that.

So can you explain the difference between the two and the three tags? Yeah, great question. In fact, you've got singles, tag, six-man, I was even involved in eight-man matches, right? And each scenario brings about a different preparation. Obviously, if you're in a single match, the whole focus is on you and your opponent, right? And so you might even say there's even more pressure placed upon you in a single match. A tag match, especially for me early on in my career, learning with Ivan, Uncle Ivan Shitoyta, and Don Crenodle, and eventually the power of power too sweet to be sour if you will, yeah.

Of course, Dusty Rhodes, the American Dream. The tag took some of that pressure off in that you could then rely on your opponent, especially if in those days if you got what I would phrase kind of lost in the match. One of the things they always told you, if you get lost, grab a hold. Well, if you get lost in a tag match, tag out. Tag your opponent in and regroup mentally.

And then a six-man brought a different dynamic to it because now you got, again, six guys or even the eight-man that you really want to showcase every guy. Now, to your point of maybe somebody's injured, you can cover that up a little bit more in a tag or six-man or an eight-man certainly by helping that guy out who's still going to perform but can't perform at high level because he's sustained some level of injury. But he's still expected to be there.

The fans still expect to see him. And so it is easier to cover that up. And so I hope that generally answers your question. Does it?

It does. Yeah. Yeah. So great question.

Like really great question for sure. Thank you. Have you got time for one more?

I do. Come on. We got time for one more question. Yep. Okay.

If you were a heel versus a baby face, if you came out and you were expecting boos and rants and raving from the fans, was there ever an instance where they switched on you? Nikita Koloff. And I am here with a huge announcement, like big, big announcement. Man Up Men's Conference, Morningstar Ministries, Fort Mill, South Carolina, August 25th to the 27th. You're thinking that's a ways away.

No, not too soon to sign up. What a lineup of speakers we have. The Benham Brothers, David and Jason Benham. All Star, NBA All Star, Al Wood is speaking. World Wrestling Champion, The Total Package Lex Luger, Chris Reed, Rick Joyner, Delta Force Commander, General, Lieutenant General, Jerry Boykin retired. Yours truly, Nikita Koloff.

We're renowned evangelist, Frank Shelton. Register today. It is live. M Star Events. MStarEvents.com slash Man Up.

Go get registered today. You will not want to miss this event. Like if you were the bad guy and you walked in and they're cheering for you, you're like, whoa, this is not right. Well, actually the expression comes to mind would be, this is not good. As a bad guy, you want them booing for you. Obviously as a good guy, you want them cheering for you.

There's a couple things that come to mind just quickly. When I made a return to wrestling in Phoenix in 1991, the angle with Magnum TA was so strong. The magazine cover, I cry a tear for Magnum TA and his wreck and teaming with Dusty and all that.

Well, when I returned after leaving for a time, I had a late wife that passed of cancer at age 26 and I made a return to wrestling after a season away. And they go, well, we want you to be a bad guy again. It's not going to work. I go, no, we'll put you against, you know, Lex Luger. He's one of our top baby faces.

I'm like, okay. So for those who know, you know, I present him with a belt, you know, whack him over the, over the noggin with a belt, kick him off the stage. And that began our angle. And it was about 50 50, about 50% cheered me, about 50% cheered him.

And, and they're kind of getting wind of that. So then we go, okay, well, they said, we'll put you against our top baby face. Sting, cause you know, he's the number one baby face. And so we did an angle in St. Petersburg, Florida, you know, they're in a match against Sting and Luger against the Steiner brothers. I do a rundown and I go for Luger, but he's, he just happened to move and Sting was in the way, unfortunately. And so that catapulted an angle with Sting and that was about 75 25.

And, and eventually they're like, well, yeah, maybe you're right. And then, so I took a little more time off, came back and then made an appeal to Sting with my little Stinger who was actually my oldest daughter, Taryn at the time. Nobody really kind of knew that, but a few knew that, but, but had her painted up like little Stinger and like, like, Hey, here's one of your biggest fans. And I was like, honey, please don't say, when I ask you, who's your biggest fan?

Don't say daddy and point to me, say Sting. Right. But, so yeah, so that was, that was interesting. And then one other, one other quick story, Kuwait, speaking of the Middle East, you probably know where Kuwait is. Yeah, a little bit. Yeah. Not far from Turkey.

I think, you know, I'm not great on geography, but not far. Uh, the short version of that story is I go there, I'm in the, I'm in the height of my, my healing here. I mean, I am the number one, most hated guy in wrestling in America, in the fan polls. I go there and I walk out that first night and I get cheered and I'm like, I don't know what to do.

Oh yeah, for real. And I'm like, I don't know what to do. Well, fortunately I'm wrestling a guy named Sergeant Slaughter. He walks out. We've done work for Sarge. Okay. He walks out. Yeah.

You've done some print work and some other things for him, right? He, he, he walks out and he gets booed. I'm like, all right, well, it's a step in the right direction.

He gets the ring. I'm like, Sarge, I don't know how to be a baby face. I don't know how to be a good, he goes, just follow my lead kid. And I'm like, okay, I can do that. And I followed his lead. I got my hand raised in victory. The fans were happy and oh, a little side note, by the way, the Russian ambassador to Kuwait and his wife were sitting in the audience that night just wanting to make sure that, uh, that the Russian, the, the, the, the fake Russian was, was, was, was cheered.

Right? So anyway, so that is awesome. Well, there's a couple of stories. He'll me listen, man. It's so good to have you on Q and a with co-op and, and, uh, I just appreciate you and, and please, you know, hug that lovely bride, Tina of yours. And, and I look forward to seeing you again sometime soon. Okay. Sounds good, sir. Safe travels. All right.

Thanks. You owe me. Take care of God. Take care.

Take care of Nikita. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers, support, and generous gifts. May God bless you for your continual contributions. Go to colab.net and donate today. This is the truth network.