Q&A With Koloff- #109

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This is the Truth Network. Hi, Nikita Kolov here, and I am excited to announce the second annual Man Up Men's Conference, a champions summit at Morningstar Ministries in Fort Mill, South Carolina, June 15th through the 17th. We have another amazing lineup of speakers, including football legend Perry Tuttle from the national champion Clemson Tigers, Stu Epperson, founder of Truth Radio, a champion for Truth, pastors Chris Reed and Rick Joyner, champions for Jesus, Shawn and Krista Smith, champions for the family, radio show host Robbie Dilmore, and last but not least, comedian Lee McBride. I want to challenge every man to attend and every dad and granddad out there to bring your son or grandson of any age.

We're going to do something special just for you. It is Father's Day weekend, so get registered today. You don't want to miss a champion summit. Why?

Because it's time to man up. Go to NikitaKolov.com for more information or to sign up today. 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.

Today on Q&A with Kolov is a guest by the name of Bill Janosik. Did I say that right, Bill? Yes, sir. You nailed it.

I nailed it. All right. Well, great to have you on Q&A with Kolov today. And, you know, you have a very special... Yes, sir.

Well, you have a very special story, Bill. I know you reached out to me through email and it sent me kind of a little back story on who you are. And I know you're coming to us today from Richmond, Virginia, right? You're up in the Richmond area? Yes, sir. I am. Which I'm very familiar with Richmond.

I can't count how many times I've been to Richmond, Virginia, but a lot. I remember you very well, actually. You remember me back from the days. Hey, you had told me... We had talked prior and you had told me that your dad, if I understand this right, your dad was a photographer for Bill Apter, is that right?

That's correct. Bill Apter. Actually, you can search Bill Janosik photography on Google probably and find all kinds of old pictures. Well, Bill was legendary in the wrestling world.

Still is. Bill is still active, very active out there in the wrestling world with his photography and now shows of his own that he has. And I get the privilege of seeing Bill every now and then at some of the autograph signings that I do.

And that's amazing. Yeah, Bill was instrumental in my... Really, I feel in my career, put me on the cover of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and as well as many other magazines that his photos and perhaps even your dad's photos and I didn't even know it, Bill. You never know.

You never know, man. Some of your dad's photos from the Richmond Coliseum may have made their way to Bill Apter and on to the magazine cover or at least inside the magazine if not on the cover. So you're Richmond, Virginia and I know you got a lovely family up there. Tell us about your family real quick, Bill.

I have beautiful twin boys, Matthew and Daniel, who are my inspiration in life and I have a beautiful wife named Lisa who's helped me get through everything to recover and help restore my faith. Well, you guys have been married how long, Bill? Right now about six years. Awesome.

Awesome. Six years of marriage and beautiful twin boys. And well, and of course for our listeners out there, they might be thinking, what's up with Bill's speech? And I just want to and I just want to just briefly talk about that before we transition to your questions. We're going to go back to January 14, 2014 when you were involved in a very serious automobile accident to where you were t-boned by a trash truck that left you in a coma for 32 days. In fact, the doctors informed your family they should probably begin planning funeral arrangements, not thinking you're going to come out of the coma, but you did. You did.

I know you said that Christ had other plans, Jesus had other plans for you, even though you've worked and scratched and clawed your way back to where you are today. You regained, because you had suffered, so you didn't suffer so much physical injuries in terms of broken bones and all that sort of thing, but you had TBI, traumatic brain injury, but you've had a 95% recovery in your speech, right? Yes, sir.

That's correct. And so, and any other injuries, so no broken bones or any of that, but anything in addition to the traumatic brain injury? I have what was called also a D-A-I, a diffuse axonal injury, and I've just been kind of reminded a little bit of that, and that's very, very extremely severe issue was you might have, if you ever find yourself in a traumatic incident like I did, and they tell you if you read up on that, anyone who experiences a D-A-I, out of all the people that do experience a D-A-I, 90%, 90%, you got to really think about that, let it sink in, never awaken. They remain in a permanent vegetative state, and I'm one of those 10% that has, and not only have, I've excelled and I'm blessed for that. It wasn't me, it was all through him. Wow, and I'm letting that sink in for me right now, so just to emphasize, 90% never come, really what you're saying, never come out of that coma and are in a vegetative state the rest of their life.

Yes, sir. But you are part of the 10% that recovered from that, and then if that's not enough, then you recover 95% recovery from the recovery from the TBI, the traumatic brain injury, and obviously are functioning today with your beautiful family and have quite a story. And I know too, out of that came, you got a really kind of, I guess you might say, a different vision for your life. I know you have your stories out there, but you've developed a YouTube channel, you have a Facebook presence. How could people find out, Bill, more about your story? Where do they go through Facebook?

Where do they go to YouTube to find out more about your story? Through Facebook, you can search Conquers Through Christ, and that's the page that I've developed around my story to be able to serve as hopeful inspiration to anyone who may experience something negative, whether it be the mail's not coming on time, or whether it be you're recovering from tragedy like I did, or anything in between. You have a partner, and Jesus Christ is your partner, and he wants the best for you, no matter what. And so you've developed that Facebook, you're developing a community there, right, of people that you can inspire and motivate, and just lean on one another, right, and be encouraged to see not only your story, but how others have overcome as well, right? Absolutely. I believe, as Christians, we're supposed to be a safety net for each other, right, for everyone. So the idea is when you fall, someone should be there to save you and lift you back up, and that's what I'm trying to create between my Facebook page and my YouTube channel. And your YouTube channel, they can find on YouTube the same, right, Conquers Through Christ on YouTube as well, right?

Absolutely. It's Conquers Through Christ by TBI Guy, which is a name I kind of came up with truly after my incident. I like that, the TBI Guy, and I know you're in the process of developing a podcast as well, so they'll be able to, again, well, I'm just, I'm inspired just by your story, and I'm so thankful that you had emailed that to me, and we've got this opportunity to chat and get to know each other. Well, let's do this, Bill. Let's transition, and this is Q&A with Koloff, so I want to give you the opportunity to ask me a couple, three questions, and so if you're ready, why don't you fire away, fire your first question at me?

Cool deal. Well, I wasn't going to ask you about your start, but I heard just recently, because I thought I'd heard you were friends with Joe Lorna, and if that was confirmed for me, so I want to get back now to, I'm curious about how did you deal with K-Fabe and their Crockett territory? Well, that is an interesting question, because some listening out there, especially if they're not wrestling fans, obviously we get a lot of different varieties of listeners, men, women, and children to the Q&A show, as well as the Man Up show that I do each and every week, both on Truth Radio Network and also on all the podcast platforms, and I just want to encourage, let me just say this, put a plug in for Truth Radio. Truth Radio, go get the Truth Radio app, and you'll get access not only to the Q&A with Koloff and in the Man Up show, but just a variety of different podcasts through the Truth Radio app and access to all of their radio programming as well. But K-Fabe, you use the words K-Fabe, and people are like, who's she? You know what?

It's not a she, that's actually an expression back in the wrestling days, and what it actually meant was if a fan or somebody that was not on the inner circle of pro wrestling walked into a dressing room or came into a conversation, and we were talking about some of the inner workings of wrestling, we were to cut off the conversation and change the subject or just to protect the business back in those days. And in fact, I'll put a plug in for Vice TV right here. If you're not familiar with Vice TV, they have done shows called Tales of the Territories. Tales of the Territories. Now, this is going back for our younger listeners out there who only know of WWE and AEW and maybe TNA Wrestling and some of the other current organizations. Back in the day, there were territories all around the world, actually. I mean, there was the Pacific Northwest with Don Owens. There was the WWWE with Vince McMahon Sr. There was the AWA with Verne Gagne, based out of my hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. There was St. Louis with Sam Mushnick and Bob Geigel. There was wrestling down in South Texas with Joe Blanchard.

You might recognize that name, by the way. Tully Blanchard, right? His son Tully Blanchard. The Von Erichs with World Class Championship Wrestling. The Mid-South with Cowboy Bill Watts. Georgia Championship Wrestling with Ole Anderson. Florida Championship Wrestling with Eddie Graham. That's right. Oh, you know your history, Bill.

Very good. And of course, the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, Worldwide Wrestling with Jim Crockett Promotions, JCP, right? So anyway, all that to say, go check out Vice TV's series, Tales of the Territories, and all that to say, leading to your question, I was one, some have said, Bill, I don't know this to be a fact, but some have said, I protected the business perhaps more than anyone ever in pro wrestling. Of course, with the wrestling persona, or the Russian persona, I should say, and developing the accent and legally changing my name.

I mean, I ordered a magazine called Pravda, which was a Russian propaganda magazine I had delivered to my home in Charlotte, North Carolina. And so I went to the nth degree. I went to, you might say, the extra mile in protect. I didn't speak any English out in public for like six months. And then when I finally learned English, wink, wink, it was very broken. And I even had, Bill, I even had fans.

They're in my attic somewhere. I had fans, they would hand Ivan a Russian English dictionary, hoping to help, to aid me in learning the English language, to help the Russian nightmare learn English, right? Like for real.

Yeah. Like, he called me Nicky. He go, Nicky, got another dictionary for you, Russian English dictionary. Russian English dictionary.

You're listening to the truth network and truthnetwork.com. 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. If you would like to support Kolov for Christ Ministries, for a gift of $25, Nikita will send you his two CDs, Adoration and Declaration. For a gift of $50, Nikita will include his book, Wrestling with Success. And for a gift of $100 or more, Nikita will include a signed copy of his newly updated life story, A Tale of the Ring and Redemption. Go to www.kolov.net and donate today. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com.

To help me learn the language. So yeah, so I was a big, and I was schooled by Ivan and Don Crenodle, old school, you know, and, and so I was just schooled to protect the business at all costs. And so that's why I did that. That's why I did it. That's amazing. Yeah.

Really interesting, man. You came in at the perfect time. I can remember actually going to the golf team for a show and having Ivan Kolov and Don Crenodle walk out of the dress room with you and introduce you. And that was it.

No man just did a few wrestles in that time, but that was how you were introduced to the crowd. You were there. Yes. Wow. That's fascinating. Yeah.

Cause, cause you know, the, some of the backstory for those who don't know, I, you know, I was supposed to compete in the 84 Olympics in Los Angeles, but the Russians, the Russians boycotted, you know, they boycotted the games. And so my uncle is going to turn me pro and, and Don presented me with like some gold medals, you know, on, on the, on the mid Atlantic show. And so I'd wear those medals around my neck and right, right.

Initially take me to the towns and, you know, and, and just give an introduction and of course say hey to me from day one, just because of my association. Right. Didn't know me from Adam.

But fortunately I built quite a, quite a reputation there over the years in my, in my career. And so great question. What, you have another one for me, bill? What's another question? I do. I actually had two, but as of you, we have time.

How did you work? How well did you get along with uncle Evan? Okay.

Great. Well, great question. He, I tell people, you know, and some will still ask, they go, well, she, you know, cause they just don't know, right. They hadn't read the story. They hadn't listened to the man up show.

They hadn't listened to the Q and A or they hadn't gone to my website. Go, go to colaf.net or, or Nikita colaf.com. You go to either one of those websites, Nikita colaf.com or colaf.net and, and learn more about my backstory or, or, and, or you can get the full story order a Nikita, a tale of the ring of redemption, which has my story as far back as I can remember to present day. And, and you'll, you'll get filled in on, on all of the story in relation to Ivan, you know, people still ask you, is he really your uncle? Was he? I said, well, he was on TV land, but he became as much of an uncle to me as any uncle I ever had grown up. And then we really, really, you know, we, of course we, we had a friendship in our wrestling days through that career, but post wrestling we drew even, we became even closer. I had actually, I invited him to a revival in 1995 and he came and, and I didn't know he was there until he came down to the altar, down to the front and gave his life to Christ in 1995.

Yeah. And, and then we, yeah. And then we traveled and we, we did some ministry together and, and did some, some, some different shows together, outreaches together. And, and, and then his, his wife Renee, when Ivan went on to be home, to be with the Lord, his wife Renee asked if I would speak, it was a very small, intimate grave, graveside service that she wanted, with just invitation only. And she asked if I would, you know, bring the, basically the, the keynote at his grave. Of course I was honored to do that.

And we just had that kind of a relationship, that kind of friendship. So yeah, great question. And we, we do have time for one more, Bill, if, if you want to throw your last question out there. My last question was, how have you used that notoriety that you gained in the business for the Lord?

Yeah, good, good, quite another great question. So it's interesting, you know, again, for those who know my story, if you don't know my story, I grew, I didn't grow up, you know, in, in Minnesota, where I, where I originate from, Minnesota. Being a wrestler, you know, dreaming of being a wrestler, but the door of opportunity opened up through Road Warrior Animal, Joe Laurinaitis, through a, through a phone call, with Joe, and then a five minute phone call with Jim Crockett, Jr., the promoter. Door of opportunity opened up to get into wrestling.

And then of course, very fortunate to have a meteoric start to my career. And within 13 months, you know, became World Tag Team Champion, World Six Man Champion, and was wrestling the Nature Boy Rick Flair at the Great American Bash, the first ever American Bash for the World Heavyweight Title, all within 13 months. And in a very unusual way that I broke in with no training, no background in professional wrestling, had never even hit a ring roll prior to my introduction in the ring in Raleigh, North Carolina, the Dorton Arena in June of 1984. And then I walked into the ring you heard. Yes, it really was.

It really was. And, and I don't know how many matches, I know they made a big deal out of how many matches Bill Goldberg won in a row. I may have rivaled that, it's just, we didn't think about counting them. So I have no idea because I wrestled just about every night that first year. Yeah, I wrestled just about every night that first year. I mean, because I mean there's 365 days in a year and I won't say I wrestled 365 times that year. Although in 1986, I think it was, I had 454 matches just in that one year.

And so a lot of matches. And so, Bill, I walk away from wrestling in the tail end of 1992 and only to find myself at an altar 11 months later in the 17 October 1993, I find myself at an altar in a church giving my life to Jesus and life would never be the same again, ever. I mean, I had a genuine real encounter that morning at the altar. It's what brings me here today to talk to you on, on this show, Q&A with Koloff. And, and I look back now, Bill, I look back and I look at my wrestling career, you said, you know, the fame and the notoriety from wrestling, how has that impacted what I do for the Lord today? When I look back on my wrestling career and I think about what did I do in wrestling? I flew on airplanes, I rented cars, I stayed in hotels, I talked on microphones in front of cameras. I entertained crowds for a living, right?

Well, fast forward now 29 plus years since that decision that day in October of 1993. And I go, okay, what have I been doing? Oh, I know flying on airplanes, riding cars, staying hotels, talking on microphones in front of cameras, not to entertain crowds, although I can do that, but to bring a much more important message. And that's the gospel message, the message of, of Jesus, my Lord and my savior, your Lord and your savior, Bill, and bring you that message around the world, whether it's in front of people on a Sunday morning, standing at a pulpit or now through the airwaves, through Truth Radio Network, through, through television platform. The Man Up show is also on, on television now through different streaming platforms and just sharing the good news. And, and I have been fortunate, fortunate, the smallest audience I've spoke to is an audience of one, one person, just a one-on-one conversation. And the largest audience to date has been over 73,000 in Jamaica. Yeah.

Or actually had Lex Luger with me. We were doing an outdoor crusade in Jamaica. And so I'm so thankful and grateful, Bill, for each and every day that the Lord gives me, allows me to live. And, and so I am inspired to share his story as I know you are. Absolutely. I have to say, before I forget, I want you to give Lex my best, because he's an image you should look up to as well. And he's being used the way he needs to be used, and when enough, he's reaching everyone. I will.

Yeah. He's, through his paralysis, he has been, become quite an inspirational story to many as well. I know his story was featured a while back on A&E Television Network. And of course his book, Wrestling with the Devil, goes into his full story and, and so much more. But man, thank you, Bill, for being on the Q&A with Kolov today. You're such a fascinating story. Folks, go, go look up, Bill Janosik. Janosik, yes, sir.

Yeah, on, on the YouTube, Conquerers Through Christ, and on Facebook, and sometime here down the road, his own podcast. And so go check it out. So, Bill, thanks for being on the show today. Thank you. Thank you, Jim.

All right. Well, God bless you. And thanks for tuning in to another episode of Q&A. 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 kolov.net and donate today.

Hi, Nikita Kolov. Be sure to check out The Man Up Show, now available on television, broadcast, and podcast. Go to MorningStarTV.com or The Truth Radio Network.

Check out your local listings, or better yet, download The Truth Network app today. A Russian nightmare, and I'm extending a personal invitation to you. Join me December 27th, 2023 to January 5th, 2024 for a once in a lifetime trip. Go to NikitaKolov.com and get registered today for the Holy Land Tour.

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