Q&A with Koloff - #11

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Every gift counts and now every gift is doubled. trainapaster.com. Sit back, enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and choosing the Truth Podcast Network. Hey. Nikita Koloff and you are on. How you doing? How are you? You're on Q&A with Koloff, Tristan.

Great to have you on the show. Wow. I'm sorry. I gotta get it over the shock part first and I'll be all right. It's okay.

I've heard many stories where guys are like, you've just taken me back. I feel like I'm nine again. I feel like I'm 12 again.

Yeah, I know. That's exactly what I felt like. I know it was coming. I know it was coming, but then, you know, when you still, when it hits you, it's like, this is happening for real. For real, Tristan. For real. And I appreciate, man, I appreciate you being, being such a long time loyal fan. You made a childhood little dream come true right here.

Well, hey, I, I, I just appreciate you. Thank you. And now Tristan, where do you, where do you live? You live where? I'm in Tampa, Florida. Tampa, Florida.

I, I, I, I had a few matches down there. Originally from Albany, Georgia though. You grew up where? Albany, Georgia.

In Albany, Georgia. Okay. All right. Yeah. You guys used to come there.

It's just below, just before you get to Tallahassee, Florida. Yeah. Yup. Absolutely. I wrestle in Albany and I certainly have some memorable matches in Tampa Bay. Yeah.

Yeah. I actually remember you, you guys that came to Albany and you were wrestling Rick Blair at an open house show before I knew all these terminologies. And we thought you were going to win and I was sitting in Red Sox County for some reason.

We were like booing like really bad because we wanted you to win. So you were, so you, you were at, you were at the actual show in Albany. Yes, sir.

Oh, that's amazing. And did I, did I win or lose that night, Tristan? Do you remember? We wanted you to win, but you know, somehow he, I forget how, how Blair won, but he probably cheated. You know, if Blair did that, that's his, that's his new one.

I've just said he, he, he probably cheated. You know, I, for some reason, for some reason, Tristan, I'm, you know, I, I didn't catch on quick enough, you know, and he did that more than once to me. So, but, well, hey, Tristan. That's Rick Blair for you. That, that is, that's right. That was the nature boy for you.

Well, well, Tristan, tell me, so, so you got to experience that live firsthand. Any other, just real quick, any other favorite matches? It doesn't have to be with Nikita Koloff involved, but any other favorite matches growing up as a fan? Man, I remember, gosh, I remember seeing the Horsten Wrestle, the Midnight Express. There was a taping there. They did. Yep.

Yep. Television taping. They were there for like some hours there, but I think I remember watching, I think my last match I went to was I watched Sting wrestle the great Muda. It was like the great American bash.

Oh, wow. That they did, that they did it there. And the funny thing is, I guess why you guys mean so much to WCW back then was that was the only organization I ever went to as far as wrestling goes.

I never went to like WWE or TNA or anything like that. That's, I guess that's why, you know, the NWA was really close to my heart because you guys came there. You know, the city wasn't as like high profile or whatever, but you guys always came there. So what made me stick so close to you guys?

Well, and yeah, coming to the smaller market, smaller towns like that, it could be more personable. And so, so you're, you're, you and I have something in common, Tristan. You know what that is?

Any guess what that is? What we have in common? Outside of the wrestling. Oh, outside of the wrestling. Well, aside of the wrestling. Here's what we have in common. You and I are both NWA for life, man. Through and through, we are NWA guys. Oh, God. I'm glad to hear that.

Right? Because, see, like you, I thought so because that's like, what little bit I did watch afterwards. I watched the NWA for life.

I watched the NWA for life. Whereas I don't recall seeing you anywhere else. And I, that makes me feel good because that's just like, that was just, that was home base for me right there. Yeah, no, that's good. You guys gave me something to do when I didn't have anywhere else to go at times. No, that, that, that is, that is awesome.

Well, and I did do some, sometimes people ask me a question about, you know, the AWA with Vergania up north, but we, we did mainly things in conjunction with them. And, and then I did, you know, by, with, with, uh, with the NWA's blessing, I did, you know, some TV tapings and wrestled their champion Larry Zabisco, you know, the living legend a few times, but, but all that said, WCW NWA for life through and through. So I appreciate you being such a loyal NWA fan. So, well, awesome. That's home. That was always in my heart to always be home for me because you guys were the first one that came to me and it was just like, you know, I never got disappointed when I went to see you guys.

So good. Well, that's good to hear too, because part of our goal was to always, uh, hopefully the fan walked away feeling like they got their money's worth. So that's, that's awesome. I did.

I did as a little kid, I earned a little $5, $5 to get in and go sit in the back and I had someone to tell me what was going on at the time when I didn't know much and, um, it was never disappointing. Well, that's, that's great to hear. Well, you have some questions for me, Tristan, and, uh, let's, uh, let's address a couple, a couple of the questions. Go, question, go with question number one for me. Do you remember the questions you submitted to me? I think I believe the question was, um, believing, how do you believe God in troubled times like these, these times here?

I believe that was one of my first questions I submitted to you. Yeah. It's, I know you were, yes, you were referencing kind of, you know, how, how do you can, I think the way you phrased it, how do you continue to love God in troubled times?

Right. And, and, you know, I guess from, from going all the way back to the first couple, uh, and, and the fallen world and, and, you know, the broken world in which we live. That, you know, troubles just a part of life, right? In fact, Jesus himself said in this life, you're going to have trouble, you know, just kind of depending on what translation you, you read. And, and so for, for me, I'll just, I'll speak for myself.

And I think it's a great question. You know, I'll speak for myself. One thing that helps me continue, not only to love God, um, but it helps me to, to really, I would say it this way, phrased it, to fall in love even more with God day by day is, is in troubled times. And I've had some, like all of us, I, I've had challenging times in my life. I've had troubled times in my life. I say this, when I give my life to Jesus, 17 October, 1993, um, it hasn't been smooth sailing. I mean, there's been highs and lows and ups and downs and twists and turns, and there's been trouble. And, and, and a person can go, really honestly, a person can go one of two ways. Um, when they face, you know, some challenges in their life, they can, some turn away from God, or some turn and, and run closer to God and run into His arms. And that's what I personally have chosen to do. So whether it's through a pandemic or, or, or, uh, uh, the threat of war or, or anything else, any other kind of relational trouble, um, uh, health issues, right?

Facing health challenges. Maybe you're given a, a, a, a, a prognosis, not a favorable prognosis from a doctor that all of that gives us the opportunity to draw closer to God. And if, if I focus on that day to day, if I focus on my relationship with Him day to day, then no matter what trouble I face, I'm able to get through it. Cause He says, He says, look, He goes, look, I'm, I'm going to stick closer than a brother to you. If, if you sit close to me, He goes, I'm not going to leave you nor forsake you. You know, these are some of the things He says in His word, right? And so I guess my encouragement would be, whether you or anybody else out there that will listen to this show is if you're even right now facing troubled times, don't run from God, draw closer to God. And He's the only one who can, who can calm the waters, right?

He's the only one that can calm the storm. Okay. Is that helpful? Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. Good.

You remember what else you asked? It, it helps to hear another man of God speak those things. You know, you hear your pastors and so on that speak, but to hear another male say those things and, you know, that, that gives me more fuel, you know, of course, you know, I'm going to have trials for as long as I'm here.

So, but to hear another man of God speak those things, it just adds more fuel to the fire as far as keeping me going forward. Good. Well, I appreciate that. Do you, do you remember one of your other questions? Let's see, I think I remember one of my other questions was finding those small little points to laugh. I think I remember that being one of my other questions for you. Yep.

Yep. You, you were, and, and again, you know, there's a difference between happiness and, and, and, and being filled with joy, right? Happiness is really kind of an emotion that ebbs and flows, right?

We're, we're just, the reality is we're just not going to be happy each and every single day, especially if we find ourselves in troubled times, right? However, however, my experience is if I have the joy of the Lord in me, which I do, so if I have the joy of the Lord in me, I'm going to do my best. Again, it just kind of ties into your first question, that as I continue to draw closer to the Lord and my relationship with Him, my intimacy with Him, my love for Him, then that joy that I first found in surrendering my life to Him, I'm not going to allow the enemy or, or, or any set of circumstances rob me of my joy. And so no matter how troubled the times are, I can, I can in a sense laugh in the face of adversity because of the joy that's within me. And not to focus on, on, on the emotion of happiness, but to center my focus on the, the internal, I'm going to say this, the internal and the eternal joy that I'm promised. And so I, I would encourage you and all, all others out there that, that, you know, no matter how, how do we laugh, you know, how do we maintain our, our humor?

How do we laugh in the face of adversity or anything else we're going through that, that, that would be my answer to that. Yeah, that, that, that's a blessing because I, you know, you hear the, the phrase, you know, count your many blessings and those are one way that I can, for myself, what I do when I find myself going through adversity, or even when things are just fine, you know, I'll count my blessings, I'll think about what God did here for me, how he helped me overcome this, or, you know, just to watch his hand to come through. And I can laugh from those things and just smile from those opportunities that, you know, what he's already done for me. So I'm even more grateful for that, you know, because I can go back and reflect on that and say, Lord, thank you for those things that you had done for me, you know, and the people he's brought into my life. So that's the way I keep my joy, my laughter going at times.

And even with my wife, sometimes she'll just find the silliest things and say Tristan, and then she'll just, you know, I'm off laughing, so. Good, good. Well, and, and it sounds like you, you've got a wonderful bride there next to you, and, and it sounds like you got a pastor who, who is very schooled and, and grounded in, in his faith and walk that, that is discipling and mentoring you as, as well. And so, well, I just want to, I want to thank you for, for being willing to come on Q&A with Koloff today, and nice to meet you via this means, and hopefully I'll get an opportunity, maybe I'll get to Tampa some time or, or, or invite you up to North Georgia, back to Northern Georgia, and maybe maybe one day you'll attend one of our man camps, Tristan. Yeah, I'm looking forward to that one.

Just put me in the books, 2021 is my year for that. Awesome, awesome. Well, listen, thank you again for being on Q&A with Koloff, and, and appreciate you following me on social media as well, and, and hope you have a blessed day, okay? You too, sir, and thank you for your time. All right, thanks, Tristan. God bless. God bless you too, sir. All right, bye-bye. Bye-bye. This is the Truth Network.