Q&A with Koloff - #32

Hey, this is Mike Zwick from If Not For God Podcast, our show.

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Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson. As you know on the Q&A show, we kind of flip it around. For those of you who tune in to the Manna Podcast, you know I'm usually asking the guests all of the questions, typically.

But here on the Q&A with Koloff, we flip it around. So Brad, welcome to the show, first of all. Thank you, Likith, appreciate you having my own show again. Thank you, man. Yeah, great to have you with.

And I know the fans, the followers will enjoy your interview that we did on the Man Up show, and I appreciate you coming on the Q&A. So here it is. I know we're just kind of, you know, this is spontaneous. You know, you didn't submit any questions, and I don't even know what you might ask. So I'm on the spot now. I'm on the hook. But fire away with a question. Throw a question at me. Let's have a conversation. Our quick background. So, Nikita, we have a golf tournament up in Ashland, North Carolina called the Evelyn tournament for Evelyn Foundation, and you've been one of my guests for over 20 years. Yes, sir.

20 years. We probably played the first six years, and I always thought your name, your real name was Nikita Koloff. I thought you were Russian. I thought you were Russian, but as it went on, I realized that that wasn't your real name. Right. It is now maybe by trade, you know what I mean?

Right. How did you, two questions, how did you get the name? How did Nikita Koloff come into play, and how did you learn to speak Russian?

Okay, great questions. And yeah, so my birth name is not Nikita Koloff. And you're not the first, and you won't be the last, believe it or not. Even with the internet and everything else, and my life story in a book, I wrote a book called Tale of the Ring of Redemption. In fact, I just did an updated version of that, added more chapters, more pictures. And for all of our listeners out there, go to koloff.net.

You can order that book. But, and so I tell the story that Sergeant Slaughter and Don Crenodle, Don Crenodle was Ivan Koloff's tag team partner. They were the world tag team champions for the NWA. But Sergeant Slaughter and Don Crenodle came up with the whole idea of a nephew for Ivan Koloff. And how I came into the picture was Don approached a wrestler named Road Warrior Animal, who, interesting background on that, I recruited Animal out of high school, Irondale High School in Brighton, Minnesota, to play college football with me. He was a standout in high school, and I was part of the recruiting team.

And we became best of friends. And later on, the tables are flipped, and he calls me to recruit me into professional wrestling. And Don Crenodle asked him this question. He said, he said, Animal, do you know any big guys who wouldn't mind shaving their head and becoming a Russian?

That was the question. And he goes, I know the guy right now. So I show up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jim Crockett Promotions the day that Jim Crockett said to be there. And he introduces me to Ivan and Don. Apparently, I had the look they were looking for.

And that day, Nikita Koloff was born in the hallways of Charlotte, North Carolina. And then, kind of to your point, I legally changed my name. So yes, I really am. When people say, is that your real name?

I can honestly say yes. Now, some are smart enough to go, but was that your birth name? I go, well, that's a different question.

And so that's how Nikita Koloff was born. And then to really get the character over, Brad, I was like, all right, how do I get this over? Because part of the story was, I was right off the boat.

You don't speak any English. So that part was easy. I didn't have to talk to anybody, you know? And I just had to look mean and, you know, ask me to the ring and look mean on interviews. And so Crockett said, always have your shirt off and put that chain around your neck. I'm like, all right, I'm going to do this. I'm going to do this.

Always have your shirt off and put that chain around your neck. I'm like, all right. And so, you know, apparently, you know, all these years later, just like you and many others thought I really was. In fact, I had guys in the business who at first believed I was from Russia, because they didn't know any different. A guy named Johnny B. Badd, his name's Mark Merrow, he told me one time at an autograph sign, he goes, man, when I first came to the Carolinas, he goes, we're in the dressing room and you're talking with that accent. And first I looked at, he goes, first of all, you scared the bejeebers out of me. I mean, he goes, and I'm in the business, I'm scared of you. And he goes, but secondly, you're talking with that accent in the dressing room.

I lean over to some of the guys and go, does he know we're like smart to the business? You know? So I made a decision, if I'm going to get this character over, I've got to learn a few Russian words, you know? So I can count to 10 in Russian. I can say, you know, hello, goodbye, goodnight, uncle. And then I thought, well, I need a few phrases that sound Russian to throw off the stupid Americans, you know? And so I took about six months, like for real, Brad, six months where I didn't talk to anybody outside of the car I drove in or the place I was living in, and very little in the dress rooms to develop that accent, develop that character. And apparently I did a halfway decent job because many people like yourself believed I really was from there.

So yeah. You played it well. You've done awesome with it. It's been great to know.

I've known the story. I've heard you tell it a few times, and I just, I love hearing it and how you kind of made your journey, you know? I think one of the coolest things for me, I'd like to, you know, like, what are your passions now? As you know, obviously you've got your podcast and what are your passions now as you obviously moved on from wrestling and use the name, but what makes you tick every day?

Yeah, no, great question. And I know, you know, when you and I talked, I kind of closed the man up show with our interview together, asking, you know, how do you want people to remember Brad Johnson? And I could relate to your answer.

So those who have not yet heard his, you know, his, uh, his podcast, uh, my interview with Brad, go to the man up podcast and please listen. It was one of the best ones I've done. Um, but I could really kind of resonate your answer resonated with me in that, you know, I wake up each and every day hoping to, in some way, make a positive impact on, on people's lives. And, and like, even through social media, like, you know, I got, you know, I don't have a ton of followers, but I got a lot of followers on Instagram, Facebook, um, Twitter, et cetera. And I try to every day, just put a little positive little note out there with, with a few comments about the positive note. And I do get a lot of feedback from people that say, man, I, I needed to hear that today. Hey, thank you for like, there's one, the other day I was reading it. It's like, who would have thought all these years later, the guy feared the most in professional wrestling, Nikita Golov is now one of my inspirational coaches, you know, from, from social media.

Right. And so certainly that, that's part of the drive that, that, that, you know, makes me, makes me tick, as you said, every day or going. And then for those most know, I mean, you know, ministry is, is my number one passion at this point. And, and just sharing the gospel, you know, traveling, whether it's doing crusades, revivals, man up conferences, Lex Luger and I do a camp together, you know, they'll hear all about your camp experience on the, on the man up show. And I'll just say, for those who listen to the Q and A, um, Lex and I do, we do a camp called man camp, you know, where we just bring small groups of men into Georgia and, and equip them to, to be more godly men, godly husbands, godly fathers. And, and so I'm, I'm driven first and foremost really to get that message out there of how Jesus changed my life personally. And wrestling is a lot of times a platform to do that because, you know, wrestling has an appeal all over the world. So people from churches from all over the world will, will, will bring me in to, to share, either share my story or, or, or share the good news.

Right. It's been awesome to get to know you over the years and, and it shows the way you carry yourself and the impact that you make on people immediately. And it, it, it is awesome. And, uh, and it's so funny, one of my best friends, he actually has a barbecue restaurant, uh, down in Atlanta.

And actually Lex came in there the other day, was in the car. Okay. And, uh, and, and he, they ordered barbecue and stuff, but he had a Bible right next to him. Oh, that's all my friend bragged about was just, it's something that wasn't really just thrown on people. It's just something that's shared. And you've always done that, whether we're playing on the golf course or have a great little message or just a little impact that you do as a nugget has been very impactful and inspiring for me is just a current of yours, you know, so I appreciate it for our friendship.

No, I appreciate it. But Hey, you mentioned, I got to say this, you bet you mentioned it. I don't know if this would come up or not, but you mentioned the golf tournaments and stuff a few times. And you may remember mentioning this to me or whatever, but I, I, I still get a kick out of this and I still, I tell this story about you sometimes when, when it comes up in the, in the right situation.

But, um, you mentioned, you know, playing together a number of times. And I remember when you got, you got two boys, Max and. Max and Jake. Max and Jake.

That's what I thought. Max and Jake. And what, I guess when they were little, I remember you telling me this story, if I, if I have it right, if I have it accurately about how, how every year, like your, your boys are like, dad, dad, is, is Nikita Kolov going to be at the tournament again this year? And you're like, you're like, what, what's the big deal?

Dad, he was a world champion wrestler. You're like, hello, super bowl. Hello, right on my finger. And you're like, what am I chopped liver? Right. No doubt. They think I'm just, yeah. Oh, I do.

I do. Well, they always ask if we won. I don't know if we won, but I always said, son, I said, well, my swing and Nikita is a great putter. I will say that he can read the putt for us. But I said, with our, with our golf game, I don't think we're ever really going to win, but we had a, we had a great day. I can tell him that for sure. Yeah.

Well, you be sure you tell him next time, say, Hey, Nikita said, thank you for, for being, for being a Nikita fan. Hey, but we did win the tournament one year. We did. We did. We brought in some ringers. We had, and we brought in Casey, well, and they were, and you and I made a couple of putts along the way.

We did get some nice flags and I still, I still tap it. Like play like a champion today. I said, at least I was a champion one time.

We had the ring of the ringers for sure. Oh, well, I was just thrilled to be able to contribute something to the team. You know, I'm not, as you know, I'm not, you know, I just love going out and of course I, I, I, the reason I came, you know, up there for 20 plus years is one to support you, support Evelyn and, but you know, just, uh, all the great work that they've done over the years.

And, and of course, developing a friendship with you is, has been amazing. Now, one more question. Do you have one last question you'd like to fire away? Nikita, what's next?

Who? You've been a world champion. You are a podcast guy. What's next? I mean, I, I just, I'm amazed by your story, the impact on you have, and I know you got many, many more years. Like what's next for you, even with these podcasts?

Man, that's a great, it's great. So part of my goal, and I'm here sitting in his studio with the, with my main, my main ran Robbie, who helps me, uh, helps me get the word out on the, on these podcasts. And, and it's a weekly radio show too on, on Truth Radio Network up and down the East coast. And, but Stu Epperson, uh, as we had talked, and even as I've talked with Robbie, we have some pretty aggressive goals with the radio show and, and, and the podcast where, you know, as we build more sponsors and advertisers, we want to syndicate the radio show and get it on, our goal is maybe two, 300 stations around America, uh, is one goal. Presently we're somewhere, somewhere between 30 and 40 countries that the, the show has been downloaded in less than a year so far. And again, very aggressive goals of, uh, I want to see this show, this message get out, your story and many others get out to over a hundred countries.

And it can do it. Yeah. And, and here's the thing about that, Brad, and it really, I appreciate the question because, uh, like many things in my life, okay. Like, let's go back to wrestling. I wasn't looking to becoming a pro wrestler, as they say here in the South, a pro wrestler, right? Right. You want them, you do that wrasslin', don't you? Apparently I do.

How do you spell that? Anyway, um, but wrestling, a door of opportunity opened up for wrestling and, and I took advantage of it. Um, I never in a million years thought I'd be an evangelist, a minister, a missionary, uh, out preaching about Jesus. But 11 months after I left wrestling, 17 October 1993, I find myself at an altar and I was altered that day. My life was changed forever and little did I know it would take me now.

I've been to it. I've personally traveled to a total of 30 different countries. And so to answer your question, I'm not done yet. I'm not done traveling. Not done yet. No. In fact, in fact, last year I was, I was supposed to go to eight different countries in 2020, eight different countries, several of which I had never been to before.

And so I'll do more traveling, uh, and, and sharing the good news and, and some of it will be on a personal, personal side, but, um, I just want to, yeah, I want to wait, I want to make a worldwide, just a worldwide impact and utilize my platform and my voice, uh, for, for the kingdom. And you are, and you are, I got one more quick question. Yeah. Who made the biggest impact on your life, you think, whether it's wrestling or got you into something or who, who do you think was your mentor? Man, you know what?

I can, I can actually answer that relatively quickly. So I'm going to say, I'm going to say this, but Bill Burke, Jerry McFarland, okay. Bill Burke, Jerry McFarland, my dad, for some who know, who know my story, and again, if you don't know the whole story, go, go, go get Nikita, Tale of the Ring of Redemption. But, uh, my dad left when I was three. So I had no real male mentorship growing up, uh, until seventh grade when, when I met my first football coach, Bill Burke. And, and he kind of knew my story. I mean, I was a welfare kid, Brad.

I mean, I came out of the projects, the ghettos of Minneapolis. And, uh, so really had no money. And, but man, he'd take me to the sporting goods store and buy me equipment and stuff. And he just embraced me and took me under his wing. And then simultaneously I picked up this magazine called Iron Man. It was a bodybuilding magazine.

And I was saying, yeah. And I was like, I was enamored by the, I'm like, Oh, and I got a vision. I thought one day I'm going to look like one of those guys. And two years later, I meet this guy named Jerry McFarland, a good, good Scottish name. And, and, and Jerry was the health teacher in junior high school, but he was also a professional bodybuilder.

So he took me under his wing and began to teach me about nutrition, exercise, weightlifting, eating, all that kind of stuff. They were the first two guys and probably like yourself. There's a number of other coaches.

I mean, Ross, Ross Forchee, Dave Skrine, um, Irv Nurdahl, John Richmond. There's a number of other football coaches that were instrumental, instrumental through high school and college that, that also impacted my life. So yeah. That's awesome. That's awesome. That's what you want to be as a coach.

You don't remember sometimes you don't remember all the wins and losses, but what you do remember the, the people that impacted you and that's what you want to do as a coach or a mentor. And then, and for you to give it back to them and praise them, it's pretty, pretty cool. Yeah. That's for real.

So, well, Hey, uh, the great questions and, and thanks so much for, for being on Q and A with Koloff and, and again, on the, on the Manna podcast as well, and look forward to our, our pass crossing here, uh, sooner than later, Brad. That's right. That's right. Awesome. I appreciate it. Thank you. All right.

You have, have a blessed day. Okay. Thank you, man. Thank you. All right. This is the truth network.