Q&A With Koloff- #68

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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. Welcome back to another episode of Q&A with Kolov, Questions and Answers. This is where you can get a personal phone call from me and throw your questions at me. We flip the tables here and many times they're just spontaneous. I have no clue what you're going to ask.

Sometimes they'll email and submit them. Go to kolov.net and you can email, submit some questions and get a personal phone call from the Russian nightmare, Nikita Kolov. With me today, a former peer in the wrestling world, a man who, what a phenomenal story this man has, three-time cancer survivor. You heard that right. A three-time cancer survivor, legendary wrestling career for real, if you just know some of the guys he's been in the ring with.

Chuck Coates. Chuck, welcome to Q&A with Kolov. It's good to be here, Nikita. It's really good to talk to you again and catch up, man. I love this. Well, it's great to have you on the Q&A show.

I mentioned, let's do this for our listeners who will dial in on Q&A. So I mentioned, just kind of teased him with, you had a wrestling career. If I remember the story correct, you dropped out of college because you had a dream of becoming a professional wrestler. You went to a camp with a man named Nelson Royal in Mooresville, North Carolina and then you launched into a wrestling career. Tell our listeners just real quick, who were some of the guys you were in the ring with?

Oh, wow. When I started out, my second match ever, television match, WWF back then, was Haku and Andre the Giant. And my tag team partner was Paul Aroma, so just bad in itself was pretty cool being a brand new wrestler. Big boss man, Keem, Sting, Steve Austin, when he was stunning, Steve Austin.

Stunning, Steve. Come on. You remember Brian Pillman as well, Terry Taylor, Ricky Morton, Robert Gibson, and El Haggante. Remember El Haggante? Oh, yeah.

Rock and Roll Express too, Ricky and Robert. Yeah. So I wrestled two giants in my life. El Haggante and Andre the Giant. Wow. Yeah. Ricky Steamboat, I got the rest of him at the famous Norton Arena one time.

That was really neat. The Russian Nightmare? Did you wrestle The Russian Nightmare?

I sure did. Nikita Kolov, I wrestled Nikita in Front Royal, Virginia, at least once in one of the times. I believe it was Uncle Ivan. And you felt the wrath of the Russian sickle, I think, didn't you? The Russian sickle took me down.

Nobody gets up in the sickle. Well, hopefully not. But yeah, you had a pretty storied 19, almost 20-year career. And I know some might not remember.

Some will. I know you have a lot of YouTube videos out there. And I said this many, many times, Chuck, that it was guys like yourself and Tommy Angel, Gene Legan and Ricky Nelson and others, George South, who really, if it wasn't for you guys, really I want the fans, the listeners to understand, if it wasn't for you guys, at least this is my perspective, I wouldn't have had the career I had because you guys would go on television with us week after week after week and just make us look like a million bucks.

Well, through social media, I've had people from England, from Germany, loyal wrestling fans remember me being an enhancement talent and say, I always pull for you. I don't know what it was. I was hoping you would get a win and catch a break. It's pretty encouraging to hear folks. I love it. Yeah, it's great. So I have heard through social media people, I get a picture of you and that feels good.

You feel like you served your purpose and did your job, did your job literally, and just was able to enjoy that through the world technology of the web. I think it's great looking back at guys like that. In the wrestling business, anytime, anywhere somebody gets an idea, you might be the next star. That's right.

You never know. That's right. But you were a star. For real, Chuck. In my eyes, you were a star because you made who fans might consider the wrestling stars the stars they were in those days. In my eyes, you were a star. I thank you for all your hard labor in the ring, your work in the ring. One of my biggest compliments, Nikita, was, and you'll appreciate this, Ricky Morton told me, because we've done many matches, I did a lot of the Russian Assassin, if you remember, kind of spin off of the Crockett guys.

Ricky Morton told me one night, he said, if you'd have been about seven years older, you might be crusher crucial. Be sure to check them out today at wsmc1.com because you are number one. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Wow. Yeah. That was very humbling. That would be encouraging and humbling and encouraging at the same time. I mentioned in the opening, the three-time cancer survivor course, we told that full story on the Man Up show, so people are just going to have to go listen to that show, the Man Up show with Chuck Coates, and get the full powerful story of how you have overcome.

You're an overcomer in many, many ways, Chuck, and being a three-time cancer survivor. But I want to touch on something slightly different on the Q&A before we move on to your questions for me. You're a foster parent. We are. My wife and I are, yes. And it wasn't something we planned.

God planned it, though. Yeah. Take a minute or two, though, and tell our listeners that story because foster care is so critical and important to children. Tell that story. We took in about 2011, my ex-wife had some issues, and she lost her children, three sisters, to foster care, and we were contacted. Like I said, foster care was not that we were on our radar, my wife and I. And for my ex-sister-in-law, and wanted to know if we would take one of the girls because they were in three separate foster homes, didn't ask no questions, you know, that's none of my business as far as the other end of it, but my wife stepped up and said, we'll take all three.

Come on. And her like she was crazy, but we did. And you had no children, hold on, you had no children yourselves at that point or whatever? Actually, we did, but our kids were grown. Okay. Yeah, they're 20s at the time.

Okay. So we were empty nesters, and we took the three and thinking it would be temporary, which is, you know, at the time I'm just being transparent because at the time you don't think you're going to be raising them, you know. They just needed help, and I thought, we'll take them in and try to do our best to get them steered in the right direction. And also, they were ages seven, eight, and nine, so sisters back to back to back.

Wow. Well, we found out after a year that we could probably get some assistance if we got our license, so we ended up going to foster, get our foster license, and there you have it. Like I said, it was a God thing because we had no idea what we were, you know, getting into, and I don't mean that bad. It's been such a blessing. And Nikita, in about the past 11 years, we've had, I counted one time, from respite care to long-term to short-term, we've probably had, I think, 17 to 18 placements, and every, you know, every kid's special, every kid has a story.

We've had all colors, we've had all, you know, just everything. You don't, you just take the kids in and try to give them the, and being Christians, you know, obviously we're going to take them to church and pray and take advantage of that. Take advantage of that opportunity because that's one reason we stayed with it, so we can hopefully get the kids, you know, what they've been through, who knows what. Right.

That was the main goal. So we look back now, and anyway, long story short, we ended up keeping the three girls. They were our long-term placements. They're still with us, two of them are. Teenagers, actually, yeah, the youngest one, I told you, was seven, she's 18 now, and the oldest one just turned 21, and she's moved back and doing her own thing.

And the oldest, the middle one is 19, and she's got a first grandbaby, and she's got hope for that. Yeah. So that is cool. I've always heard it was wonderful, and that's the understatement. I know.

I only know two well. Yes, yes. So that's where we are now. We've been doing this, and the more I think back, the more I realize it was a God thing with the cancer and surviving that, and it's nothing new with Chuck Coates. I'm just here, you know. I'm just here, and God has been more than gracious to us and using us in everything I do. I want him to get the glory for it, and if it's raising children that aren't biologically mine, that's fine.

If it's telling my story, that's fine. You just got to say yes, Lord. You got to say yes, Lord. I'll do that, Lord. You know it's him. You know the Holy Spirit's working.

You got to just agree and say, look, Lord, I'm not going to hinder what you're trying to do here. So that's what I'm doing now. Wow.

Well, kudos to you and your bride. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Hi, Nikita Koloff. 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.

You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. All those children, man, that you have sown seeds into, right? That you have really, who knows how many? You're probably not, of course, going to know until the days that you reach heaven on how many of these children that you've opened your doors to, opened your home to, and poured into, Chuck, and you and your wife, and the impact you've made in many of these children's lives, I'm sure. As we know from foster care, I know a little bit about foster care and about other friends who've done a similar type thing and how you have impacted their lives and the ripple effect and difference that that will make. Well, one of the cool things with social media, every so often we'll hear back from some of the placements, and they thank us. They're like, thank you for taking me in when things were tough. We're talking 10 years now. They may be 18, 19 years old and have aged out of foster care.

I know two of them were adopted by another family. God's been really good in helping us to encourage us through that. When you hear back from the children, that's the blessing. You know you did something right, and I say that not meaning, once again, me. I've done nothing, so God did something. Well, you and your wife have been willing vessels, and that speaks loudly in and of itself, and it really makes a statement, and even for the listeners out there, whether you're in foster care or not in foster care or a part of foster care, man, Chuck, congratulations to you and your bride.

Well, let's do this. It is the Q&A with Koloff, and it is an opportunity for you to ask me some questions. I mean, we could go on with more and more and more of your story, and I know it would really bless those who are listening, but let's get to your quote. What are some questions you have for me? Okay, well, I'd like to ask one that I've always wanted to ask you. I've known you for a long time. We met in 1990, if you remember.

Yep. And I had a chance to work at your gym and really got to know you. You came to my first wedding, and I consider you a friend, Nikita. Yes, sir. I've always wondered, when you became a Nikita Koloff, how hard, I've heard through the sheets and all the stuff, Meltzer and all that, that you lived, you were a Nikita 24-7. How tough was that at restaurants, at the gym, at wherever you were doing, other than the rings?

Yeah, wherever I went. Keeping that character. Yeah, I didn't know this terminology at the time. It's kind of interesting, looking back, Chuck, because I did what I had to do. Kind of my mindset was, okay, if I'm going to really get this character over, this is what I'm going to have to do. I mean, Jim Crockett didn't ask me to legally change my name, but I did. He didn't ask me to study Russian, which I don't speak it fluently, for the record.

I really don't speak it at all, but I can count to ten in Russian. But I just took it upon myself, and then the terminology I would later learn is called method acting. Now, I didn't even go to acting class or acting school or anything else as far as that goes, but I just, in my mind, Chuck, I projected myself into that role, into that character, and thought, if I'm going to get this character over, this is what I'm going to have to do. And so I just took it upon myself, anywhere in public or anywhere I went, that I was going to be in character, and that's what got, I guess, the character over.

And I guess to my credit, even all these years later, right, 27, 8, 9, 10, you know, 30 years later, whatever it's been or longer, you know, people, I still run into people who go, so you're not really from Russia, you know. So I guess it's, you know, a compliment to how well I got the character over. Very much so. You made believers out of me. Well, and you know, it wasn't hard. Honestly, it really wasn't hard. I mean, it was just a mindset.

It was just what I did. The hardest, I'll tell you this, the hardest part was once I made a decision to walk away under my own terms, to retire, so to speak, from wrestling, was how do I phase out of that? That was harder to phase out of it than it was to phase into it. In fact, it took me three years post-wrestling to phase out of the accent and the voice.

Well, in 1990, when I worked at your gym, you were still Nikita Cola. In character. Yeah. Yeah.

Our customers, your employees, you were Nikita. Right. You know. Right.

People don't realize that. Yeah, even when I was in the health club, like 8, 10 hours a day, I was in character. Yes, sir.

Whether it was working people out or writing up nutrition plans or anything else, I was in character. So, crazy, right? Yeah, man. That's off to you for keeping it real, if you will.

Well, I appreciate it. I know many have said, the expression, as you are fully aware of, is kayfabe, right? Right. And many would say, I rank right up there at the top as one who kept kayfabe more than probably anyone else, or at least one of the top. And I want to thank Clemens Karp for supporting my new show, Man Up, Saturday afternoon at 1230 on the Truth Network.

You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. All right. You know, one of the reasons you do a lot of good money and a lot of big huge houses is because of that. So, anyway. Yeah. All right. Well, next question. You got another one?

Yeah. What was the deciding factor when you gave it all to the Lord? When you said, you know what, I can't do this no more. Was it church, a preacher, a friend? Had you been visiting church and you just, Holy Spirit worked in a sermon? I've always wondered what was the, you know, everybody has a story of when they came to know the Lord.

I've always wondered what it was for you. Yeah. It's a great question. I mean, for me, so I didn't grow up in Russia.

I think everybody, I'm hoping most people by now have figured that out. Okay. So, didn't grow up in Russia, but I also did not grow up in church. That's not to say I never went to church, but I didn't grow up in church. You know, if I did frequent church, looking back, it was for the wrong reasons. It won't go into all that, but it wasn't for the right reasons. That's another story for another time.

But so it wasn't that I, you know, and I had that attitude, that mindset when I did go, I can't remember even like once I got married and kind of, if you want to say, adopted two children of my own to start with before I had two of my own and raised all four of them as my own. You know, like, oh, we should take these kids to church, you know, or whatever. But and I would walk out going, man, all that church wants is your money. You know, I had that like mindset, that attitude, right? It's all they talk about is money.

They just want just, they just want your money, you know. But all that said, once I left wrestling, officially left wrestling, made that decision and I'd met a Christian couple through other business contacts and stuff and it was just a divine moment. I was on this path, Chuck, of what's life hold next for Nikita Koloff. And so part of my story is, and I was set free and delivered from drugs or alcohol or any of that because I wasn't really into any of that. You know, I didn't spend time in prison or any of that. It was just, I was like, I'm successful, you know, with this wrestling career, but yet I'm unfulfilled.

Something's still missing. And through that couple that I'd met, I reached out one day, I said, hey, I'm going to be in church. I'm going to, I'll meet you at church on Sunday.

They're like, okay, great. And I'd never been to that church before, but walking through the doors, looking back, there was just something different than any other church I'd ever been in. You mentioned the Holy Spirit. I can look back now and see where it was just a wooing or the drawing of the Holy Spirit.

And then come the invitation at the end of that service that day, if there's nobody here, someone here, anyone here that's never surrendered their heart, given their life to Jesus, we want to provide that opportunity for you. And it was an aha moment for me. It was like, I've never done that. And it's not that I didn't know the story about Jesus, because I had heard it before.

In fact, from a dear friend, George South, who saw tracks laid down in locker rooms and dressing rooms, as you well know. Anyway, and so that was my aha moment. I've never done that. And I was just wooed to the altar to surrender my life in 17 October 1993, and truly, truly encounter Christ, and life has never been the same since that decision. It hasn't always been a bed of roses, but nevertheless, life has never been the same. And that's how that happened. Well, and look at, Nikita, I mean, look at what you've done, the Lord used you to help these other wrestlers to come, I mean, I've looked at people you've talked to and actually are in heaven.

Ivan's in heaven now. Right. And the opportunity you had, with your experience, to lead others to Christ, and famous wrestlers that everybody knows. Yeah. I think it's wonderful.

Yeah. Well, I feel very fortunate as having the opportunity now to be a voice, and wrestling being a platform to lead others to Christ. Lex Luger and I co-facilitate a camp called Man Camp.

Hey, we're going to need to get you there sometime, by the way. I think you'd be blessed by it, but he and I co-facilitate a camp called Man Camp. I do all these conferences all over the country, a one-day conference called Man Up. And so I feel very fortunate to take the career that God gave me and now give it back to him, use it for his glory, and whether it's professional wrestlers, wrestling fans, or anyone else that I come across.

So thank you, and so appreciate that question. What else? You got another one? I've always wondered what your favorite venue was in wrestling. What was your favorite place to wrestle? Baltimore Arena. Okay.

Baltimore Arena. Pretty quick on that answer, huh? Yeah. It sounds like you've been asked that one before. Well, I've been asked it before, but also, and even prior...

But when I think back on it, because then the next question might be why, right? Why Baltimore Arena? Now, I enjoyed wrestling all over the country, obviously Greensboro, Starrcade, I mean, Charlotte. I mean, look, I did the turn in Charlotte, right, where I went from the most hated guy in wrestling, you know, the baddest of the bad, to becoming one of the thupa-poweth, if you will. Yeah. Yeah.

Taking care of Bithneth, yeah. But with Dusty Rhodes, right? So the Great American Bash of Ric Flair, the best of seven, winning match number seven, which I know you saw me wrestle Magnum in a chain match, right?

Right. Yeah, you saw us wrestle in a chain match, but, you know, winning the best. So Charlotte was a big town, Greensboro was a big town, there were many big towns, but winning the Crockett Cup with Dusty Rhodes as the superpowers, the two-day tag tournament in Baltimore, Magnum's return post-accident, his first return to wrestling.

So Baltimore carries a special place in my heart. Back to the best of seven, did that chain knot erode off that mat more perfectly? That was, you want to talk about, that was not staged, that was not planned, you want to talk about the camera being at the right place at the right time. We always hear that, right? You got to be at the right place at the right time. Well, that night the camera was, because the way that chain kind of slithered, if you will, out of the ring, could not have been any better, set that up.

Amazing. Not only at that arena that night, I think there was thousands and maybe even millions across the country chanting, Makeda, when you turned on Oli and the Horseman. Yeah, when I made the turn, and in fact, I actually got the opportunity to ask Tony Schiavone this, because I had always heard he was asked, and you know, Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross, JR, and I mean, Gordon Solie, there's some great announcers in professional wrestling, right? Gorilla Monsoon, Jesse Ventura, many others, and Tony has, you know, done color and commentated on many, many legendary matches, right?

I mean, Hulk Hogan, go right down the list. They asked him, they said, you know, out of all the matches that you covered, what got the biggest pop in your career? And he said, the night Nikita Kolov turned and came to Dusty's aid in the Superpowers Reform Night, you want to talk about something humbling and incredible compliment, and Tony verified that. He said, that is a true statement.

I did say that. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Nikita Kolov, 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 Kolov, world renowned evangelist, Frank Shelton. Register today. It is live, mstarevents, mstarevents.com slash man up. Go get registered today. You will not want to miss this event.

You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. We got time for one more. You got, you got another, one more? Another, well, it's wrestling, but I traveled with you some, if you remember, and we went TVs together a lot of times. I remember, Nikita, I never saw you eat out.

You'd take your cooler, you'd have your baked potato, you'd have your chicken. I wonder how many dollars you saved over the years doing that. You know, I've never been asked that question before, but mainly because nobody's been in the car with me and traveled with me. So they, they might not, well, nobody on the, on the program anyways, they might not know that.

That is an incredibly great question, Chuck. How much money did I save? You know, I don't know, now we'll say this, of course I didn't make anywhere, I made some decent money in wrestling, but honestly, I, you know, I walked away before, as, as Lex said, Lex said one time, Lex was on record to say when he heard I was leaving wrestling, he goes, is that guy an idiot? That guy's a moron.

What, what's he doing leaving? You know, cause I left before pay-per-view and all the big explosive contracts where guys want to make tens of millions of dollars, right? So I turned a lot of money down in deciding to walk away, with no regret, by the way, looking back, only because of, of what the Lord's allowed me to do since then.

But that said, I mean, guys have busted my chops about that. The white and red igloo cooler, right? That's it, man. Packed with all kinds of goodies cause, cause, you know, I, I was, I, here's the deal. So in fact, this is a talk I'm, I'm preparing and getting ready to do, From Poverty to Prosperity.

Cause some who don't know the story, they'll just have to go, we don't have time to go into it today, they'll just have to go by Nikita, A Tale of the Ring of Redemption off my website, Koloff.net, and get the full story, but, you know, cause life started for me in the projects, the Minneapolis Housing Authority, the projects that ghettos in Minneapolis with no dad, no money, so that's the poverty side of it, and I become a world champion in wrestling. That's the prosperity side of it, and, and along the way, I made sure if you want to say I pinched just about every penny I could, not knowing how long my career might last, or when an injury might end my career, which it didn't, but it could. And so I just, Chuck, I just had the mindset, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna pinch every penny and, and, and build for my future, and so that's what I did.

So I don't, I can't give you an actual number on how much I saved, but I tried to save every little bit I could setting up for my future. Well, I'll tell you this, Nikita, and also trying to keep a good physique, there's not many places out to eat that have good food, so. There wasn't, and so, you know, packing cans of tuna and spring water and fresh fruit and baked potatoes and chicken and bagels, like you said, I mean, I was pretty, pretty, pretty adamant about all of that, and so that, that, that question, huh? I smartened up that day, and when I did the Indy, when I went on the Indy route, I would take a lot of stuff.

I thought I'm gonna do a Nikita, and I'm gonna, because we were making 50 bucks a night, I was like, man, that's a good idea. So I had an influence. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Well, that, that's awesome, and, and for all those listening out there in the, in the, in the listening world, hey, it's, it's not about, here's what I learned, Chuck, it's not about how much you make, it's about, it's about how much, it's, really it's about what you do with how much you make, not how much you make.

Some unfortunately, you know, there's too much month at the end of the money, because they over, they overextend themselves and overspend, and just be mindful, just be mindful with, with whatever you earn, and be a good steward of everything that, that God gives you, right? That's exactly right. So, well, awesome. Well, you know what, we are out of time for today, but we're gonna, we're gonna get you back on again another time, whether it's on the man up or the Q&A, okay?

Sounds good. Well, I appreciate the time today. Chuck Coates, legendary man of professional wrestling, three-time cancer survivor, foster parent, amazing story, thanks for being with me today on Q&A. More than welcome. God bless you.

Tune in again for another episode. 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 koloff.net and donate today. Nikita Koloff 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 Koloff Fans, and like it and follow today. If you would like to support Koloff 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.koloff.net and donate today. This is the Truth Network.