Q&A With Koloff- #73

This is Sam from the Masking Journey Podcast and our goal with the podcast has helped you to try to find your way in this difficult world. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and choosing the Truth Podcast Network. Welcome to another episode of Q&A with Kolov, the Devil's Nightmare. With me today in the studio, actually, not a personal phone call, but actually face to face, the legendary man himself, none other than number one, Mr.

Number One, excuse me, George South. George, welcome. Thank you so much, Nick. Thank you.

So excited, buddy. Great to have you on the Q&A show and just excited that you're here. But hey, before we jump into your questions, the questions you have for me, there may be somebody listening today that doesn't know who Mr.

Number One George South is. Of course, you have had a 40 plus year career in professional wrestling, yeah? Yes, sir, I sure have. Yeah, I've been so blessed, Nick. You know, I never want to even to this day go to a building or a town and not do something for the Lord. You know, whether it's just tell a fan about him or just share a track or just pray for somebody.

I don't want to just go do for me. I want to do something for the Lord and that's why I'm able to still travel, I think. So you're still out there and more than just entertaining fans in the ring, which you've done now for over 40 years.

Yes, sir. Entertaining crowds and entertaining, stirring up crowds. Yeah, stirring up crowds.

You dirty guy, you mean guy. And you know what's amazing, Nick? To be cussed out at ringside and then for them to come to my table and give that same guy a Bible and to see the change real quick. Well, you know, I didn't really mean those cuss words that I just cussed you and it's amazing to see how grown people act once you share a Bible with them or something and they start backtracking, you know, and they start backpedaling. This past weekend, a guy cussed me, called me every name in the book at ringside and 15 minutes later he comes to my table, still cussing, and I give him a Bible and the first thing he did was grab his heart and he said, you know, he said, I'm a man of the word and I figured, yeah, but what word?

That's the question, buddy. So it's amazing to see like they've hidden something from God, you know, it's like, well, I didn't see me a while ago, you know, or hear me. Yeah, he didn't hear me. He didn't hear all those wonderful filthy words that just came out of my mouth.

Yeah, because he had his, God must have been going, nah, nah, nah, he had his fingers plug in his ears, right? Well, you know, we do, right before COVID, every year we'd go to the race here in Charlotte, the big Charlotte Motor Speedway and we would do an outreach there on the campgrounds and at 9 a.m. in the morning, you know, I get to share my message and my testimony with race fans and at 9 a.m. they'll have a beer in their hand and I'll go to mention Jesus and Nick, they put it behind their back and I laugh, I mean, it just, like they're hiding that beer from God and I just, but they listen, but they, as soon as I mention Jesus, they put that beer behind their back and I'm thinking, buddy, what are you doing? And what's it, now, and what's interesting is you just said, as soon as you mentioned the name Jesus, right? Because you can talk, I mean, I don't know what your experience is, George, but you can talk about God all day long and most people are pretty civil about that, but man, the minute you mention that name, whether it's hiding a beer behind your back or apologizing for the cuss words that just came out of your mouth, man, that name, there's something about that name that will stir the hearts of men and women and children, create, I mean, rage and conversation and just all sorts of emotions, won't it? It sure will and you know, I love that, that's such a good illustration, Nick, is because I'll have people come and say, well, I'll give them a Bible and they'll say, well, I believe in God. And I'll say, well, let's back up here. I said, what about his son, Jesus? And that change, that opens up, that gets personal there.

That opens up a whole can of worms right there because then they, oh, wait a minute, wait a minute. I told the guy the other day and just passing, I said, you know, if Jesus don't present you to his father, you ain't getting presented. And he's still mad at me for telling him that. I said, Jesus will present you to his dad.

Just like Nick, I want to introduce you to my friend here. Jesus must present you. And if Jesus don't present you, you ain't seeing the father.

And that's old wrestling terms, simpleness 101. But that is what makes me and you and our friends so special is that blood of Jesus. It makes me important.

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You know what? And then I'll let you speak. You know, a guy walks in the show with a ticket. I said, give me that ticket. The guy said, oh, I'm giving you this ticket. He said, if you take my ticket, I cannot get in here. And then I said, oh, so, uh, how do you feel about heaven? He said, oh, well, I'm good.

We want to get in there. And I said, no, wait, wait a minute now. I said, give me that ticket. He said, you get my ticket.

And I was preaching to this guy and he finally realized what I was trying to say that he thinks he's just going to walk right into heaven. But this man made wrestling show. He, he's got to have a ticket.

Can't get in without a ticket. That's right. That's right. Wow. Then he went, oh, I see what you're, I see what you're doing.

Okay. What is your ticket to get into heaven? You think you're just going to walk into heaven and the ticket is, is the blood of Jesus Christ. And it's amazing. People actually believe easily. It's just in the wrong thing.

He wasn't going to get rid of that, that ticket to get in the show, but yeah. Well, and to your point, I had an opportunity. You remind me the opportunity I had to actually, uh, you want to say, lead, lead my mom to the foot of the cross and, and have that conversation with her, that salvation conversation.

And her first two responses are pretty standard answers. Well, I believe in God, right. Which that's, which is good. I mean, scripture says you've got a Bible here in front of you. James says, you know, the demons believe in God and they tremble, right. They got more common sense than we do. That's exactly right.

Yeah. Could they tremble at the thought of God? You know, I, I, I'm sure that I can even remember the last time I might've trembled at the thought of God, but the point being I'm a good person. So how many people have that attitude? I'm a good person or I believe in God. Those are kind of two of the good stock answers. Right.

Um, but to your point, which that's a great step in the right direction, uh, as far as believing in God, but then it comes a point in time you have to surrender your heart and life to God. So now you did that, George, uh, and I'm not gonna, we're not going to go full story on the Q and A. People go listen to the man up show, the interview I did with you there and get your full story. I know you've written a book.

What's your book called? Uh, dad, you don't work, you wrestle. Dad, you don't work, you wrestle. Cause you know, fans don't think we actually have a job. You know, they think we just been playing, you know, for, for 40 years. Yeah. We're out there just playing and having a good time. There's no work involved in it at all.

No, there's no work. What a great title. And, uh, of course I know you've got a website, georgesouth.com where people can find your book and, and you've got a wrestling school that can learn more about all that and, and learn more about your story, how your, how your parents, I'm just going to say this, I'll tease people by saying this, how your parents, you know, were both killed in the car crash at the age of six, right? You were six, uh, uh, sibling, 13 siblings in your family. And, and, and then at the age of 13, led by your brother, Bill, he led you to the foot of the cross and you met Jesus at age 13.

Life's never been the same ever been since never been the same. And, uh, I know one thing I remember about you, George, back in the days when, when we shared dressing rooms and locker rooms together is you had this gospel, what's called a gospel track, had the plan of salvation with your little caricature in it, right? Yes, I sure did. Yeah, I sure do. You still hand those.

I still hand those out. I actually spoke at a comic book convention years ago and, uh, you know, grown me and dressed up like star Wars figures, you know, at nine AM in the morning, comic cons. And I'm thinking, and they think, ain't that amazing how grown men can walk around like Darth Vader and everybody thinks they're normal.

But if we share Jesus there, they're ready to lock us up. But, but I did. And, and an artist walked up and many years ago and he said, we ought to do a comic book track on you. And so I said, wow, I didn't even know there was such a thing.

And he did and they drew it and gave me more muscles and more hair than I got, but that's okay. And I have shared these and, and Nick, every now and then once a week, I'll get a track mailed back to me from like a truck driver that just stopped in a truck stop somewhere. And, and he's going through a rough time and just asking for prayer. So I met so many truck drivers, uh, over the years that, uh, I've mailed them Bibles that just from that old comic track, they picked up in a truck stop somewhere in the country. And they just, they, they don't have a Bible. They ask, could I send them a Bible?

So it's amazing. They do get, they do get rid of those all over the place. So it's not just in, in bathroom, in wrestling locker rooms. I sure do. You lay those everywhere. I've got a lady, uh, uh, that works at a Wendy's in Charlotte, North Carolina. And, and she knows what they are. And I've tried for two years to get one through that window to give her before she shuts the window on my hand.

Every morning, uh, I'll try. And I don't know, she won't even give me the time of day, but she knows what I'm trying to do. And so that's my mission is to get that lady attract before she breaks my wrist at that drive-through window, your head gets caught in the window.

And I was shaking it, but she will not take, she knows what it is. She, I don't know what's happened in her life, but I'm hoping maybe to find out, but just a little ministry there, you know, in the drive-through and, and, but, you know, years ago, Nick, they told me in WCW to quit giving out tracks. Did they really sure did. They pulled me into a room, Nick and a Jody Hamilton and several of the agents and said, you got to quit passing the, leaving these laying. And I looked around that dress. Yes, sir. And I saw wrestlers with, with writings on the back of their trunks. And, and, and I'm thinking, wait, what do you mean?

I mean, guys have a diamond stud and, and, and, and different names on the back of their trunks, but they said, don't ever leave these laying around. Of course I didn't listen, but I shared that now many, many years later, the only thing left is my gospel track. There is no WCW.

There is no championship wrestling from Atlanta. All of that. A lot of those agents have passed away. So the only thing that is still here from that day in Atlanta is my gospel track and God's word, which he said would last forever. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. 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.

Hi, Nikita Koloff. Be sure to check out the Man Up show now available on television, broadcast, and podcast. Go to monistartv.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. Wow. Ain't that amazing? I just thought of that the other day that the WCW is no longer around.

The Ted Turner building and all of that. Nothing. The only thing left is God's word.

Everything will pass away, but God's word will last forever. My goodness. Yes, sir. Wow. Wow.

Man, people are going to have to go listen to, if they hadn't already, listen to your story on the Man Up show. Well, Q&A with Koloff. Wow.

We could go on with this forever. Really, it's a good word you're bringing today, but let's segue. Okay, so give you the opportunity to ask me some questions and I have no idea what you're going to ask or where this is going to go, so let's fire away. Yes, sir.

This is one that I think the listeners would love and a lot of them may not know it, but it's more or less your reaction when it happened. The Great American Bash, you against Ric Flair, David Crockett is special referee, 30,000 people at American Legion Stadium, and right in the middle of the match, a fan jumps in the ring and jumps on your back. Right. And so I guess my question is, because I've been there a couple times and the fans that are watching think, they all think it's part of the show. Yeah, it's part of the show. I have heard stories from policemen that are even security guys that are at ringside that just sit there and watch because they think this is just another wrassler, but this wasn't.

This was at the height of Nikita. I mean, it was a nightmare. People hated me.

They loved to hate me. In the middle of it, and it is just so amazing to watch because your mindset is in the match, and then all of a sudden here's this man like out of nowhere. Yes, literally. And on your back.

I mean, literally on your back. Well, and so you're wondering what my response was? Yes, yeah, the reaction.

The reaction to it? Because, yeah, and it had not happened prior to that, even though the office was getting death threats and stuff, you know, we're going to kill the co-lops if they come to Charleston or whatever, like for real. People let me know I was number one in their heart, wink, wink, so to speak, in any arena I was in.

I mean, rings filling up with trash that people would throw at me as I'm hanging guys with chains or choking them out or beating them after the one, two, three, and the referee trying to pull them off me or whatever. So I was illustrating, I was the, you know, that nightmare city, as you just said. And yeah, it was, I guess, very initial reaction was really a shock, I mean, surprise slash shock because in my mind, so I'm in the match, right?

And I'm focused, like you said. And it's from your backside. Yeah, he didn't come at you frontwards.

No. He came. He came totally from the back. And what I remember is him like kind of like waist locking me, kind of pinning me up against the rope and it all happened in a split second.

It sure did. And what I remember is I'm like, there's Flair, like Flair's selling on the mat. I can see David Crockett looking the other way, you know, and I'm like, there's Crockett. Ivan's outside the ring. Who's this?

Yes. Like that's, I'm like, who is this? And then it dawned on me, I'm like, this has got to be a fan.

It has to be a fan. So now keep in mind, I'm 285 jacked at that point, right? So I'd go one way and I could feel him duck his head the opposite way. And then I'd try to go that one, because now I'm trying to, I'm going to try to get him because he's got me leveraged against the rope.

And I'm trying to get him and I can't get him. And then eventually, I think the cops finally did figure out, oh my gosh, this is not part of it. This really is a fan. And they roll in, I like to say they roll in like the Keystone cops, but they get him out and the match continues. But what that did for me though, was put me on guard and my antennas were up from that point on, because five more times it would happen.

Five more times fans, five against Flair, one against Magnum in Norfolk, Virginia, that fans attempted to come in the ring and get and get me. Wow. Yeah. Talk about heat, right?

That's exactly right. Wow. And I wish the fans could find footage of that because there is actually security there. When I share that story, people always say, well, where was the police? I said, well, they were there. They were like ringside and they just, I love that story. Just like you said, the heat, you could feel it in that whole, that whole arena, that whole outdoor stadium. Yeah. Or in truthfully George, anywhere Ivan and I went, I mean, we had some pretty, fortunately, fortunately, cause as a bad guy, as you know, that's what you want.

You want people to not like you, to hate you, to draw them in and buy a ticket and build the audience. So anyway, so yeah, we had some definite heat back then. That's so good. My next question of course, is I personally would like to know when was the first time you met uncle Ivan, who we both loved so much. Yes. My first introduction to uncle Ivan was the day Nikita Koloff was born. So he was there for my birth. And what I mean by that is the beginning. Yeah. Day one.

Cause so, so for those who maybe don't know the story, just real quick, if you don't know the full story, George has a book, go get Nikita, a tale of the ring of redemption off of koloff.net to get the full story. But from a five minute phone call, showing up at a town I'd never been in Charlotte, North Carolina, introducing myself to a promoter who I had only at that point had a five minute phone call conversation with months prior. He said, you know, be in my office on such and such a day with your head shaved. I go, that's it.

That's it. See you then. Wow. So I showed up the day he said to be there, literally. Wow.

In fact, you'll appreciate this. You're very familiar with Charlotte. I'd never been to Charlotte. I drove in to Charlotte. I passed Billy Graham Boulevard. I remember, Oh, I know that name.

Cause you know, his headquarters were in Minneapolis, where I grew up, you know, not Siberia, but Minneapolis. But, and I kept driving up this interstate and I'm like, okay, there's the city, but I feel like I'm starting to get out of the city. So I stopped at sugar Creek exit and that's gas station still there. And, and I, of course, no cell phones, pay phone. I stopped at the, the, the, the gas station pay phone and called the number I had Jim Crockett promotions answered. And I said, I'm supposed to meet Mr. Crockett today. And they're like, where are you? And I'm like, here's where I am. They're like, Oh, we'll come back down to Billy Graham Boulevard. They gave me directions.

I walk in the office. They take me right back to his office, introduced me to Jim Crockett. He says, wait here, walks out, walks back in with two guys who I didn't know, hide in her hair of Don Kernodle and Ivan Koloff.

And he literally, George says, meet your new partner. You're listening to the truth network and truthnetwork.com. Nikita Koloff here.

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You're listening to the truth network and truthnetwork.com. Like just like that, he introduced me to them and he says, okay, he needs a name. Of course I knew it was going to be Koloff because I was going to be the nephew of Uncle Ivan. And Crockett gave me Nikita and some other name to this day. I just immediately focused on Nikita. In my mind, I'm like, Nikita Koloff, Nikita Koloff.

It's got a ring to it. I go, Mr. Crockett, Nikita. He goes, Nikita it is. And so Nikita's born that day.

I meet Ivan that day. Wow. Of course the, I guess you say the rest is history. Yes. My goodness. Wow. I knew some of that, but I wasn't sure the actual first time. Yeah. I never met him prior to that.

Never even, I don't know that I'd ever even seen him, I don't think prior to that. Wow. Yeah. Wow. It's just amazing. Amazing. Uncle Ivan. Oh man.

What a great man. My last question would be, Nik, I know for the listeners and a lot of wrestling fans, because I hear it all the time at the shows, what would you say to someone that says there is no hope for me? I hear that a lot. They say, yeah, you're a wrestler.

They think that we all got it together because we're pro wrestlers. Right. But I hear that simple words. They say they're, yeah, I understand your story, but there is no hope for me.

And if someone told you that, what, what, what. Man, that's a really great question. And because, I mean, as you and I know, I mean, there's always, whether it's a shred or a sliver of hope, that nobody's so far gone that God can't reach them. Right.

Amen. That God can't reach down and touch their heart and extend his hand, and no matter how low they think they are, or, you know, and be able to pull them up, you know, and in fact, I do a lot of conferences called Man Up Conference. It's like a one-day conference you do in local churches and all over America. And I did one a while back in Kentucky, and the pastor works with three rehab centers, drug rehab centers. And we had about 50 or so guys attend from the drug rehabs. And many of these guys' stories would be, you know, that there's no hope for me, but come to find out that they can be set free of drug addiction. They can be set free of alcohol addiction or any other addiction if they'll simply humble themselves and surrender their heart to God. And so for those who maybe even listening out there now, maybe you struck a chord, George, with that question that they right now in their mind feel like there's no hope for me.

There's no answer. I've done too much. You've probably heard that one. God could never forgive me because I've done too much. But yeah, you said it on the Man Up show, but yeah, your favorite scripture is John 3 16.

You wear it on the back of your wrestling tights and to understand that God so loved the world, right, that He gave His only. You pointed out His only. He didn't like pick and choose.

You're one of 13 siblings. So you could pick and choose, right? When Samuel went to anoint the next king of Israel, several sons were laid out before him before he selected David, right? But God sent his one and only son that whosoever should believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life.

So I would just encourage even anyone listening out there or in answering that question that the person that says to me there's no hope is just to really kind of challenge them to rethink that and say, wait a minute, have you ever given God a chance and or surrendered your life to Jesus and give, just give him a chance. That's right. But here's the challenge, to fully submit to Him. That's right.

To fully commit to Him. Yeah. You know, you can't do it half-hearted. That's right. And it's not a little cookie cutter prayer that you won't even find in the Bible. Right. You know, surrender, what true surrender looks like is submitting and committing and yielding our whole life to Him.

That's right. And I know you can testify to this and I can as well. When you do that, God steps in and wherever a situation seems hopeless is now all of a sudden filled with hope.

Amen. Is that, I hope that's wonderful. That is so good.

That is so good. Well, thank you. You have a great story and I hope people will buy the book and learn more about what you have overcome. Thank you. Because you're a story, you're an overcomer.

Thank you. And so no one out there, you're listening out there, listen, I don't care how bad it might seem, God came to give us the opportunity to overcome this fallen broken world. And I want to say this too, we're all imperfect people. That's right. We're all flawed. We all have fallen short of the glory of God.

And so just recognize and realize that. So great to have you on the show Q&A with Koloff today. I can talk to you all day, my friend. Thank you. Well, that's amazing. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Q&A with Koloff.

Hey, send in your requests, your questions to me and I'll give you a call and we'll get you on the show next time. God bless you. Amen. Thank you. 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. 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.