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This is the Truth Network. Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is set for one flaw. Introducing first, from Lithuania, he weighs 123 kilos, the Russian nightmare, Nikita Kolob. Welcome to another episode of Q&A with Kolob, the Devil's Nightmare.
Welcome back. Q&A with Kolob, questions and answers, and this is where you potentially can get a personal phone call from yours truly, the Russian nightmare, and be able to ask me a few questions. Over on the Man Up show, I'm usually asking all the questions, but here you get the opportunity to get a personal phone call and ask a few questions of me. And with me today, I'm excited to have Melanie Breedlove with me today. Melanie, welcome to Q&A with Kolob. Thank you so much, Nikita. If you would have told my teenage self that one day I would be personally talking to Nicole Kolob, I would have never imagined.
I would have never dreamed. So I grew up watching you and wrestling, so thank you so much. Well, it is kind of fun. Sometimes, for real, people are like, I've got to pinch myself right now. I can't believe I'm sitting next to you or talking to you or whatever. Wow, it's pretty humbling on my end, for real. So you mentioned being a teenager, watching wrestling growing up.
Let's talk about that for a minute. So where did you grow up? I grew up in West Virginia, Williamstown, West Virginia, and I actually started watching pro wrestling when I was young. My grandma Breedlove and my great aunt, they lived side by side.
And I grew up with a pretty tumultuous family, and the one place that I was always so happy to be was with my grandma and my great aunt. Well, they always had NWA, which became WCW, they always had that on, and then the Atlanta Braves. So we were always watching TBS. I grew up watching them. Pro wrestling was my happy place. And so I grew up watching you guys, the Four Horsemen, the Rock and Roll Express.
I mean, I could just go on and on. That was life for me. So it was kind of your escape, if you will, or even better, I like how you said your happy place. And now, Melanie, be honest, were you really a Ricky and Robert fan? You mentioned the Rock and Roll Express. I really was.
I was a Nikita fan, but it was more like I loved to hate you. Yes. Yes. I take that as a compliment 100%. So come on. Because there's plenty of those people out there, too. I'm in churches almost every weekend.
Invariably, some people come up and go, I just want to know, I love to hate you. And I'm like, oh, thank you. I appreciate that. And who's not idle? Honestly, I don't know. I met a woman out there that wasn't a Ricky and Robert or Rock and Roll Express fan. But anyway, well, that's pretty cool.
So let me ask you, so do you have, and it doesn't have to be somebody beating me up, but do you have a favorite moment in wrestling that pops in your head? Oh, wow. Yes, but it's not with you. No, that's okay. No, that's okay.
I'm not offended by that. The Scaffold match. Yeah, the Scaffold match in the 80s when the Rock and Roll Express, the Midnight Express were doing that Scaffold. That is a moment that really sticks with me. I actually still have the DVD, somebody for my birthday. That's how much of a wrestling fan I was. I still talk about it to this day. And somebody bought me for my birthday some old NWA, you know, WCW videos. That's pretty cool.
That's very cool actually. And so, so grandma and great aunt helped you get you to your happy place. You mentioned West Virginia, of course, very familiar, you know, memories of Huntington, Charleston. Were you ever able to go, was it mainly just being able to watch it on TV? Were you able to go in any live matches? So I wasn't. I'm so sad that I wasn't.
My mother did not let us do anything growing up. So I had to settle for watching on TV, but that's okay. I always dreamed of going to one in person, but I never made it. But yes, West Virginia was a big hub for pro wrestling.
I was probably the only girl that really, well, me and one of my best friends, Paula, it was us two and everybody else thought we were crazy because we were girls and we watched, we were fanatics. You're like, yes, wrestling's on this weekend. Yes. No, that's, that's amazing. Now, now you still, okay, so are you still living in West Virginia?
I'm not. I actually live in Canton, Ohio, and I actually, as a part of my testimony of how I ended up in Canton, Ohio, I grew up in a very tumultuous household. My mom is what we would call today a narcissist. She was very controlling. She was very verbally and emotionally abusive.
She had very violent outbursts. And so I was always looking for an escape. Um, I made a lot of bad decisions. I was always running to all the, you know, negative things that I thought would bring me some hope, but you know, men, alcohol, all of that, you just kind of plummet into the depths of darkness and despair. I even got married right out of high school, but it was just another, you know, escape. I just made a lot of reckless decisions. I was an alcoholic before I was even legal drinking age.
It really took over my life and I ended up losing everything in my life to alcohol. Um, but two of my favorite words in the Bible is, but God, I had run away from West Virginia to Florida and then went and lived with a man who was not my husband in Columbus, Ohio. But that is absolutely where God met me. I was living in just sin and darkness and believe it or not, there was, and this is how, why it's so important for Christians to serve God because we had a faithful group of Christians, people, and I didn't even know what that meant then. I hadn't been in church since I was a little girl.
I wasn't thinking about God, but there was some faithful people starting a church just down the road from where I lived in Columbus, Ohio, and they sent out flyers to everybody, even in these poor, bad apartment complexes. And I happened to get one on my door. That flyer changed the course of my life because it was Christmas time. And so, you know, sometimes people get a little bit more spiritual at Christmas and unbelievably, I mean, I was not church material and Nikita, but unbelievably I decided to go and it was there that I heard the gospel for the first time.
And as I'm sitting there, I'm like, this is true. And I committed my life to Jesus Christ. Somebody put a Bible in my hands.
I began to read it. I mean, it's just cleaned up my life very quickly, you know, just transformed from darkness to light and just changed everything for me. So, and then once I got saved, I spent a couple of years there, but I just wanted more. And so I went to a Bible college up this way and then landed in the church that I'm at now. And I've had so many opportunities to do missions, to do ministry and everything where I'm at now. So I have stayed in Canton, Ohio.
Never thought I would stay here or get here, but this is where God has me for now. That's amazing. And so that was what year, Melanie, the Christmas flyer on the door was what year? Wow. 1997. 1997.
That's for all those listening out there, don't listen to Melanie's story. Don't think that flyers don't work. Flyers can work. Lots of different ways to reach out. And it's an amazing, amazing story. And I know you follow me on Instagram, right? I do, yes. And I appreciate the follow. I appreciate all the wonderful comments you make from time to time too. Thank you.
Yes. Thank you. I actually heard about your ministry because I read Lex's, Lex Luger's book. And through that I had heard that he had given his life to the Lord and through that he had written in there about you. And then I saw that you guys had a ministry together and that's how I started following you on Instagram. Well, I appreciate that.
Yeah. Every spring and every fall we do these camps called Man Camp where we bring small groups of men in for a five day window of time. Really the goal is to empower them, give them tools to go back home and be a godly husband, just a godly man, a godly father, grandfather, and so many amazing testimonies. And your story is amazing. Your testimony is amazing. Thank you.
I appreciate that. That is definitely all God. But I will say that when I read stories in the Bible like the woman at the well, the adulterous woman, in Luke chapter 7, the center woman, I mean I really do look at those and think that is my story too. And Jesus cared very much about those people and there are so many more me's out there. There are so many more you's out there that needs to be reached. And so that's why your heart for ministry, my heart for ministry, it matters.
It does. So your ministry centers around what are you focused on right now in reaching out? Well, I do a little bit of everything. So I do a lot of missions work. I've been to Ireland six times.
I've been to Spain, the Philippines, Vietnam. And so I do a lot of missions work but I also do a lot of local work here in homeless shelters. I taught in a juvenile detention center for girls ages 13 to 18 for quite a while. I do a lot of women's ministry work within my church and I write for this amazing ministry out of Las Vegas, my friend Charity Berkey. She has a women's ministry called encouragement from women who have been there and it is absolutely amazing. But other than that, you know, my heart is evangelism. My church does a lot of one on one discipleship. So we really sit down with people. We want them to know for sure that they know the Lord and then what to do next in their life.
So we spend about a year or so with people helping them to grow and really be established. I just don't want people to miss what God has for them. 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. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com Would your company, business or you personally like to partner with me in supporting Koloff for Christ Ministries, the Man Up Show and Man Up Minutes? Go to koloff.net and click the donate button. You can give monthly, annually or one time.
God bless you for making a difference around the world. 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. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com Before we segue to your questions, what's the name of your church and what's the website in case somebody is passing through Canton or lives in the Canton area? What's the name of your church? My church is First Baptist Church of Jackson. You know the website off the top of your head? Yeah, FBCJ for First Baptist Church of Jackson, FBCJ.com Alright, so check it out.
Melanie Breedlove, First Baptist Church there in Canton, Ohio. Alright, well it is Q&A with Koloff, so let's segue. I have no idea, Melanie, what you're going to ask me, but go ahead and fire away with your first question. Okay, so I'm going to start with a wrestling question. I'm just curious, and your book is actually in my Amazon cart because I really want to read your whole book. I have followed you on social media, but I really want to read your book. So I don't know the answer to this question yet, but what year did you leave wrestling and why? Great question, and I'll put a shameless plug out there for those who just don't like to read. Last year I went to the studio and in my own voice I did an audio version of my life story, Nikita, A Tale of the Ring of Redemption. Somebody can't get that one autographed, Melanie, but they can get the hard copy autographed.
So thank you for having an interest. All that said, so November 7, 1992 was my, I guess, official last match with WCW Wrestling, and Van Vader was my opponent. Big Van Vader actually suffered.
I remember the guy, so I do too. But he was very physical, all 450 pounds of him. And actually got injured, on a serious note, got injured two injuries that night. He injured my neck. He clotheslined me to the back of the head and pinched off a nerve and numb with my arm up for several minutes, and I didn't know until the next day I had a hernia from picking his 450 pound big body up. So I ended up having hernia surgery. This is November of 1992, so I had hernia surgery and then was rehabbing my neck along the way.
It was over Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's was coming up, and I was getting ready to turn 34 years old in March. I had already set a goal, Melanie, and I told Ivan Koloff and Don Curnodle, my original partners, I'd be out of active in-ring wrestling by the time I'm 35. And they're like, ah, you'll never get out.
I'm like, ah, we'll see. Anyway, so I made the executive decision, no fanfare, no send-off, no retirement match like the Stinger had recently. I just made an executive decision to walk away, and now I'm in a season, it's 1993, Melanie, I'm in a season of what life holds next for Nikita Koloff. And I say in one of my other books, Wrestling with Success, I was successful but unfulfilled. Successful but unfulfilled, and I met a Christian couple through some other business ventures that I'd gotten involved in, and fast-forward the story to October of 1993. And I just reached out to them one day and, hey, I'll be at your church on Sunday, I'd never been there before, walked through the doors of that church, sensed something different. Didn't grow up in church, but did know the story of Jesus, so I knew the crucifixion story, but the story never made the 18-inch trip from my head down to my heart. And on that day, 17 October 1993, sitting in that church for the very first time was an aha moment for me, and I recognized what was missing in my life was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And so about 11 months after leaving wrestling, went to the altar, got on my knees, surrendered my life, and man, it's been a wild ride ever since.
Yes, yes. That's what, you know, you saying that, that's what I don't want people to miss, because when I think about me before Christ, I think I had no idea who I really was meant to be, what my purpose was, what that fulfillment is. And after I gave my life to Christ, wow, he opened up this whole adventure, all of this purpose, and I think how all the people out there that are missing, who God has meant them to be, and what all they could be doing in their lives. Again, like, even God knowing that I was a wrestling fan my whole life, and here I'm talking to Nikita Kolov, I mean, that is just the little details about our lives that God cares about, and it's so good to show himself.
That's amazing. Millie, I'm going to have to have you on the Man Up show, we're going to have to talk to some men out there and get your perspective one of these days, so, alright, anyway, anyway, alright, got another question for me, Millie? I do, and actually you just answered my other one, so I'm going to skip down to another one. So, speaking of Ivan, did I hear that he gave his life to Christ, and that you were a part of that happening? Great question, I had an instrumental, I guess you'd say, an instrumental role perhaps in that, and you know, having traveled with him those first couple of years, knowing his, shall we say, lifestyle, I was very versed on his lifestyle, and so, after giving my life to Christ, there was an evangelist, you know, you said you had a heart for evangelism, there was an evangelist from South Africa doing revivals across North Carolina, and he was in Concord, North Carolina, the town where I'd given my life to Christ, and he was at a small church there in Concord, and God just put it on my heart to invite Ivan, like, call him up, invite him to the revival, and I'm like, okay, and, you know, so, I remember like yesterday, called him on a Monday, and I said, hey, Ivan, you know, how are you doing? But yeah, once we got past the small talk, I said, hey, I just want to extend an invitation to you, Ivan, there's this speaker, I said, this speaker, Melody, because I didn't want to run him off, I'm like, man, there's this really cool, basically there's this really cool dude from South Africa speaking at this church all week long, Ivan, and man, I'd love for you to meet him, love for you to, you know, to see you, and love for you to meet him, he's like, yeah, yeah, well, you know, give me the information, see if I can make it one night, and I'm like, cool, you know, so, so that was it. That was the invite, and a couple nights later, I had no idea he was in the audience, I was sitting up front, and, because at this point I was kind of like a Jonathan to the evangelist, I was like helping him out every night, and just volunteering my time, and, but when it came to the, what we know as an altar call, right, and an invitation, I was helping this 80-something-year-old elderly man who was giving his life to Christ for the very first time, right, in his 80s, to the altar, and when I got up to, there's Ivan, standing at the altar, I'm like, oh my gosh, I didn't even know he was in the audience, you know, that night, and he came forward, and I'll just say this, the rest of that story, a shorter version of it is, that night, he experienced Almighty God, he was introduced to the man Jesus himself, and set free that night of drug addiction, tobacco addiction, alcohol, I mean, clean slate, and from that moment on, anywhere and everywhere he went, he carried that Bible with him, and just waiting for somebody to ask him about it, so, yes, that's the story, with Uncle Ivan, Uncle Ivan, that's the story. Yes, I loved, I loved all of that, growing up, I have the biggest smile on my face, what an amazing testimony that is.
Well, we've got time for one more, if you've got one more. Yeah, I have another one, so, other than sharing the gospel, of course, what is one of the main truths about God, or about one's personal walk, that you love to teach, whether at your camps, or just, I know you go to other churches all the time, do a lot of men's ministry, what is maybe one of the themes, one of the truths, something about your personal walk, like, what is one thing that you love? No, that's good, I'm gonna give a word that probably women are more familiar with than men, but the word that popped in my head, Melanie, was intimacy, intimacy, and there's different ways that people talk about that, like, if you were to break that down, into me, I'm gonna allow you to see, I'm gonna allow you to see into me. So, being transparent with another person, if you're in a marriage, or you're in a relationship, or whether with your children, or even another co-worker, or someone, being transparent enough, being vulnerable enough to allow another person to see into you, well, the Lord sees directly into your heart anyway, we know from 1 Samuel, when the prophet was given the task to anoint the next king of Israel, he looks at Eliab, and he sees, surely, you know, he's looking at the outward appearance, right? Surely, God's next anointed is standing before me, God says, don't look at his outward appearance, or his stature, God doesn't look that way, God looks at the heart, right, into the heart of a man, right? And so, tied into intimacy is this, is growing in that personal relationship with Jesus, and four quick components that help you to grow and become more intimate with the creator of the universe in that relationship you have with Jesus, is being in the Word, and ideally, every day, being in the Word every day, spending time in worship every day, like just soaking, some soaking time in worship, allowing it to wash over you, and cleanse your mind, and cleanse your heart, prayer, you know, just an ongoing, open-ended conversation with the Lord, you know, and it's a dialogue, not a monologue. So, that conversation is a two-way street, so don't just tell God everything you need, allow him to tell you what he desires, and then lastly is relationships, is building relationships with other people, you know, I'm reminded of iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens the countenance of his friend. And so, there you go, there you go, hopefully that's helpful.
You nailed it. Wow, great, well, I appreciate it, Emily, and hey, for real, would you be open to or interested, you have such an amazing story, I'd love some time to get you over on the Man Up show sometime if you're interested, put you on the spot. Absolutely, yes, absolutely I would. Okay, and we can talk more about your heart for ministry, and even have you share, probably share a couple stories of people whose lives have been impacted, so, alright?
Sounds good, okay. Well, Melanie Breedlove, Canton, Ohio, if you're ever in the area, Melanie, one more time, church website, church name, and church website? First Baptist Church of Jackson, and it's fbcj.com. Alright, so check it out, Melanie, thanks for being on the show today, I appreciate it. Thank you so much, Nikita. Alright, and for all of you out there in Listening Land, go out today, here's my challenge to you, and live a God-filled, God-blessed day. 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.
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