One time hated…one time loved, Nikita Koloff ran the gamut in professional wrestling and
nearly became the top man in the business on numerous occasions.  When he wasn’t
challenging for the NWA or AWA World Title, Koloff was busy defending his own
championship.  He was one of the top athletes in wrestling between 1985 and 1992.  His
feuds with Magnum T.A. and Ric Flair are still remembered today.

  Koloff first appeared as a nephew of former WWWF World Champion, Ivan Koloff.  The two
dominated the NWA with their violence and together held the NWA World Tag Title twice in
1985 and the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Title.  Koloff challenged Flair for the NWA
World Title on Saturday Night, July 6, 1985 at the Charlotte Memorial Stadium.  The match
topped the initial Great American Bash show.  Flair pinned Koloff as David Crockett slapped
the mat three-times.

  Almost a year to the day, Koloff lost to Flair again at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.  In May
1986, Magnum T.A. was stripped of the U.S. Heavyweight Title.  A best-of-seven series was
scheduled between Koloff and Magnum to determine a new champion.  The matches would
be held throughout the Great American Bash Tour.  On July 21, 1986, Ivan and Nikita were
defeated by the Road Warriors in a steel cage match at Fayetteville.  He led 3-0 going into
Greensboro on July 26th.  Koloff was beaten and then again on August 2nd in Atlanta at the
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.  The series was 3-2.  On August 17th in Charlotte, he gained
his fourth and final win over the former champ and won the NWA United States Title.  Krusher
Khrushchev assisted in the win.  In September, he unified the U.S. Title with the NWA National
Title in Atlanta.

  After Magnum T.A., Terry Allen, suffered career ending injuries in an automobile accident
on October 14, 1986, Koloff had a change of heart.  He also had a change of sides as well,
aligning himself with Dusty Rhodes against his uncle Ivan and the Four Horsemen.  Koloff
immediately became one of the most popular stars in the Alliance.  He teamed with Rhodes
over a two-night period on April 10th and 11th for the 2nd Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial
Cup Tag Team Tournament.  The winner would receive a $1,000,000 prize.  Koloff and
Rhodes advanced to the finals and beat Tully Blanchard and Lex Luger to win the event.  
They dedicated to Magnum T.A., who had appeared on crutches.

  The Horsemen conspired to take the U.S. Title from him on July 11, 1987 in Greensboro.  
Lex Luger beat him with the help from J.J. Dillon in a special cage match.  On March 21,
1988, Rhodes went ballistic on Blanchard with a baseball bat for his attack on Magnum.  
During the melee, he hit NWA President, Jim Crockett in the neck.  Rhodes was immediate
suspended and the repercussions were felt by all.  The chance of Rhodes and Koloff
successfully defending their Crockett Cup win were gone.  Rhodes’ claim to the United States
Title was also stripped away.  Koloff participated in the tournament, but lost in the finals to
Barry Windham on May 13th in Houston.

  On June 14, 1989, Koloff suffered the loss of his wife, Mandy, only 26 years of age, in
Huntsville, Alabama.  He retired from wrestling.  On Sunday, February 24, 1991, Nikita
returned to present Lex Luger with a new WCW United States Heavyweight Title Belt in
Phoenix.  Instead of acting cool headed, he attacked his former enemy with the belt.  Luger
had just completed a tough match with Dan Spivey.  After hitting Luger with the belt, he
reminded everyone that it was Lex who took the U.S. Title from him years earlier.  Many fans
anticipated the revived Luger-Koloff feud, but Nikita was never able to regain the
championship.  Koloff remained active in WCW until the summer of 1992, when he retired for
a second time.

  Nikita Koloff was one of the toughest men in the sport.

TITLE HISTORY:

  -A two-time co-holder of the NWA World Tag Team Champion
          w/ Ivan Koloff (1985) defeated Manny Fernandez and Dusty Rhodes
          w/ Ivan Koloff (1985) defeated The Rock and Roll Express
  -Co-holder of the NWA Six-Man Tag Team Title (1984-’86) w/ Ivan Koloff, Don
          Kernodle and Krusher Khrushchev
  -NWA United States Heavyweight Title (1986-’87) defeated Magnum T.A.
  -NWA Georgia National Heavyweight Title (1986) defeated Wahoo McDaniel (Unified)
  -NWA World Television Title (1987-’88) defeated Tully Blanchard
  -UWF World Television Title (1987) defeated Terry Taylor (Unified)





Research by Tim Hornbaker
Nikita Koloff Wrestling History
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