Nikita Koloff

Koloff debuted in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1984 as the Russian Nightmare, and teamed with "uncle" Ivan Koloff and Don Kernodle, a turncoat American. He debuted on June 5, 1984 and won his first match in thirteen seconds.

Koloff was booked in very short matches upon his debut. During television promos, Nikita stood behind Ivan and Kernodle with his arms folded while they took interviews. His improvement negated the need for Kernodle to continue teaming with Ivan and, shortly thereafter, the Russians turned on the American turncoat.

With Kernodle out of the picture, Uncle Ivan Koloff introduced a new comrade named Krusher Khruschev. In December 1984, Jim Crockett rewarded the Russians with the WCW World Six-Man Tag Team Championship. Three months later, on March 18, 1985, Koloff and Ivan defeated Dusty Rhodes and Manny Fernandez to win the WCW Tag Team Championships. Ivan invoked the Freebird rule which dictated that any two of the three could defend the titles. Ivan and Krusher lost the titles to The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) on July 9.

Prior to committing themselves to WCW, The Koloffs feuded with then-AWA World Tag Team Champions the Road Warriors in both the AWA and WCW in a brutal series during 1985. The feud was often fought in steel cage Russian chain matches, with lights-out stipulations.

Continuing to improve, Koloff became a big enough heel to get a match against WCW World Champion Ric Flair at The Great American Bash 1985 on July 6. Koloff lost to Flair and was even attacked by a fan during the match.

The Koloffs went on to regain the WCW World Tag Team Titles from the Rock 'N' Roll Express three months later, on October 13, but lost it to the same opponents on November 28 at Starrcade 1985 in a steel cage match.

In spring of 1986, Koloff started one of the biggest, most anticipated feuds in the history of WCW when he attacked WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Magnum T.A.. Following an incident where Magnum hit on-screen WCW President Bob Geigel for demanding an apology after T.A. started a brawl with Nikita during a contract signing (which started when the Koloffs berated Magnum's mother, who was present), T.A. was stripped of his title. The two were then booked in a best-of-seven series, which took place during The Great American Bash 1986 tour. The winner of the series would be declared champion. Koloff and T.A. wrestled all summer, ending up tied after six matches with one no contest. The final match took place on August 17 and featured run-ins by Kruschev and Ivan and several false-finishes. Nikita defeated T.A. to win the title.

The following month, Koloff defeated Wahoo McDaniel on September 28. He was readying to embark on a feud with Ron Garvin that would last through the upcoming Starrcade 1986.

In October 1986, Magnum T.A. was involved in a career-ending car accident. This caused Koloff to become a face against The Four Horsemen. The historic moment took place on October 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dusty Rhodes needed a partner to take on Ole Anderson and James J. Dillon in a cage match. The fans in Charlotte erupted when Koloff entered the cage to help Rhodes. Koloff stated that even though he and Magnum T.A. had a bitter rivalry, T.A. had earned his respect, and that Nikita would work to earn the respect of the American people. This evening established Koloff as one of the top faces in WCW.

Immediately after his face turn, Koloff resumed his quest for Ric Flair's WCW World Title and came very close to winning it on several occasions. Flair's Four Horsemen comrades bailed him out almost every time. The two fought to a double disqualification at StarrCade '86 on November 26.

Throughout the early months of 1987, Koloff continued to defend the United States Title against members of the Four Horsemen and Paul Jones' Army, which now included "Uncle" Ivan. In March, as part of his ongoing feud with Ivan and Dick Murdoch, Koloff's neck was "injured" by a Murdoch brainbuster on the concrete floor. On April 11, Koloff and Dusty Rhodes won the second-annual Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, defeating the Four Horsemen team of Tully Blanchard and Lex Luger in the finals.

As the 1987 Great American Bash tour got under way, the feud between Koloff, Rhodes, The Road Warriors, and Paul Ellering versus The Four Horsemen and J.J. Dillon was booked as the centerpiece. The tour began and ended with two revolutionary matches known as WarGames: The Match Beyond. The team of The Super Powers and The Legion of Doom emerged victorious in both contests.

Also during The War Games, Flair and Blanchard re-aggravated Koloff's neck injury by delivering two spike piledrivers. The worked injury set up the pretext for dropping the U.S. Title to Lex Luger. On July 11, 1987, Koloff faced Luger in a steel cage match and was defeated after being hit with a chair. This ended Koloff's reign of nearly eleven months. Koloff rebounded quickly and won the WCW World Television Championship from Tully Blanchard on August 27.

In the fall of 1987, a feud began between Koloff and Terry Taylor when Taylor, alongside his fellow members of Hot Stuff International, Inc. - Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner- attacked Koloff and stole his championship belt. Koloff and Taylor were booked to face each other at Starrcade '87, but Koloff vowed to get his television belt back before the match. During a *World Championship Wrestling*  broadcast, Taylor and Gilbert jumped Koloff again, beating him unconscious, and draping his version of the TV title across his limp body. On November 26, Koloff and Taylor battled in Chicago. In front of his first pay-per-view audience, Nikita became the Television Champion by defeating Taylor on November 26.

Koloff lost the WCW Television Title to Mike Rotunda of The Varsity Club on January 30, 1988. During this period, Koloff had altered his appearance somewhat, dropping some muscle mass and growing his hair out into a crewcut. He was given the singles main event when he wrestled WCW World Champion Ric Flair at the final Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament. Koloff defeated Flair by disqualification so the title was retained by Flair. He then lost to Barry Windham in the finals of the tournament for the vacant WCW United States Championship, before beginning a feud with Al Perez and teaming with Sting to feud with the Four Horsemen.

After Ivan Koloff turned face when manager Paul Jones went against him, Koloff helped Ivan briefly against Jones' henchmen, the masked Russian Assassins, and then he took a sabbatical on November 27.

He returned to WCW as a special guest referee at WrestleWar '89 in match for the WCW World Tag Team Championship between The Road Warriors and Mike Rotunda and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. Rotunda and Williams were disqualified for attacking Koloff, and later stripped of the titles.

In late 1989, Koloff joined Verne Gagne's AWA. The promotion was in its twilight and given Nikita's stature, Gagne positioned Nikita to challenge then-AWA World Heavyweight Champion Larry Zbyszko almost immediately. Koloff continued wrestling in the AWA for the remainder of the year and the first half of 1990, headlining numerous television broadcasts and Twin Wars '90, the last major event with the AWA under Gagne.

Koloff returned to WCW on February 24, 1991 at WrestleWar. He attacked Lex Luger, claiming he had "stolen" the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship from him in 1987 and that he wanted it back. At SuperBrawl I on May 19, 1991, Koloff accidentally hit Sting with a chain while interfering in a tag team match between Sting and Lex Luger and The Steiner Brothers. Koloff and Sting went on to face on another in a Russian chain match at The Great American Bash on July 14 which was won by Koloff. The feud came to an end in August 1991 when Koloff left WCW.

Koloff returned to WCW in February 1992, saving Sting from an attack by The Dangerous Alliance. He explained on WCW's syndicated shows that he had seen the error of attacking Sting. At WrestleWar on May 17, 1992, Koloff teamed with Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, and Dustin Rhodes to face The Dangerous Alliance in a WarGames match. Koloff went on to feud with Rick Rude over Rude's WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. In late 1992, he began feuding with Big Van Vader, with the two men facing one other at Halloween Havoc on October 25. During the bout, Koloff sustained a herniated disc in his neck after receiving a stiff clothesline to the head from Vader, leading him to retire from professional wrestling.