Nikolai Volkoff
Josip Nikolai Peruzović (14 October 1947 – 29 July 2018) better known by his ring name, Nikolai Volkoff, was a Yugoslavian professional wrestler who was best known for wrestling with World Wrestling Federation. Although the character he played was portrayed as Russian, He actually came from Croatia and has a mixed background that was not entirely Russian. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 by Jim Ross.
Nikolai Volkoff | |
---|---|
Ring name(s) | Nikolai Volkoff Bepo Mongol Boris Breznikoff |
Billed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Billed weight | 313 lb (142 kg) |
Born | SR Croatia, Yugoslavia | October 14, 1947
Died | July 29, 2018 Glen Arm, Maryland, United States | (aged 70)
Billed from | Moscow, RSFSR, Soviet Union |
Trained by | Stu Hart |
Debut | 1967 |
Volkoff died on July 29, 2018 at the age of 70 just days after being released from a hospital in Glen Arm, Maryland where he had been treated for dehydration.[1]
Championships
Volkoff held many championships during his professional wrestling career:
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (one time) - with Ivan Koloff
- Georgia Championship Wrestling
- NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (one time) - with Chris Markoff
- Mid-South Wrestling
- Mid-South North American Championship (one time)
- Northeast Championship Wrestling (Tom Janette)
- NCW Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- NWA Detroit
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Detroit version) (one time) - with Boris Volkoff
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- He was ranked as #136 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
- He was ranked as #96 of the 100 best tag teams of the "PWI Years" with the Iron Sheik in 2003.
- Universal Wrestling Association
- UWA Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- World Wide Wrestling Alliance
- WWWA Heavyweight Championship (one time)
- World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWF Tag Team Championship (one time) - with Iron Sheik
- WWWF International Tag Team Championship (three times) - with Geto Mongol (two) and Johnny De Fazio (one)
- Slammy Award for Most Ignominious (1986)
- Slammy Award for Best Personal Hygiene (1987) (with Boris Zhukov and Slick)
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)
- World Wrestling Association
- WWA World Tag Team Championship (two times) - with Angelo Poffo (one) and Boris Volkoff (one)
- World Wrestling Association (Larry Sharpe)
- WWA Heavyweight Championship (one time)
Nikolai Volkoff Media
Volkoff with the Iron Sheik and their manager, Freddie Blassie
Volkoff (right) with Paul Orndorff