Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame member and former WWWF World Champion The Russian Bear Ivan Koloff joins the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling to discuss his legendary career. Starting with his humble beginnings breaking into the wrestling business in Montreal through his most iconic career moments including defeating the Living Legend Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Championship and his years as a member of the famed Russians tag team in Jim Crocket Promotions. Koloff, who is known to be the biggest missing piece to the WWE Hall of Fame describes in great detail his feelings for Vince McMahon continuing to leave him out of the HOF and what he does to this day to keep himself positive about his life outside of the business and the memories of his one of a kind career. Visit Ivan Koloffs website at http://www.ivankoloff.com and also the official website of the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling, www.tmptofwrestling.com
In the following preview clip, Ivan Koloff gives his views on not being included in the WWE Hall of Fame:
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Memories of The Russians tag team alongside Krusher Krushev and Nikita Koloff?
I started out when I got into that area wrestling Paul Jones, Wahoo (McDaniel) and a number of other guys and then I would go away for a little while. There were so many territories back in those days besides the World Wide Wrestling Federation; I had 12 tours to Japan, Australia and all over Europe. Mostly around here it was going back often to the Mid Atlantic and to Charlotte where I would have so many different tag team partners, Ray Stevens, Don Kernodle and then Krusher Krushev and Nikita (Koloff) so many different partners that after being in the business for twenty years at that point I was getting really extended because of guys like Krusher and Nikita coming on board and making the whole Russian thing successful especially against teams like the Rock N Roll Express because they were small and fast teams but also the Road Warriors a big strong team representing the USA. People still talk about those matches and they bring back so many great memories.
Did you always see Nikita Koloff becoming the star he became?
I was hopeful at the time because I knew that he was in great shape and this guy has got the possibility to be great because he’s a college graduate, he is a real good sportsman and a go-getter. When I met him he was so on the ball and would go all out and the cliché (Eye of the tiger) not only earlier in his life at the college level playing football but later on in wrestling and now in the Ministry. I am so proud and so glad for him and a little surprised because when you come from being a footballer to whatever other sports you just have to take it one day at a time. I told him whatever you do you’ve got to be aggressive you got to be strong and tough do not talk to people. Let the mystique be there and he let it be there for over two years. He just went along with that accent and he was aggressive, sometimes too aggressive. He would have to be told to calm it down with his opponents. Sometimes Id have to yell at him because he would slap my hand so hard Id say Nikita Im your partner, dont kill me.
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