There were several wrestling deaths reported on a bright, sunny, Sunday. I'm not pushing the others aside, we honor all fallen wrestlers at years end here on the blog, it's simply that Volkoff's passing hit me the hardest. He is one of the first wrestling "bad guys" that I remember in life. He was part of the "Rock N Wrestling" era that netted much fame and fortune for those involved. And how could one miss him? With the red "Communist" garb and simply being a massive human being, Volkoff stood out.
How many flea markets or garage sales have you attended where a hatless, paint-chipped Nikolai Volkoff LJN figure is among the offerings? Seemingly everyone had it. To this day it's a staple from that fabled Wrestling Superstars line with its near-perfect facial likeness and ready-for-action pose. In fact, in a story that I've mentioned here before that I still expect no one to believe, years before Jakks launched their Classic Superstars line, I had visions of a wrestling legends figure series in similar packaging. Who was the figure that I pictured in my head? Nikolai Volkoff.
I was always entertained by Volkoff in the ring. No matter his position on the card, he always seemed to give his all. Those big stomps to his opponents back seemed devastating to me. There's a photo from WrestleMania 2 where he seems to be pummeling Corporal Kirchner with an especially hard stomp. And we can't forget Gorilla Monsoon famously saying that Nikolai "has no clue how powerful he is."
And whether it was the Russian National Anthem or "Cara Mia," Big Nikolai could belt out a tune. Did you rise to show respect? I always did. So did Jesse Ventura! Or maybe you were happy when he didn't quite get to finish his song and you cheered when The Dynamite Kid, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, or another number of other disrespectful individuals decided to "start the match early."
In-ring memories aside, those who have attended the various conventions up and down the east coast over the years will greatly miss Nikolai. He was a staple to show up, sometimes even unexpectedly, and occasionally even sing a song or two. It was always impressive to be in the presence of a man who could claim being challenger to both Bruno and Hulk's championships. Speaking of the former, Nikolai also spent time in the latter half of Pittsburgh's "Studio Wrestling" era as Bepo Mongol. Keeping that in mind, his passing is yet another blow in a year of wrestling losses for the Steel City.
My recommendation? Go rewatch the flag match from the second episode of Saturday Night's Main Event. It's Volkoff vs Hogan. It's short, crisp, and face-paced. It's Nikolai in one of the highest-profile matches in his career.It has the "big fight feel" that modern day promotions would kill to have for a match. Most of all? It's fun.
Thank you, Nikolai, for all of the fun over the years. I will rise, sir.
Nikolai Volkoff
1947-2018
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