Victator Posted February 18, 2017 Posted February 18, 2017 My earliest memory of Ivan was watching him vs Ricky Morton at Clash Of The Champions 3. Those early Clashes were like holidays for seven year old me. As a boy I was always convinced this was the night that the heel would actually murder the good guy. When Ricky won I was very relieved I was watching 1988 NWA a few years back and I thought the Ivan face turn was done very well. When he attacked Paul Jones he screamed "You are evil man Paul Jones. I always knew but I tried to ignore it." Paraphrasing there, but I always liked how he never fully came across as fully evil. But a foreigner forced into a lifestyle because he could never fully embrace American culture. He was vicious and even sadistic but he had a code of honor. Even when he was attacking Nikita, he seemed to be trying to knock some sense into his nephew's head. Connected to the face turn, I thought the reunion with Nikita was touching. Nikita did a promo saying he knew his uncle was a good man. Unfortunately I can't find either on youtube. Back in 2014 I was babysitting my two year old niece Emily. I had finally gotten her to fall asleep, even if it was on my chest. My phone starts ringing, I manage to answer it and I heard this unfamiliar voice. It was Ivan Koloff and it really caught me off guard. He was the most humble polite man. He Talked to me for an hour and taught me a lot. RIP Uncle Ivan 9
Web Conn Posted February 18, 2017 Author Posted February 18, 2017 Ivan Koloff vs Sandman (still doing the surfer gimmick) 1
Rev Ray Posted February 19, 2017 Posted February 19, 2017 I missed it when it first happened, but on the early angle of the days, there were a number of promos where Ivan is reading "fan letters" from Americans who he claims they sympathize with the russian cause and are asking for head bands like his. I don't know why, but I absolutely love that gimmick. 2
Thomas Bugg Posted February 19, 2017 Posted February 19, 2017 This was an emotional moment! #RIPIvanKoloff 5
joseph2112 Posted February 20, 2017 Posted February 20, 2017 RIP. As a kid of the 80's, I always hated and I mean hated the evil Russians. Some time in 2007-8 I walked into a Wal-Mart in Fuquay Varina NC and there sat Ivan Koloff selling his book. I bought it and he was quite the nice(and still pretty hefty) man.
Hamhock Posted February 20, 2017 Posted February 20, 2017 Here's one of the Nikita-saves-Ivan moments (though I think they did more than one): 1
Pete Posted February 20, 2017 Posted February 20, 2017 18 hours ago, paul sosnowski said: Jeez, that match went 30 minutes and Ivan was still chugging away at the end of it. Talk about your Soviet conditioning! I love that they switched their world tag titles in SHELBY, NC.
piledriver Posted February 20, 2017 Posted February 20, 2017 Pretty sad to hear that.RIP Ivan Koloff. One of the best "Russian Wrestlers" of all time. may his soul be in heaven now :'(
odessasteps Posted February 21, 2017 Posted February 21, 2017 I was trying to find the ciip online from when Flair flicked the blood from his hair on Ivan at ringside, but the only version of the match I have found so far is the PWI version and I think that was edited out.
J.T. Posted February 21, 2017 Posted February 21, 2017 This one really hurts. I remember being terrified as a kid of Koloff and then loving him like family after meeting him in person at some NWA show in Charlotte. I was a legit teen in tears when Nikita reconciled with Uncle Ivan on television. I will never forget the story of Koloff knocking out Manny Fernandez after Manny stretched a worker during his match (who turned out to be one of Koloff's trainees), because the promoter of the card was short on gate and couldn't pay Manny his promised cut. RIP Russian Bear. 1
Mick32 Posted February 21, 2017 Posted February 21, 2017 I think I was like 15 when the Koloffs were involved in the Eddie Gilbert-Korchenko-Bill Watts angle in UWF. I liked wrestling before but I was a fan from that point forward. Fucking Ivan was real, man. He was choking Watts with the chain while Watts bled a gusher and Ross was having a coronary. Truly great wrestling. 1
odessasteps Posted February 22, 2017 Posted February 22, 2017 52 minutes ago, Mick32 said: I think I was like 15 when the Koloffs were involved in the Eddie Gilbert-Korchenko-Bill Watts angle in UWF. I liked wrestling before but I was a fan from that point forward. Fucking Ivan was real, man. He was choking Watts with the chain while Watts bled a gusher and Ross was having a coronary. Truly great wrestling. Insert gratuitious Russian Flag Burial plug here.
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