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Photo of Nikolai Volkoff

Photo: Nightscream / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Nikolai Volkoff

ニコライ・ボルコフ / にこらい・ぼるこふ

Professional wrestler

October 14, 1947 – July 29, 2018 ・ Split, Croatia

  • Professional wrestler

My Take

Nikolai Volkoff was the kind of heel who could get an entire arena booing before the bell even rang, just by grabbing the microphone and bellowing the Soviet anthem in his thick accent. He played the Cold War villain perfectly during wrestling's 1980s boom, and his partnership with The Iron Sheik against the all-American babyfaces is classic Mid-80s WWF theater. What people forget is how genuinely warm he was outside the ring. A big, gentle man who leaned into a gimmick the crowd loved to hate. His 2005 Hall of Fame nod was richly deserved.

Overview

Nikolai Volkoff (October 14, 1947 – July 29, 2018) was a professional wrestler born Josip Nikolai Peruzovic in Split, Croatia (then Yugoslavia). Best known in the WWF/WWE as a Soviet heel who sang the Soviet national anthem before matches, he formed a memorable tag team with The Iron Sheik, winning the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1985. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

1. Profile

Name (English)
Nikolai Volkoff
Name (Japanese)
ニコライ・ボルコフ
Reading
にこらい・ぼるこふ
Born
October 14, 1947 – July 29, 2018
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
Libra / Pig
Origin
Split, Croatia
Blood type
Private
Height
193cm
Agency
Private
Occupation
Professional wrestler

2. Background

Elementary school
Private
Junior high
Private
High school
Private
University
Private

Awards & achievements

  • 2005 WWE Hall of Fame

3. Relationships

Spouse
Private
Children
Private
Parents
Private
Siblings
Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

Professional wrestler — see all → · More people from Croatia →

7. About this entry

Tags

  • Professional wrestler
Last updated
2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.