WWE Hall of Famer Nikolai Volkoff -- real name Josip Nikolai Peruzovic -- has died, WWE announced Sunday. Peruzovic's wife, Lynn, said Sunday that he has had heart problems and that when she went to give him medicine he was not responsive. Peruzovic, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, was best known in the world of professional wrestling for his over-the-top Soviet/Russian character during his time in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (later the WWF) in the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s.

In reality, Peruzovic was born in what was then Yugoslavia and now stands as part of Croatia. Peruzovic's most famous run came as part of the then-WWF's explosion in popularity in the mid-1980s, as he teamed with the Iron Sheik to form one of the most successful heel teams in the history of pro wrestling while being managed by the legendary 'Classy' Freddie Blassie. He famously sang the Soviet Union's national anthem while the Iron Sheik taunted and stoked the anger of crowds around the world by playing upon real-life conflicts. The Iron Sheik and Volkoff won the WWF tag team championship at the first WrestleMania in March 1985. Over the course of five decades, Peruzovic found himself opposite icons such as Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino and made sporadic appearances in WWE as recently as 2014. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

All customers get FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. Show results for. Larry Bird would fight, talk trash, tell you where he would make his shot, and win against you - Duration: 18:14. The Universe Galaxy 645,853 views.

Nikolai Volkoff, a massive ex-weight lifter who played a Soviet villain in the professional wrestling ring and battled the likes of Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan, died on Sunday at his home in Glen Arm, Md. His wife, Lynn Peruzovic, confirmed the death and said he had recently been hospitalized with heart problems. Volkoff portrayed a Communist heel with convincing panache, wearing Soviet-style apparel, like an ushanka fur cap, into the ring and singing the country’s national anthem before matches. It was an ideal Cold War shtick in wrestling, where good vs. Evil is an evergreen story line. But even as the act turned him into a major star and brought him championship titles, he was uncomfortable in the Soviet guise. He was actually a Croatian born in Yugoslavia as Josip Hrvoje Peruzovic.

“They made me into a Soviet bad guy,” Volkoff said in “Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks” (2004), the autobiography of his flashy manager, Freddie Blassie, which was written with Keith Elliot Greenberg. “See, even though I’m from Yugoslavia, my mother’s Russian and I speak the language. My father is Croatian and Italian, and there were too many Italians already in wrestling. Croatians nobody knew about.” But, he added, he disliked the character that Blassie created for him. He detested life in Communist Yugoslavia and said in the book that he could not wait to flee.

He did so in 1968, after a competition in Vienna, going to the Canadian Embassy and defecting. “I was just so happy to get out from there,” he said in an interview for the book “The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels” (2007), by Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson. Adobe cs5 master collection torrent crack mac and cheese.

“Those Communist bastards. I hated them.” Blassie insisted that Volkoff’s revenge on the Communists he loathed would be to “show people how bad they are.” In 2013,: “It was unbelievable. I was the most hated wrestler in the United States at the time.”.

Volkoff acted the Soviet baddie for many years., they carried the flags of their respective countries to the ring. Once inside, Volkoff stripped off what appeared to be a World War II Soviet military coat. When their match began, Volkoff — 6-foot-5 and more than 300 pounds — twice lifted the even larger Hogan over his head. But Hogan, the self-appointed protector of America, defeated Volkoff.