10 80s Wrestlers Who Would Be Awesome In Today's WWE
7. Ivan/Nikkita Koloff
To some extent, Rusev is the modern day equivalent of Nikkita Koloff (and lets not forget Ivan), as he was the "Hero of Russia" for a time - however, the WWE has toned down that aspect, and has shifted him back to being Bulgarian (where he actually hails from).
Still, it was interesting to see how well that old Iron Curtain gimmick played out. Replace "USSR" with Russia, and well, there you have it - you've swapped Koloff for Rusev, at least in terms of gimmick. The flag, the demeanor, the hatred of the west - it went very well for Rusev, which is why either Koloff would fit right in with today's product.
Of course, in-ring work is also a factor, but in straight up comparing the characters, it's clear that there's still an audience for this type of wrestler, which uses old rivalries to drum up a patriotic pop.