10 Most Elaborate Works In Wrestling History

4. The 'Russian Nightmare' Nikita Koloff

One of the all-time great heels of the business - and a hell of a babyface when the time came - the career of Nikita Koloff is based around one of best works in the history of the industry.

A brutal, aggressive, dominant Russian grappler, Nikita remains one of the go-to examples of how to book a monster. From the moment fans were first introduced to Koloff in 1984, he was presented as an unstoppable force who decimated opponents within a matter of minutes.

Only ever speaking in Russian, this powerhouse was your typical 'foreign menace' of the time, and he became a villainous staple of Jim Crockett Promotions as he butted heads with the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A., Ric Flair, and Sting. If you saw Nikita on TV, all he ever spoke was Russian. If you saw Nikita outside the arena, all he ever spoke was Russian. If you saw Nikita at a gas station or diner, all he ever spoke was Russian.

In actuality, the 'Russian Nightmare' Nikita Koloff was Nelson Scott Simpson from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

So committed to working the wrestling world, Simpson legally changed his name to Nikita Koloff, became fluent in Russian and would only ever communicate in Russian until long after he hung up his boots.

Nikita wasn't the only 'foreign' wrestler to religiously stick in character - one other prime example being his kayfabe uncle, Ivan Koloff - but nobody was more committed to that concept than the one-time NWA United States Champion in his career and beyond.

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

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