10 Things You Didn't Know About Nikolai Volkoff

3. He Helped Freddie Blassie Reconnect With His Daughter

Or, maybe it's more accurate to say, Nikolai Volkoff: friend of family.

In "Classy" Freddie Blassie's book, "Listen, You Pencil Neck Geeks!", the legendary wrestler-turned-manager detailed how Nikolai's intervention reunited Freddie with his estranged daughter. The move brought Blassie and Volkoff closer together as friends too, and that might not have happened had Nikolai not been so compassionate.

Having been approached outside a WWF event in St. Louis by a "beautiful girl", Volkoff was shocked to learn that the lady in question was his manager's daughter. The pair had grown apart, and now the girl wanted to reconnect. Nikolai was only too happy to help make that happen, and he advised Freddie to forget the past and make things right.

Though Blassie and his little girl had a painful conversation and some work to do before they had a healthy relationship, it was a cathartic experience for both and something Freddie never forgot. From that day on, he knew Nikolai was a wrestling brother he could count on.