10 Wrestlers Who Purposefully Deceived Promoters

9. Boris Zhukov

The Bolsheviks Slick
WWE.com

Bill Watts could've got together with Verne Gagne to rant about disrespect.

Gagne's AWA was already reeling when Boris Zhukov decided to leave without notice and join the WWF in 1987. The main problem was that Zhukov was one half of the AWA Tag-Team Champions with Soldat Ustinov, and his departure left the company in a bit of a jam.

Scrambling, the AWA put Doug Somers in Zhukov's place (which didn't make any sense - Somers didn't fit the anti-American gimmick Boris and Soldat were working) and hoped for the best. It was a complete slap in the face to Verne the Zhukov would leave without dropping the belts or really giving him any word at all.

Zhukov probably didn't give a toss. He quickly formed The Bolsheviks with Nikolai Volkoff and became a top heel tag-team in the WWF. He must've known that McMahon was headhunting him, but he chose not to let Gagne know.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.