39 Best Wrestlers From 39 Different Countries

32. Croatia: Nikolai Volkoff

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Birthplace: Socialist Republic of Croatia, Yugoslavia

Due to his wrestling gimmick, many often mistakenly presume that Nikolai Volkoff is of Russian descent. It’s little more complicated than that, though.

At the time classed as Yugoslavia, Volkoff was actually born in what is now classified as Croatia.

A former Tag Team Champion, Volkoff is best known for teaming with The Iron Sheik and then later Boris Zukhov as part of The Bolsheviks. He’s also a proud member of the WWE Hall of Fame and was one of the most hated heels in the then-WWF at one point in time, perfectly playing the role of a villainous foreigner who regularly ran down the USA.

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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 and Presenter, 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 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 and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.