10 times WWE changed a Superstar's nationality

#5 Ivan Koloff and Nikita Koloff

Ivan Koloff wasn't quite Russian

So, here's two for the price of one, but there was no way we could leave out Ivan or Nikita Koloff. From the Ravishing Russian to two more Russians who actually had absolutely no affiliation with the country they were billed from at all.

Ivan Koloff was known as The Russian Bear, despite being from Quebec, Canada. Billed from Moscow, Russia, though, he was the perfect heel for his time and once held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship having ended the reign of Bruno Sammartino.

WWE, of course, tried to replicate this by turning another non-Russian into a similar character, and even gave him the same name.

Koloff isn't all he seems

Nikita Koloff never competed in WWE, but he is worth mentioning having been in WCW for lengthy spells. Nikita was the storyline nephew of Ivan Koloff - also hailing from the grand country of Russia, from a small town called... Minneapolis, Minnesota. Koloff's real name was Nelson Scott Simpson, but he would even learn different languages to protect his character, and not many casual fans caught on to the secret. Nikita Koloff was also billed from Lithuania.