WWE: Bizarre real-life stories of WWE wrestlers

Nikolai Volkoff

Nikolai Volkoff

The pro-soviet Nikolai Volkoff whom we have seen on-screen is nowhere near as pro-soviet in his real life.

Born in Yugoslavia, Josip Nikolai Peruzovi was a man who was anti-soviet in every sense of the word. So much so that he stayed back in Canada after arriving in the country as a part of the Croatia weightlifting team. For all the promos that he delivered on communism, he was against the mere idea of it in real life.

It was not until the fall of Soviet Union that he was allowed to use a pro-west gimmick inside the ring, but by then, it was too late as crowd already recognised him as a communist due to his accurate impersonation of his gimmick.