Cassius Clay is a happy young man in his dressing room after knocking out Archie Moore in the exact round he predicted he would, the fourth, at Los Angeles, Nov. 17, 1962. (AP Photo) Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins delivers a pitch against the Mets in August 29 in New York. FILE- In this Nov. 10, 1963 file photo, the Detroit Red Wings' Gordie Howe (9) acknowledges applause from the fans during a 20-minute standing ovation after he scored the 545th cgoal of his National Hockey League career at Detroit's Olympia Stadium, to set the leagues' to set the all-time scoring mark. The NHL has the best names in the business. Nicknames, that is. Little Ball of Hate. The Great One. Tazer. Bicksy. How is known as the "Mr. Hockey." (AP Photo/File) 10 Dec 1994: COLORADO RUNNING BACK RASHAAN SALAAM WITH THE HEISMAN TROPHY AFTER BEING NAMED AS THE 60TH WINNER OF THE AWARD AT THE DOWNTOWN ATHLETIC CLUB IN NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK. PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 17: Starter Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on September 17, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) SOCHI, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 15: Bronze medalist Denis Ten of Kazakhstan celebrates during the medal ceremony for the Men's Figure Skating on day 8 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Medals Plaza on February 15, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) (CNN) — Nikolai Volkoff, the burly wrestler whose brash Soviet persona and physical embodiment of Communism made him one of the most hated figures in professional wrestling, has died at the age of 70, World Wrestling Entertainment said. Volkoff was considered a heel, the wrestling term for a character who plays an enemy figure and riles up crowds. Amid the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, Volkoff antagonized American audiences by wearing all-red Soviet outfits, waving a Soviet flag and insisting that the crowds stand for the Russian national anthem and then loudly singing along. “As one of the greatest villains sports-entertainment had ever seen, Volkoff’s infamous rendition of the Soviet National Anthem before his matches made him an instant icon in the eyes of the WWE Universe as a Superstar they truly loved to hate,” WWE said. Volkoff, often wearing the Russian ushanka hat, became a dastardly Soviet villain and faced off against heroic American wrestlers like Hulk Hogan. He tag-teamed with the Iranian heel Iron Sheik, and together they won the first-ever Wrestlemania in 1985, waving Iranian and Soviet flags in the ring. Volkoff later teamed up with Boris Zukhov to form a team of Soviets called The Bolsheviks. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he switched to supporting the United States and teamed up with American wrestler “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, WWE said. Volkoff was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2005, WWE said. WWE “Volkoff will go down in history as one of the greatest villains of all time,” WWE said on its website. “Although Volkoff’s actions can be imitated, they will never be duplicated.” Despite his character, Volkoff – whose real name is Josip Nikolai Peruzović – was actually born in then-Yugoslavia, WWE said. Several professional wrestlers fondly remembered Volkoff on Twitter, including WWE’s Natalya. I always loved our conversations backstage ... Nikolai Volkoff was so special to my dad and the entire Hart family. We will miss you, Nikolai. My thoughts and condolences go out to Nikolai’s family. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/WfMd4FDowb — Nattie (@NatbyNature) July 29, 2018 WWE’s Drake Maverick said on Twitter that Volkoff was “the first real bad guy I watched Hulk Hogan vanquish … RIP to another one of the greats.” CNN’s Sal Sendik contributed to this report.<doc-sep>WWE Hall of Famer NIkolai Volkoff passed away this weekend at the age of 70, PWinsider reports. Volkoff was one of the most recognizable faces of the “rock ‘n’ wrestling” boom of the 1980s, winning the WWF Tag Team Championship twice and even appearing on the animated show Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling. Even though he played an evil Russian on television, Volkoff was born in Croatia as Josip Nikolai Peruzović, and got his start in the 1960s as a member of the Yugoslavian national weightlifting team. He became a pro wrestler after emigrating to Canada and then the United States in the early 1970s, training with the legendary Stu Hart in Calgary and joining the then-World Wide Wrestling Federation as “Bepo Mongol,” one half of The Mongols. Captain Lou Albano led them to a run with the WWWF International Tag Team Championship, and they were the last team to hold those championships until the mid-1980s. Volkoff’s most notable tag team win had to have been teaming with the Iron Sheik to win the WWF Tag Team Championship from the U.S. Express at the inaugural WrestleMania, making those the first title belts to ever change hands at WWE’s biggest show. We’d like to send out our condolences to Volkoff’s family and friends, and to cue up ‘Cara Mia’ in tribute.<doc-sep>WWE Hall of Famer Nikolai Volkoff has died at the age of 70, the WWE announced Sunday. Volkoff, who was born Josip Nikolai Peruzovic, wrestled for the better part of four decades, from the 1960's through the 1990's. "As one of the greatest villains sports-entertainment had ever seen, Volkoff's infamous rendition of the Soviet National Anthem before his matches made him an instant icon in the eyes of the WWE Universe as a Superstar they truly loved to hate," WWE said. During the height of the WWE in the 1980's, he was teamed with the Iron Sheik wrecking havoc on other WWE (then WWF) superstars, while capturing the WWF Tag Team title at Wrestlemania in 1985. They were managed by "Classy" Freddie Blassie. He lated teamed with Boris Zukhov forming The Bolsheviks. Volkoff was inducted into WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.<doc-sep>
WWE Hall of Famer and legendary wrestling villain Nikolai Volkoff has died at the age of 70. The grappling great, real name Josip Nikolai Peruzović, portrayed a devious Russian on screen, battling Hulk Hogan, but was actually Croatian. Born in Split, he emigrated to Canada while part of the Yugoslavian weightlifting team and trained with Stu Hart - Bret Hart's father - in Calgary. He debuted with Stampede Wrestling in Canada before moving to the States to wrestle for the NWA and eventually Vince McMahon Sr’s WWWF. It was there he had his most famous feud, a rivalry with the legendary hero Bruno Sammartino, which sold out Madison Square Garden in New York. (Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: WireImage) (Image: REX/Shutterstock) Volkoff spent part of the 1970s working with the AWA and Mid-South Wrestling, but returned to the then-WWF for another famous run in the 1980s. During the peak of the Cold War, the 6ft 4in bruiser formed teams with The Iron Sheik and Boris Zukhov for feuds with Sgt. Slaughter and Hulk Hogan. He and the equally dastardly Sheik won the WWF Tag Team Championship from The U.S. Express at the inaugural WrestleMania in March 1985. The master of the bear hug, Boston crab and lifting backbreaker retired in the mid-1990s, making sporadic appearances into the 21st century. His final WWE TV appearance came in 2014, where he sang the Soviet national anthem backstage with Lana and Rusev on Monday Night Raw. Volkoff is said to have passed away just days after being released from a hospital in his adopted home state of Maryland. (Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: FilmMagic) According to PWInsider.com, he had been receiving treatment for dehydration and other issues, but his cause of death is not yet known. In a statement, WWE said: "WWE is saddened to learn that Josip Nikolai Peruzović, known to WWE fans as Nikolai Volkoff, has passed away at age 70. "Best known for his dastardly, WWE Tag Team Championship–winning union with The Iron Sheik, Volkoff’s in-ring career spanned the better part of 40 years, which featured battles against the likes of Sgt. Slaughter, Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino. "As one of the greatest villains sports entertainment had ever seen, Volkoff’s infamous rendition of the Soviet National Anthem before his matches made him an instant icon in the eyes of the WWE Universe as a Superstar they truly loved to hate. "Jim Ross inducted Volkoff into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2005. WWE extends its condolences to Peruzović’s family, friends and fans."