Koloff was billed from Lithuania. To enhance the verisimilitude of his character, Koloff learned to speak Russian. Koloff had an "evil" appearance with a black singlet, shaved head, and goatee. His character has been described as "wrestling's equivalent of the Drago character in Rocky IV...big, strong, scary and Russian. His finishing move was the "Russian Sickle", a clothesline. Other media Koloff has written three books. He has acted in a small number of films and television episodes, as well as appearing on an episode of America's Funniest People in which his daughter won the $10,000 grand prize. His character appeared in the 2004 videogame Showdown: Legends of Wrestling. Bibliography Breaking the Chains (2002) Wrestling with Success: Developing a Championship Mentality (2004) - with Jeffrey Gitomer Nikita: A Tale of the Ring and Redemption (2011) - with Scott Teal Filmography Personal life Nikita married his first wife, Mandy Smithson, on September 20, 1988, who died from Hodgkin's disease on June 14, 1989. At her funeral he met Mandy’s longtime friend and his future wife, Victoria. They married on August 17, 1990. The couple had two daughters together, Kendra, who was born in June 1992, and Kolby, who was born in May 1996, while Victoria had two daughters (Teryn and Tawni) from her previous relationship. Nikita and Victoria were divorced on April 23, 2007. Koloff legally changed his name to Nikita Koloff in 1988. Nikita is a member of a religious group called Fellowship of the Sword and serves as an East Coast representative. Championships and accomplishments George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2006 Jim Crockett Promotions NWA World Television Championship (1 time) NWA National Heavyweight Championship (1 time)1 NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (1 time) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) (2 times) – with Ivan Koloff NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Ivan Koloff and Don Kernodle (1), Ivan Koloff and Krusher Khruschev (2), and Ivan Koloff and Baron von Raschke (1) UWF World Television Championship (1 time)2 Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (1987) with Dusty Rhodes National Wrestling Alliance NWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2008) Pro Wrestling Illustrated PWI Feud of the Year (1987) with Dusty Rhodes and The Road Warriors vs. The Four Horsemen PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1987) 1 Koloff defeated Wahoo McDaniel to unify the title with the NWA United