, ▁he ▁turned ▁face ▁and ▁emb rac ed ▁America , ▁briefly ▁fe ud ing ▁with ▁Zh uk ov ▁and ▁newly - turn ed ▁Ira qi ▁sympath izer ▁S gt . ▁S la ugh ter . ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 4 , ▁after ▁a ▁hi atus , ▁he ▁returned ▁as ▁a ▁dest itute ▁and ▁des perate ▁character , ▁explo ited ▁by ▁Ted ▁Di Bi ase ▁as ▁the ▁first ▁member ▁of ▁his ▁Mill ion ▁D ollar ▁Corporation . ▁ ▁Early ▁life ▁Per uz ović ▁grew ▁up ▁in ▁the ▁Social ist ▁Republic ▁of ▁Cro atia , ▁which ▁was ▁then ▁part ▁of ▁Y ug oslav ia . ▁His ▁parents ▁were ▁Ivan ▁and ▁Drag ica ▁( née ▁T oma še vić ). ▁Despite ▁what ▁he ▁sometimes ▁claimed ▁his ▁actual ▁middle ▁name ▁was ▁not ▁Nikol ai ▁but ▁Hr vo je , ▁and ▁his ▁mother ' s ▁ma iden ▁name ▁was ▁not ▁Volk off ▁but ▁T oma še vić . ▁These ▁incons isten cies ▁cast ▁doubt ▁on ▁his ▁eth nic ▁background ▁and ▁seem ▁to ▁indicate ▁a ▁Cro at ▁eth nic ity . ▁His ▁mat ernal ▁grand father ▁An te ▁T oma še vić ▁was ▁world ▁champion ▁in ▁the ▁gre co - rom an ▁wrest ling ▁style ▁at ▁the ▁turn ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century . ▁An te ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Cet ina , ▁a ▁small ▁village ▁near ▁Sin j , ▁Cro atia ▁to ▁Cro at ian ▁parents ▁St ipe ▁and ▁K ater ina ▁in ▁ 1 8 7 2 . ▁He ▁was ▁on ▁the ▁Y ug oslav