Highspots.com and HighspotsWrestlingNetwork.com have released a free video in memory of wrestling legend Ivan Koloff titled "The Russian Bear" Honoring the life of Ivan Koloff. It's one you shouldn't miss seeing.
"Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff Mid-Atlantic Champion |
The video can be found here:
https://www.highspotswrestlingnetwork.com/media/%22the-russian-bear%22-honoring-ivan-koloff/59551/feature
Ivan is best known as a Russian bad guy who did the impossible in Madison Square Garden in 1971 when he defeated WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino in one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history as it ended Bruno's 8 year reign as champion. That match is a moment that Bruno will never forget.
"That night in the Garden when Ivan beat me I really believe that was a first in the history of wrestling. Because people were so stunned that night there was a fear of a riot but it was the complete opposite." said Bruno. "You could hear a pin drop. We had twenty-two thousand people paralyzed. They couldn't believe it because as you know I had been champion for eight years."
Ivan was also famously remembered for his role in Jim Crockett Promotions as "Uncle" Ivan to his nephew "Nikita" (seen in the graphic above) and later in life Ivan shed his mean Russian gimmick to be known by fans as a gentle man who put his lord and savior Jesus Christ first.
"Everyone knew Ivan as "Uncle Ivan" and I called him that as well but we here at Highspots knew Ivan as a friend. Ivan was someone we loved working with and enjoyed hearing his stories about his career and life." said Michael Bochicchio, owner of Highspots. "We wanted to honor the life of Ivan by sharing his stories and the stories of others who knew him well. That's why we put a free video on our website highspotswrestlingnetwork.com for everyone to enjoy. We we blessed to work with Ivan one last time this past November as he shared his stories about Dusty Rhodes with our cameras. Ivan deserves all the respect in the world from wrestling fans and we want to show our respect by keeping his memory alive anyway we can."
You can view the free hour long tribute for Ivan at highspotswrestlingnetwork.com