Pulling Back The Iron Curtain: The Babyface Turn of Nikita Koloff

Brian Damage

Sometimes high risk, leads to high reward. Certainly that was the case in the National Wresting Alliance back in 1986, when tragedy turned to triumph. This is the story of the babyface turn of the dreaded ‘Russian Nightmare’ Nikita Koloff and how his turn lead to a ‘Super Power’ within the NWA.

In the 1980’s, the NWA was in the middle of grooming a young talent by the name of Magnum TA to be the organization’s top babyface. He was looked at in many ways, to be the NWA’s version of Hulk Hogan. He was extremely popular, charismatic, talented and loved by many fans. Magnum TA was earmarked to be a future NWA world champion. Then, on October 24, 1986, tragedy struck, when Magnum TA was involved in a near fatal car crash that cut his in ring career short. Suddenly, all the plans the NWA had for Magnum were abruptly canceled.

The NWA was suddenly without a top babyface. They were without their future world heavyweight champion and were without a future franchise wrestler. Jim Crockett Jr needed a new star in a hurry and put that responsibility on his booker Dusty Rhodes. Within a matter of days, Rhodes decided to give that honor to one of his top heels at the time in the Russian Nightmare Nikita Koloff. Nikita was essentially still rather new to the wrestling business, but in that short time, was helping sell out shows while teaming with his “Uncle” Ivan Koloff.

The decision wasn’t easy for Dusty to make and would question himself a number of times before going with the idea. At the time, kayfabe was still very much alive and the real world was still dealing with a Cold War with the Soviet Union. It was a very risky gamble to try and convince fans that this hated “Russian” would suddenly be cheered in a cold war era. Nikita recalled being called to Jim Crockett Jr’s office and being told of Magnum TA’s accident and the plans they had in store for him. At first, Nikita laughed it off as some sort of rib or practical joke…but the more serious Dusty and Crockett were…he realized that this was a very real idea.

It took a bit to convince the skeptical Nikita to turn babyface, but Nikita was a pro and wanted to do what was best for business and trusted Dusty’s decision making. The turn would take place in Charlotte, North Carolina in a match that pitted Ole Anderson and JJ Dillon (Substituting for an injured Tully Blanchard) against Dusty Rhodes and a mystery partner inside a steel cage. Nikita said that only three people knew of the babyface turn and that was Crockett, Rhodes and Nikita. Everyone else on the roster was kept in the dark about who Dusty’s mystery partner would be. Nikita remembered wrestlers backstage and in the locker room taking guesses of who it would be and others bragging it would be them.

When it was revealed to everyone in the building that it was Nikita Koloff, the arena went into a thunderous explosion of screams and cheers. Announcer Tony Schiavone stated that moment was the absolute loudest he ever heard an arena get. Dusty Rhodes also said in all his years in the business, Nikita’s face turn was up there with the loudest pops he ever was involved with. Despite the initial success of the angle, many of Crockett’s babyfaces resented the choice of Nikita and predicted that Dusty was going to “Kill the territory” by choosing him above others.

NWA valet Baby Doll said years later that the choice of Nikita Koloff was pure genius because he was already a red hot heel and thy usually make the best babyface turns. She was right, because for the weeks and months after Nikita turned good, business in the towns were selling out quickly. Fans accepted Nikita as a babyface and paid to see him go up against the likes of the Four Horsemen and his former allies in the Russians.

Together, Dusty and Nikita were known as ‘The Super Powers’ and their success culminated with them winning the 1987 Crockett Cup. Winning the Crockett Cup, having one of the longest reigns as the United States champion and also winning the NWA Television title and unifying it with the UWF TV title were just a few of Nikita’s career highlights. Unfortunately, his wife Mandy was sick with cancer and Nikita started losing interest in pro wrestling and raveling constantly. He may have been pegged to be on the same path as the person he succeeded in Magnum TA. Nikita recalled Ric Flair trying to convince Koloff to return full time and was willing to drop the world title to him in the process, but Nikita’s heart just wasn’t in it at that point. Regardless, a very successful babyface run on a gamble from Dusty Rhodes.