Jul 24th 2026 10:19pm

Sign Up / Sign In|Help

 

Retired Professional Wrestler Nikolai Volkoff Turns His Energy To Helping Children

Retired Professional Wrestler Nikolai Volkoff Turns His Energy To Helping Children

Posted: Sep 11th 2013 By: CMBurnham

Inside this recreation and parks center in Cockeysville, past the folded-up pingpong table and the pictures of pandas with fun facts about the furry creatures crayoned on the wall, is his modest office.

He is crammed behind a desk in there, waiting for the children to arrive.

His hair is buzzed short, he wears thin-wired glasses, and his big black leather sneakers stick out from underneath the desk. Golden trophies peak out of cardboard boxes. Old pool cues lean in the corner. And a dollar-store flyswatter hangs from a thumbnail over his broad shoulders.

Ads by Google

Joes Crab Shack CouponsFree Coupons for Joes Crab Shack. Latest Coupons - Print, Eat & Save! www.befrugal.com/JoesCrabShack
Steamed Blue CrabsDelivered to your Door Year Round ! Oysters, Shrimp, and Crab Legs www.midatlanticcrab.com

The small black-and-white wrestling poster is the only indication that this is the office of Nikolai Volkoff, one of the most hated heels in professional wrestling history.

"He is definitely a large presence around here," said community supervisor Kevyn Allgeier, his superior.

Volkoff is 66 now, and his real name is Josip Nikolai Peruzovic. He still casts an imposing shadow and still climbs into the ring from time to time. But he spends many of his days at the Police Athletic League center in Cockeysville, where he has worked as help leader for three years.

It is a comfortable fit for Peruzovic, who despite tweaking patriotic wrestling fans for years with his anti-American shtick, has always been a kind soul with a big heart who enjoyed helping others.

"I like to help people because lots of people helped me when I was growing up," Peruzovic said.

He grew up in Croatia, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time, and became a weightlifting champion. But at 18 he fled his conflict-ridden country and moved to Canada. It wasn't long before he arrived in the United States.

With the help of legendary wrestling promoter and trainer Stu Hart, the father of wrestlers Owen, now deceased, and Bret, Peruzovic started wrestling in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (now the WWE) and became an American citizen in 1970.

That year, he also met his wife, Lynn, moved to Maryland and took up permanent residence in Glen Arm.

His manager, "Classy" Freddie Blassie, told him that the WWWF needed a Russian character and that he would be perfect for the role. But Peruzovic, who spoke Russian, didn't want to be cast as a bad guy, especially not a Communist. "I escaped from there and I hate them, so I cannot be one of them," he told Blassie. But he eventually relented, becoming the infamous Nikolai Volkoff.

Donning red spandex with "U.S.S.R." emblazoned on his chest and a Russian fur cap, Peruzovic worked crowds into a frenzy by singing the Soviet national anthem before every match. He was harassed so much in public that he sometimes had to wear a wig to go out to dinner with his family.

"It was unbelievable," he said. "I was the most hated wrestler in the United States at the time."

Peruzovic won several titles in his pro wrestling career, none bigger than the World Wrestling Federation tag-team title he won with the Iron Sheik in 1985, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

After entering semiretirement, Peruzovic worked for Baltimore County as a code enforcement inspector and made an unsuccessful run for the House of Delegates in 2006. When the position at the PAL center opened up, Peruzovic jumped at the opportunity to work with kids.

"There's no better role model than Nikolai," said Andy Vineberg of Sparks, a close friend of Peruzovic's whom the wrestler took under his wing 25 years ago when Vineberg was a scrawny, unconfident 14-year-old. "The fame and the fortune never got to his head. I like that so much about the guy and respect him so much. And he just loves people. ? He's a great human being."

While he has slimmed down significantly since his wrestling days, thanks to a vegetarian lifestyle, Peruzovic is literally a big part of the program's after-school activities. Once the children finish their schoolwork, he supervises the older ones when they lift weights. He cheers the children on when they play basketball outside. And he teaches youngsters how to play chess and pool.

"We just want to give kids a healthy environment so they stay away from troubles," he said.

Their parents, having grown up during the Cold War in the heyday of Nikolai Volkoff, are more familiar with his wrestling career. But the children know who he is now, mostly because he appears in one of the wrestling video games they have at the center.

"They love it," he said. "They say, 'Mr. Nikolai, we beat you in video game.'"

His friends and colleagues say he loves it, too, and everything about his job at the PAL center. While he is no longer executing body slams, he is still making a big impact every day.

"He's great working with the kids," Allgeier said

 

Printable version Email to a friend

Supplemental Information

Latest News

1
Raw star says working with AJ Styles ‘pushed me to the next level’, details scrapped WWE plans

Raw star says working with AJ Styles ‘pushed me to the next level’, details scrapped WWE plans

Dragon Lee reflected on his WWE Tag Team Title run with AJ Styles last y... Read More

All News

The Scoop

The Scoop

NEWS “Must CTV” Colton Theron Vaught has been invited to a WWE tryout during “SummerSlam” week in Minneapolis, MN. Barbie Leslie says one of t... Read More

All Columns

1

Spotlight in History

  • 1983 Magnum T. A. & Jim Duggan def. Ted DiBiase & Mr. Olympia for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 2005 Brandon Groom & American Anarchy became the NWA-U Oklahoma Tag Team Champions
  • 2010 The Hardcore Connection (Maniac Mike & Shane Sanchez) def. X-Rated (Bobby Star & Kevin James Sanchez) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
  • 2010 Kareem Sadat became the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 2010 Brandon Walker def. Jonathan Cross for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 2010 Jonathan Cross def. Brandon Walker for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 2019 Antonio Vega def. Shawn Sanders for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 2020 Derek James def. Alex Royal for the BPW Oklahoma Title
  • 2020 Size Matters (Sam Stackhouse & Mike Starr) def. Legend Has It (Thrash & Killbane) for the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
  • 2020 Ethan Cole def. Tommy Dean for the BPW Lion Heart Title
  • 2022 Sam Stackhouse became the WCR Heavyweight Champion

Week of Sun 07-19 to Sat: 07-25

  • 07-19 1968 Fritz Von Erich & Grizzly Smith def. The Spoiler & Gary Hart for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 07-19 1968 Jack Dalton [1st] & Jim Dalton became the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champions
  • 07-19 1971 Thunderbolt Patterson & Toru Tanaka def. Johnny Valentine & Wahoo McDaniel for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 07-19 1982 Bill Irwin def. Brian Adias for the WCCW Television Title
  • 07-19 2008 Dane Griffin def. Les Mayne for the 3DW Texoma Title
  • 07-19 2013 Big Daddy Moore became the BPPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 07-19 2019 Shawn Sanders became the ASP Inter-County Champion
  • 07-19 2019 Xavior def. Paul Puertorico for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
  • 07-19 2019 Team Boner (Drake Gallows & Mascara La Parka) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions
  • 07-19 2024 Father Padge became the MajCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 07-19 2024 Brandon Warhawk became the MajCW Flawless Champion
  • 07-19 2024 Hell's Kitchen (The Canadian Red Devil & The Lunchador) became the MajCW Tag Team Champions
  • 07-19 2024 Lunchador became the MajCW 24/7 On Call Champion
  • 07-19 2024 Nightwolf became the MajCW Native American Champion
  • 07-19 2024 Cardinal Sin def. Lunchador for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Title
  • 07-19 2024 Jason Simon/Bishop Simon def. Nightwolf for the MajCW Native American Title
  • 07-19 2024 Deacon Hendrix def. Cardinal Sin for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Title
  • 07-19 2024 Tyler Shade def. Deacon Hendrix for the MajCW 24/7 On Call Title
  • 07-20 1961 Waldo Von Erich def. Tony Martin for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 07-20 1979 Gino Hernandez & El Gran Markus def. Jose Lothario & El Halcon for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 07-20 1986 Eddie Gilbert & Sting def. The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) for the UWF Tag Team Titles
  • 07-20 2008 The Forsaken (Michael Faith & Halo) def. Limited Edition (Les Mayne & Dane Griffin) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 07-20 2013 Drake Gallows became the IZW Impact Division Champion
  • 07-20 2013 Kareem Sadat became the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 07-20 2014 The K. C. Wolves (Graham Bell & Luke Langley) became the WFC Tag Team Champions
  • 07-20 2018 Double D def. Colby Black for the MSWA eXpress Title
  • 07-20 2026 Vincent Cross def. Bang Bang Bennett for the RDW Na'Cho Momma's Hardcore Title
  • 07-21 1947 Buddy Rogers def. Dale Levin for the NWA Midwest World Title
  • 07-21 1979 Bill Watts & Buck Robley def. The Assassin & The Angel [1st] for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 07-21 2012 The Mercenary became the UWE United States Champion
  • 07-21 2012 L. J. McDaniels became the SWCW Womens Champion
  • 07-21 2012 Sam Stackhouse def. Jake O'Brien for the SRPW Heavyweight Title
  • 07-21 2012 Angel Blue def. Venus for the IZW Queens Title
  • 07-21 2018 Drake Gallows def. Alex Royal for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 07-21 2018 Alex Royal def. Drake Gallows for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 07-22 1959 Danny McShain def. The Zebra Kid for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 07-22 1960 Danny Hodge def. Angelo Savoldi for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title
  • 07-22 1979 Mark Lewin def. Bruiser Brody for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 07-22 1981 Bob Roop def. Super Destroyer for the MSW Louisiana Title
  • 07-22 1985 Butch Reed def. Dutch Mantell for the MSW Television Title
  • 07-22 2012 Cody Jones def. Les Mayne for the MSWA Oklahoma Title
  • 07-22 2016 Nathan Estrada def. Adrian Dell for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 07-22 2016 Steven Cruze def. Seth Angel for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 07-22 2017 Future Hall of Famers/Impact, Inc. (Johnny Z & Damien Morte & Jermaine Johnson) became the IZW Tag Team Champions
  • 07-22 2017 Ryan Davidson def. Aaron Anders for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 07-22 2017 Aaron Anders def. Brian Breaker for the ComPro Heavyweight Title
  • 07-22 2017 Wesley Crane def. Skyler Fayden for the UWE United States Title
  • 07-22 2023 Tyler Midas def. The Lunchador for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 07-23 1967 Karl Kox def. Waldo Von Erich for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 07-23 1979 Kerry Von Erich & Bruiser Brody became the WCCW Texas Tag Team Champions
  • 07-23 2004 Rocco Valentino def. Justin Lee for the TPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
  • 07-23 2005 Tyler Bateman def. John O'Malley for the MSWA Tri-State Title
  • 07-23 2011 John E. Stone def. Kevin James Sanchez for the SWCW Heavyweight Title
  • 07-23 2011 Double D def. Michael Barry for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 07-23 2011 Teila & El Hoto Loco def. Chris Von Luhr & Jason Noal for the ACW Tag Team Titles
  • 07-23 2011 Chris Von Luhr & Jason Noal def. Teila & El Hoto Loco for the ACW Tag Team Titles
  • 07-23 2021 Ky-Ote def. Dane Griffin for the TexPro Oklahoma Title
  • 07-23 2026 MLP def. Vincent Cross for the RDW Na'Cho Momma's Hardcore Title
  • 07-23 2026 Bang Bang Bennett def. MLP for the RDW Na'Cho Momma's Hardcore Title
  • 07-23 2026 Vincent Cross def. Bang Bang Bennett for the RDW Na'Cho Momma's Hardcore Title
  • 07-24 1983 Magnum T. A. & Jim Duggan def. Ted DiBiase & Mr. Olympia for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 07-24 2005 Brandon Groom & American Anarchy became the NWA-U Oklahoma Tag Team Champions
  • 07-24 2010 The Hardcore Connection (Maniac Mike & Shane Sanchez) def. X-Rated (Bobby Star & Kevin James Sanchez) for the SWCW Tag Team Titles
  • 07-24 2010 Kareem Sadat became the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 07-24 2010 Brandon Walker def. Jonathan Cross for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 07-24 2010 Jonathan Cross def. Brandon Walker for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 07-24 2019 Antonio Vega def. Shawn Sanders for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 07-24 2020 Derek James def. Alex Royal for the BPW Oklahoma Title
  • 07-24 2020 Size Matters (Sam Stackhouse & Mike Starr) def. Legend Has It (Thrash & Killbane) for the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
  • 07-24 2020 Ethan Cole def. Tommy Dean for the BPW Lion Heart Title
  • 07-24 2022 Sam Stackhouse became the WCR Heavyweight Champion
  • 07-25 1957 Duke Keomuka def. Bull Curry for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 07-25 1962 Hiro Matsuda & Don Kent def. Alberto Torres & Ramon Torres for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 07-25 1966 Tony Borne def. Louie Tillet for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 07-25 1977 Captain USA def. Bruiser Brody for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 07-25 1980 Ken Mantell became the MSW Louisiana Champion
  • 07-25 1981 Eddie Gilbert & Ricky Morton def. Ed Wiskowski & Mike George for the TSW Tag Team Titles
  • 07-25 1983 Jimmy Garvin def. Kevin Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 07-25 1988 The Simpson Brothers (Steve Simpson & Shaun Simpson) def. John Tatum & Jack Victory for the WCCW Texas Tag Team Titles
  • 07-25 2009 Team SuperBad (El Super Colibri & Justin Lee) def. Crazy Beautiful (Brett Taylor & Michael York) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 07-25 2015 La Famiglia (Luke Grayson & Thomas Knight) def. Seth Angel & Adrian Dell for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 07-25 2020 Real Dirty Brawlers (Brawler Morrison & Thrash) def. Tommy Dean for the WFC Tag Team Titles
  • 07-25 2020 Jon Cross def. Luke Langley for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 07-25 2020 Tim Rockwell def. Jon Cross for the WFC Hometown Heroes Title
  • 07-25 2021 Thrash def. Luke Savage for the ASP Mid-American Title
07-24
  • Original Oklahoma Outlaw Jul 24th Today!
  • Anthony Wild Jul 24th Today!
  • Skip Young Jul 24th Today!
  • Joe Savoldi Jul 24th Today!
  • Jack Gamble Jul 25th
  • Pastor Brent Jul 25th
  • Kevin Morgan Jul 25th
  • Norman Charles Jul 25th
  • Red River Jack [2nd] Jul 25th
  • Yali Sapphire Jul 25th
  • Athan Sorrow Jul 25th
  • Lee Cook Jul 26th
  • Mike Bytheway Jul 26th
  • Jack Van Bebber Jul 27th
  • T. J. Muniz Jul 27th
  • Nova Phoenix Jul 27th
  • Matt Borne Jul 27th
  • Eric Rose Jul 27th
  • Johnny Idol Jul 27th
  • Tom Simon Jul 27th
  • Brixton Barricade Jul 28th
  • Sammy Guevara Jul 28th
  • Tim Woods Jul 28th
  • Butch Malone Jul 28th
  • Herb Calvert Jul 28th
  • Luke Brown Jul 28th
  • Brian Lakewood Jul 28th
  • Dan Webber Jul 29th
  • Oliver John Jul 29th
  • Betty Boucher Jul 29th
  • Boss Campbell Jul 29th
  • Antonio Vega Jul 29th
  • Billy Starr Jul 29th
  • Scott Steiner Jul 29th
  • Bobby Whitlock Jul 29th
  • Ace Archuleta Jul 29th
  • Derek James Jul 30th
  • Trey Bearhill Jul 31st
  • Kid Kash Jul 31st
  • Floyd Maystorm Jul 31st
  • Wayne Black Jul 31st
  • Dale Robinson Aug 1st
  • Eric the Red Aug 1st
  • Everett Rattan Aug 1st
  • Jimmy Golden Aug 1st
  • Joel Deaton Aug 1st
  • Amanda Barricade Aug 2nd
  • Tim Rockwell Aug 2nd
  • Jack Vaughn Aug 2nd
  • Gorgeous George, Jr. Aug 2nd
  • Capt. Rowdy Aug 2nd
  • Bull Ramos Aug 3rd
  • Haystacks Calhoun Aug 3rd
  • Altar Boy Sanchez Aug 3rd
  • Karl Gotch Aug 3rd
  • Ronnie Morton Aug 3rd
  • Ellis Bashara Aug 4th
  • Tyson Jaymes Aug 4th
  • Alaskan Aug 4th
  • Stormi Renee Aug 4th
  • Roy Dunn Aug 4th
  • Stan Lane Aug 5th
  • Glen Steel Aug 5th
  • Jimmy Valiant Aug 6th
  • Grizzly Smith Aug 6th
  • Samedi Aug 6th
  • Timothy Johnston Aug 6th

More Look Back In History

Card Results

1