Free Republic

Nikolai Volkoff, the burly wrestler whose brash Soviet persona and physical embodiment of Communism made him one of the most hated figures in professional wrestling, has died at the age of 70, World Wrestling Entertainment said. Volkoff was considered a heel, the wrestling term for a character who plays an enemy figure and riles up crowds. Amid the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, Volkoff antagonized American audiences by wearing all-red Soviet outfits, waving a Soviet flag and insisting that the crowds stand for the Russian national anthem and then loudly singing along.

WASHINGTON — When Nikolai Volkoff made an entrance during the height of his fame years ago, he was greeted by boos. Now he hopes for applause. That's because Volkoff, who as a symbol of the communist Soviet Union in the 1980s was considered one of the most notorious professional wrestlers, is preparing for a run at the House of Delegates in September. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Volkoff, now a Baltimore County code inspector, is a veteran of the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment) from the 1980s, when the likes of Hulk Hogan, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, and Rowdy Roddy Piper...

An Unfamiliar Ring Rookie candidate gets pinned by his wrestling past. Folks leaving a recent gathering of the Republican Party in Timonium, Md., found fliers on their windshields that accused a candidate for state office of spitting on the American flag as a young man. The target of the leaflets, Nikolai Volkoff, denies that charge. “I never spit on the American flag. Never!” says Volkoff, 59, who is entering politics by trying to win the 7th District state-assembly seat after a long and legendary career in professional wrestling. “I sang the Russian anthem, yes. But I never spit on any...

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