The roar of the crowd, the clash of titans, the Cold War-era villainy– these are the images that likely spring to mind when the name Nikolai Volkoff is mentioned. For wrestling fans of a certain era, Volkoff, often paired with the likes of the Iron Sheik, was a formidable and heat-generating force, a symbol of Soviet strength in the squared circle that went head to head with Hulk Hogan in 1985. But beyond the bombastic persona and the signature rendition of the Soviet national anthem, there was another side to Josip Nikolai Peruzović, a man who found a quiet and fulfilling life in Maryland, far removed from the wrestling ring (per Steve Stasiak of Book Pro Wrestlers).
