Ivan Koloff

Ivan Koloff
Koloff, c. 1982
Birth nameOreal Donald Perras[1]
Born(1942-08-25)August 25, 1942[2][1]
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DiedFebruary 18, 2017(2017-02-18) (aged 74)
Winterville, North Carolina, U.S.[1]
Cause of deathLiver cancer
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Ivan Koloff[2][1]
Jim Parris[3]
Orwell Paris
Red McNulty[2]
Billed height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[4][5]
Billed weight298 lb (135 kg)[6]
Billed fromMoscow, Russia[6]
Ukraine
Trained byJack Wentworth
Dan Koloff
DebutFebruary 15, 1963 [7]
RetiredNovember 16, 2013[3]

Oreal Donald Perras (August 25, 1942 – February 18, 2017) was a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "the Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff, where he was billed from Russia and, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine. He was the third wrestler to hold the WWWF Championship.[1][8][2]

  1. ^ a b c d e Chad Bonham (2001). Wrestling with God. David C Cook. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-58919-935-4.
  2. ^ a b c d Solomon, Brian (2006). WWE Legends. Pocket Books. pp. 155–158. ISBN 978-0-7434-9033-7.
  3. ^ a b "Ivan Koloff's profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  4. ^ https://www.wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=bios&wrestler=1205 [bare URL]
  5. ^ "The Mid-Atlantic Gateway | the Ivan Koloff Interview".
  6. ^ a b "Ivan Koloff bio". WWE. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  7. ^ "Ivan Koloff: Secret Untold Tale of a Beloved Wrestling Heel". December 12, 2023.
  8. ^ Mooneyham, Mike (June 10, 2007). "'Evil Russian' softens, looks back on career". The Post and Courier. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2013.