The Russian Bear Has Passed Away

The Russian Bear, Ivan Koloff, passed away today at the age of 74. He had been struggling with liver cancer.

Born Oreal Parras, the real-life Koloff spent his childhood on a dairy farm in rural Ontario among nine siblings. A pro wrestling fan from a young age, he joined a wrestling school at the age of 18, making his in-ring debut in the 60s.

His most famous moment in the wrestling world was ending the nearly eight year long reign of WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino. It was a shocking moment for wrestling fans, and Koloff lost the title to Pedro Morales just a few weeks later.

Koloff spent his post-wrestling career in ministry, speaking at churches and prisons, and had worked to promote the Children’s Miracle Network in his modern home in the Carolinas. In recent years, his health problems had become so severe that he was unable to sign autographs for fans, instead using a rubber stamp for signing.

Bruno Sammartino vs. Ivan Koloff - WWE Championship Cage Match: Madison Square Garden, December 15,

Ivan Koloff had never made the WWE Hall of Fame, and his involvement in the concussion lawsuits against WWE would have made a recent induction unlikely.

It was just a few days ago that we reported Koloff had been in bad health, with his daughter setting up a Go Fund Me to request help with medical expenses. It’s been a sad week for wrestling fans, as just yesterday we lost both George “the Animal” Steele and the lesser-known ECW and WWF star Nicole Bass.

Our hearts go out to the family and friends of all the wrestlers we’ve lost this week.