In 1967, "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff was born and debuted with the International Wrestling Association in
Montreal, Québec, becoming the International Heavyweight Champion. The next 31 years consisted of traveling to
Europe, Japan, Australia, West Indies, and
Puerto Rico, as well as the
United States. He soon got his debut match against
Bruno Sammartino on TV in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In
1971 Parris, wrestling as "The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff, defeated Sammartino for the
WWWF Heavyweight Championship with a kneedrop from the top rope, ending Sammartino's seven year reign. He would lose the title a short time later to
Pedro Morales, essentially being used as a "transitional" champion, much like
Stan Stasiak and the
Iron Sheik would be in later years.
In the 1980s, Ivan had great success in the
NWA and
Jim Crockett Promotions. He won the
NWA World Tag Team Championship and the
NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship while there. He was also instrumental in the success of his "nephew"
Nikita Koloff, helping to train him and make him a star. His regular partners during his NWA stay were
Ray Stevens, Don Kernodle, Nikita Koloff and
Krusher Khruschev. When Nikita turned on him to join his enemy
Dusty Rhodes in 1986, he teamed with
Vladimir Petrov and
Dick Murdoch to get revenge. His biggest feuds were against Rhodes, the
Road Warriors, the
Rock 'n' Roll Express (
Ricky Morton &
Robert Gibson) and
Magnum T.A..
Parris spent time in
Paul Jones' Army in 1988 and he was a "coach" of sorts for the
Powers of Pain, The Barbarian and
The Warlord. He later split with Jones, reuniting with nephew Nikita, and feuded with Jones' team of the Russian Assassins before leaving
Jim Crockett Promotions in January 1989.
On the independent circuit, in which he is still very active to this day, he had notable feuds with Chief
Wahoo McDaniel and
Jimmy Valiant.
"The Russian Bear" was immortalized in the
Ramones song "The Crusher" from their last album, "
Adios Amigos."
