Is That Wrestling Fake? The Bear Facts

by Ivan Koloff with Scott Teal

Where else but the world of professional wrestling could a young Canadian boy grow up to be a grizzled Russian heel. Ivan Koloff grew up fighting cold Ontario winters constantly getting into trouble with his two brothers. He achieved legendary status when he was hand-picked by Bruno Sammartino to end Sammartino's eight year reign as WWWF World champion. The Russian Bear became a seasoned journeyman gaining experience wrestling in rings all over the world. Koloff may be best remembered by modern day fans as the leader of a powerful Russian faction in the NWA that consisted of wrestlers like Vladimir Petrov, Krusher Krushev, and Nikita Koloff. "Uncle Ivan" had a particularly strong influence on the career of his "nephew" Nikita Koloff, who would later help lead Ivan towards a renewed relationship with God.

Ivan Koloff became the next in a long list of wrestlers to put their story down on paper and share his life with the fans he entertained for over thirty years. With the help of editor extraordinaire, Scott Teal, Koloff took a trip back in time to relive his early years growing up in Canada and breaking into wrestling business at Jack Wentworth's famous gym. Ivan eventually came face-to-face with his idol, Bruno Sammartino, who would play a major part in the progression of his career. Some of the more light-hearted parts of this book are the amazing stories of life on the road as a pro-wrestler. As everybody knows, with all of the good times in wrestling, there are just as many bad times - and Ivan Koloff was not immune to the demons that traditional plague professional wrestlers. Ivan would obliviously fall into a pattern of drugs, alcohol and a dangerously short fuse. While his career was winding down, Ivan was re-introduced to the powers of God; with His help, Ivan eliminated the negatives and is now enjoying a peaceful life with his wife, children, grandchildren, and a part-time role in the world of independent wrestling and occasional legend's conventions. This book is a complete bell-to-bell portrayal of the life and times of Ivan Koloff, who opened up and shared his personal and professional life like never before.

Rating: 7 / 10 -------- Reviewed by Brad Dykens on October 17, 2007.