Sunday saw the passing of three wrestlers: Nikolai Volkoff, Brickhouse Brown, and Brian Christopher.
Born Fredrick Seawright, Brickhouse Brown was trained by Terry Funk and would eventually feud with Jerry Lawler. A strong heel and talker, he wouldn't achieve a great success beyond his feuding with Lawler. He passed after battling prostrate cancer.
Nikolai Volkoff was one of the great early modern-era villain. Back in the 1980s, he wore Soviet flag apparel to the ring and sing the Soviet Union's anthem. He had a surprisingly strong baritone singing voice. And no surprise, he wasn't Russian, even less a fan of the Soviet Union. He was a Croat, and hated the Soviets. He said in an interview later McMahon had convinced him by being a Soviet-themed heel, the fans would be sharing his hate of the Soviets.
Born Josip Peruzovic, he would share a tag-team reign with Iron Shiek and feud with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Sgt. Slaughter. He was known as one of the nastiest heels in the ring, and one of the nicest guys outside of it.
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His death comes as a shock to me. He was recently up here in Kentucky just a few weeks ago for the first Frankfortcon. I had wanted to meet him, where he was sharing a spot with Tito Santana and Bushwhacker Luke. Brutus Beefcake had also been scheduled, but dropped out, due to his recent knee surgery. I had wanted to discuss with him the last time I saw him wrestle. It was at a New Jersey independent, squaring off against the Brooklyn Brawler. Someone had aired the tape on our local public-access TV station. This was notable because it was also the first time I saw Sean Waltham, aka The Lightning Kid, wrestle. Out of the old, in with the new. Ironically, Waltham would be considered "old" now.
Brian Christopher Lawler, one of the biggest open secrets he was the son of Jerry Lawler, suffered the most tragic passing. He died from suicide, while in jail for a DUI charge. He had battled drug addiction in the past. He was only 46, just slightly older than myself. I was watching him when I first started watching wrestling, and the USWA was on Saturday afternoons. Brian Christopher was a great young heel, with his good looks, talent, weather vane cocky-whiny attitude, and an absolutely punchable face. I can't find it, but fans of the USWA know they did music videos as well at MTV, and they had a great one of Brian Christopher set with Ugly Kid Joe's "Hate Everything About You." The video featured him cheating and strutting, interspersed with footage of him tormenting a panhandler into doing domestic labor for a can of Spam.
One of my favorite moments was when he was in the WWE tag team Too Cool, with their ally Rikishi at the 2000 Royal Rumble, and their impromptu dance off.
The spot was done right, with Rikishi turning on them and tossing them from the ring.
All three men will be missed.