Collection: Ivan Koloff The Russian Bear

Every hero needs a villain, and for Bruno Sammartino in WWE’s golden age, that evil was manifested in Ivan Koloff. During Koloff’s reign of terror in the 1970s and ’80s, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union reached a fever pitch, and “The Russian Bear” took full advantage of Americans’ fears by decimating their ring idols.

On Jan. 18, 1971, only months after Koloff’s WWE debut, he created one of the company’s most infamous moments. In front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd of nearly 22,000, Koloff ascended to the top turnbuckle and dove onto the WWE Champion, Sammartino. His knee crushed onto Bruno’s throat, and “The Russian Bear” covered the Italian powerhouse to score a stunning three-count. Suddenly, the screaming New Yorkers in attendance fell eerily silent. The feared Soviet ended Bruno’s record-setting seven-year title reign. To this day, some longtime fans still can’t believe it happened.

Bruno attempted to gain a measure of retribution as he and Koloff battled back and forth for much of the following decade, including in Madison Square Garden’s first-ever Steel Cage Match in 1975. The two seemed evenly matched, with each notching several victories in their long and mostly unsettled rivalry.