Boris: “It was just great getting in the ring with AWA CHAMP Rick Martel. Just a fantastic babyfaces, in unbelievable, fantastic shape. So easy to get heat on, great wrestler in every respect. Just made super comebacks and it was just a great honor to get shots at that big title. Not to mention a great payday as well.”
T: “You also faced your former comrade Sgt. Slaughter, who was the America Champion at that time. Did you prefere facing him as your opponent or teaming up with him?”
Boris: “I loved working against Sgt Slaughter as well as tagging with him. He was so easy to work with, was over like a million dollars. In great shape, could just do unbelievable things for a big man. He knew how to utilize his gimmick to the max. And that made my job a piece of cake with my Russian gimmick.”
T: “Memories of competing against a young Scott Hall & a young Curt Hennig, who both later became legends of the business?”
Boris: “Scott Hall and Curt Henning were just wonderful young upcoming babyfaces, I knew had a great future. Scott was strong, in great shape, listened well and just had a great attitude. Wanted to and was eager to learn. Curt was just a great natural, I just loved working with him. Great babyface in every way. Fans and especially girls loved Curt. I hated seeing him turn heel. I missed him dearly. One of the best dropkicks I ever took from any one.”
T: “In 1987 you won the AWA World Tag Team Titles with Soldat Ustinov, yet you left the company still one half of the champions. Were you already signed by the WWF at that point or was there some sort of falling out with Verne? What happened that you left without dropping the titles first?”
Boris: “I was given an opportunity to go to the WWF and it was of course after the Iron Sheikh had to leave. Vince decided he wanted a Russian tag team. Sherri Martel and Jack Lanza both who I had worked with in the AWA put in a very good word for me with Vince. I was given the word, I got word to Vince when my contract with Verne was set to expire. On a Friday night at midnight in Sept of 1987. I was booked Saturday night,the very next day in Dallas Tx. I was told this is how it had to be,no jobs on tv or anywhere. I knew this would be my only chance to go and I had been around long enough to see where the business was headed. Vince was slowly taking it all over, the writing was on the wall, even at that time. You would had to be blind not to see it. So I felt I had no choice but to go, I had a family to support. I would have rather gave a two week notice and dropped the belts properly. But that was a option I was told I did not have. I never said a word to Soldat or Adnan Al Kassey,our manager.I did not want them accused of knowing what I was up to and them remaining silent. I wish it could have been different. The business had changed forever and for the worse in my opinion.”
T: “It was October 1987 and you were now wrestling for the biggest Pro-Wrestling company on the planet, the World Wrestling Federation. Right away you formed a Tag Team with Nikolai Volkoff, called `The Bolsheviks.´ But were you just brought in as a replacement for Volkoff´s former tag partner The Iron Sheik, who had just gotten fired?”
Boris: “Nikolai and Iron Sheik just had tremendously, unreal heat. And so did the Soviet Union, period. So the WWF decided to give us a good push. But the heat was already established and that alone made it easy.”
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