As SummerSlam heads to Minnesota this weekend, WWE is celebrating the state that produced several legends.
On Friday, WWE Vault premiered a video honoring the state’s rich wrestling legacy. The focus soon turned to Robbinsdale and the students of Robbinsdale High School who became legends in the industry.
WWE Hall of Famer Smash, real name Barry Darsow, and WCW legend Nikita Koloff sat down and looked back at class photos of a young Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, and The Berzerker. Besides playing football
together, they were close friends who graduated within a year of one another in the late 1970s.
For some, this may be the first time hearing Koloff speak in his natural voice instead of his character’s thick Russian accent.
When asked why Robbinsdale churned out so many wrestlers, Koloff said, “It was the minerals in the water tower in Robbinsdale.”
Darsow believed it was something else.
“I used to kind of say it was the beer,” he quipped.
The video’s opening offers a brief spotlight on other Minnesota legends, including Brock Lesnar and Ric Flair, as well as wrestler and promoter Verne Gagne and his promotion, the AWA.
The seven-minute mini-doc offers longtime fans a nostalgic look back while introducing newer fans to one of wrestling’s most influential cities. Other notable names featured include Brady Boone and former WCW TV Champion “The Z-Man” Tom Zenk.
