They also had many hard-fought matches against the Road Warriors, who could match up in strength and size.[1]
During their feud with Magnum T. A., Nikita won the United States Championship in a best of seven series.[4] Then in October 1986, Magnum was injured in a car wreck and his career was over. Nikita left the Russian Team and joined Rhodes forcing Ivan and Krusher to feud with them.[1]
Kruschev left JCP in December 1986 (to go to the WWF as Smash of Demolition) and Ivan replaced him with Vladimir Petrov to get Nikita.[1] Ivan and Petrov continued to call themselves the Russian Team until they added Dick Murdoch a few months later.[1]
After the Assassins attacked Nikita and put him out of action (in reality so he could tend to his unwell wife Mandy), Ivan replaced him as a tag partner with former rival Junkyard Dog. The Assassins would defeat Ivan and Dog at Starrcade '88 and one Assassin would lose to Michael Hayes at the Chi-Town Rumble early the next year. In late March 1989, Ivan and one Assassin left the company while the other continued in WCW without his mask under his regular ring identity Jack Victory.[6][7]
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrsCawthon, Graham (2013). the History of Professional Wrestling Vol 3:Jim Crockett and the NWA World Title 1983-1989. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN978-1494803476.
^ abcdefRoyal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "NWA World Tag Team Title [Crockett]". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^ abcdeRoyal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "NWA Six-Man Tag Team Title [Crockett]". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^ abcRoyal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "NWA United States Title [Crockett]". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "NWA National Heavyweight Title [Crockett]". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title [Crockett]". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "NWA United States Tag Team Title [Crockett]". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.