Carl Brantley

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Carl Brantley was a professional wrestler better known as Vladimir Koloff.

[edit] Career

Carl R. Brantley started professional wrestling in February 1990 as Vladimir Koloff in a tag team with Ivan Koloff. Brantley was billed as a relative of the Koloffs, Ivan and Nikita Koloff. He was billed as Ivan's nephew and Nikita's brother. They teamed together in South Atlantic Pro Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the IWA and Atlantic Coast Wrestling (an independent version of the old Mid-Atlantic/Jim Crockett Promotions territory); they feuded with the Thunderfoots while in ACW.

Brantley was used by the World Wrestling Federation & World Championship Wrestling under his Koloff ring name, but was relegated to house shows for many years throughout the US and abroad, never really getting the "big break" that many observers felt he deserved.

Later that year, he and Ivan teamed up again briefly for then-NWA member Eastern Championship Wrestling, which evolved into the independent Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) the next year. Koloff had several title matches tag-team and singles, most notably against Tito Santana for the ECW Heavyweight Championship. Santana said of Koloff, "He has the most raw strength of any wrestler alive!"

In late-1993, Brantley wrestled in Asia and feuded with The Fabulous Lance (AKA Lance Von Erich), The Barbarian, The Giant Warrior, The Warlord, Demolition Smash and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart.

In 1994 he wrestled "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan in an Atlantic Coast Wrestling match on a supercard they promoted called WrestleBash '94. He lost the no disqualification match to Duggan.

In 1995, he wrestled for Southern Championship Wrestling where he feuded with Chris Stephenson and was managed by Count Grog. He continued in the independents through 1998 and feuded with Curtis Thompson, Giant Warrior, The Russian Assassin, The Patriot and Ricky Morton, whom he traded the UCW Heavyweight Title with a couple of times.

In 1997, he briefly formed a tag team with Nikolai Volkoff called "The Red Guard" in Ultimate Championship Wrestling with Ivan Koloff as their manager. Brantley retired in January of 2000 to run and promote his own wrestling cards in the Southwestern United States (NM, UT, CO, and AZ). The Honky Tonk Man said of Koloff and his promotions, "He ran the largest independent cards that I have ever been associated with in my entire career, in New Mexico, 15,000 spectators!"

In 1998 Koloff and then friend Stan Lane of the Midnight Express entered into the world of offshore powerboat racing with Super Boat International (SBI). Koloff became an instant favorite with the crowds and racers, so much that he was the personal body guard for the Preisdent of Argentina at an event in Mar Del Plata Argentina, and many of the family members and racers competing at the Global events.

He now lives in his hometown of Wilkesboro, NC, where he has maintained a residence since 1979, breeds and raises registered Texas Longhorn Cattle as well as exhibition show poultry, which he has been a four time National Champion.

[edit] Profile

  • Height: 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
  • Weight: 290 lb (132 kg)
  • Hometown: Wilkesboro, North Carolina
  • Born: Muncie, Indiana, June 1st 1964, second of three sons to William F. & Peggy Mae Brantley
  • Education: Selma Middle School, Selma Indiana; Wilkes Central High School, Wilkesboro, North Carolina; Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina; Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
  • Trainer: Ivan Koloff, Bobby Fulton, Jackie Fulton, Andre' The Giant
  • Debut: 1990
  • Managers: Ivan Koloff, Nikita Koloff, The Big Cheese Sal Corrente
  • Finisher: Russian Suplex

[edit] Championships, Professional & Amateur Accomplishments

  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • PWI ranked him # 453 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI 100 Years" in 2003.
    • PWI ranked him # 120 of the top 500 wrestler of 1993.
    • PWI crowned him as runner-up 1991 Rookie of the Year, behind Diamond Dallas Paige.
  • Professional & Amateur Titles
    • 2-Time ACW World Tag Team Champion with Ivan Koloff
    • 1-Time IWA World Heavyweight Champion
    • 3-Time IWA North American Champion
    • 5-Time UCW World Heavyweight Champion
    • 1-Time Cavender Cup World Champion, Mumbai, India


    • 1980 Northwestern Conference Champion, 185 lbs.
    • 1980 1st Team, All-Northwestern Conference, 185 lbs.
    • 1980 NCHSAA Sectional Champion, 185 lbs.
    • 1980 NCSHAA Regional Champion, 185 lbs.
    • 1980 NCSHAA State Tournament, DNP
    • 1980 High School Record 31-2
    • 1981 Northwestern Conference Champion, 185 lbs.
    • 1981 1st Team, All-Northwestern Conference, 185 lbs.
    • 1981 NCHSAA Sectional Champion, 185 lbs.
    • 1981 NCHSAA Regional Champion, 185 lbs.
    • 1981 NCHSAA State Tournament, 185 lbs. 4th Place
    • 1981 NCHSAA All-State Team, 185 lbs.
    • 1981 High School Record 33-3
    • 1982 Northwestern Conference Champion, 195 lbs.
    • 1982 1st Team, All-Northwestern Conference, 195 lbs.
    • 1982 NCHSAA Sectional Champion, 195 lbs.
    • 1982 NCHSAA Regional Champion, 195 lbs.
    • 1982 NCHSAA State Tournament, 195 lbs. 2nd Place
    • 1982 NCHSAA All-State Team, 195 lbs.
    • 1982 High School Record 37-2-1
    • 1983 Northwestern Conference Champion, 195 lbs., (4-Time)
    • 1983 1st Team, All Northwestern Conf. 195 lbs., (4-Time)
    • 1983 NCHSAA Sectional Champion, 195 lbs., (4-Time)
    • 1983 NCHSAA Regional Champion, 195 lbs., (4-Time)
    • 1983 NCHSAA State Tournament, 195 lbs., 8th Place
    • 1983 NCHSAA All-State Team, 195 lbs., (3-Time)
    • 1983 High School Record 41-1
    • 1980-1983 Cumlative High School Record (142-7-1)
    • All NCHSAA Sectional, Regional, and State Tournaments were combined, (no class, i.e. 1-A,2-A,3-A,4-A separation) all classes competed against one another!!
    • 1979 AAU Eastern National Gold Medalist, Greco-Roman & Freestyle, 180.5 lbs., Shippensburg, PA
    • 1980 USWF Eastern National, Silver Medalist, Greco-Roman & Freestyle, 192 lbs., Cincinnati, OH
    • 1981 USWF Eastern National, Gold Medalist, Greco-Roamn & Freestyle, 192 lbs., Greenville, SC
    • 1982 USWF Eastern National, Bronze Medalist, Greco-Roman & Freestyle, 192 lbs., Rock Hill, SC
    • 1978 & 1979 Indiana State AAU Gold and Silver Medalist, Greco-Roman and Freestyle, 180.5 lbs., Bloomington, IN.
    • 1981 & 1982 Gold Medalist United States National Elite Greco-Roman Wrestling Team that competed in the countries of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and France. Competed @ 98 kg/198 lb and 100 kg/220 lbs.
    • 1981, July; Brantley was competing in Buchresti, Romania for the United States National Elite Greco-Roman Team. In a dual meet competition against the Romania National team, Brantley scored a 5-2 victory over then 1980 Moscow Olympic Bronze Medalist and subsequent 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Gold Medalist, Vasile Andrei of Romania. Brantley had just turned 17 years old only a month prior to this event. Later he, "Brantley" went on to defeat the competitors from Iran, Finland, Hungary and France in the same competition.
    • 1981 Silver Medalist, AAU Junior Olympic Games, 192 lbs., Winston-Salem, NC., Wake Forest University
    • 1981 & 1982 United States "Olympic 200" Team Member, 192 lbs. Colorado Springs, CO.
    • 1981 & 1982 United States "Olympic 200" Silver & Gold Medalist, 192 lbs., & 220 lbs., University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.
    • 1981 & 1982 Bronze Medalist, National Sports Festival, 192 lbs., Syracuse, NY, and 192 lbs.,Indianapolis, IN.
    • 1981 & 1982 Silver Medalist and Bronze Medalist, AAU Grand National Greco-Roman Championships, 220 lbs., Lincoln, NE.
    • 1980 AAU Double All-American, Freestyle & Greco-Roman 192 lbs., Lincoln, Nebraska
    • 1981 AAU Double All-American, Freestyle & Greco-Roman 220 lbs., Lincoln, Nebraska
    • 1982 AAU Double All-American, Freestyle & Greco-Roman 220 lbs., Lincoln, Nebraska
    • 2006 AAU North Carolina State Games, Gold Medalist,

Heavyweight, Masters Age Group

    • Numerous time throughout the 1990's he participated in and for the; "Child Abuse Prevention Association" Golf Tournament, Hilton Head, SC; "Brenner's Children's Hospital" Golf Classic, Winston Salem, NC; "MDI" Celebrity Classic, Hickory, NC. "Children's Miracle Network","Help Fill a Dream","D.A.R.E." (Buncumbe, Burke, Cleveland Counties Sheriff's Offices)