[2][4][5] Markoff was born in Yugoslavia and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.

Their reign ended in November 1967 when they were defeated by Pat O'Connor and Wilbur Snyder.

Markoff and Poffo won the WWA World Tag Team Championship in 1966 and again in 1967.

In 1981, Markoff joined the Charlotte, North Carolina–based Jim Crockett Promotions, where he formed a tag team with Nikolai Volkoff called "The Imperial Russians".

Managed by Lord Alfred Hayes, the duo won the NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship later that year.