As Nord The Barbarian he was (managed by Gary Hart), where he feuded with Kevin Von Erich over the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship.

In 1989, he returned to the AWA under the name Yukon John (a lumberjack gimmick where he would come to the ring with an ax, dressed in blue jeans, flannel shirt, animal skin hat and boots).

He mainly competed in singles matches, until forming a tag team in 1990 with Scott Norton, called The Yukon Lumberjacks.

[7] The following month he was renamed The Berzerker, given Mr. Fuji as a manager, and began feuding with Davey Boy Smith and Jimmy Snuka.

During his WWF run, Nord utilized a toned-down version of the gimmick of his deceased former partner Bruiser Brody in portraying a clumsy and cartoonish Icelandic Norseman.

[8] His preferred method of winning matches was by throwing his opponents over the top rope for a countout, all the while holding his wrist, licking his hand, shouting "Huss!

[14] Nord appeared on the January 24, 2018 episode of Judge Mathis where he was sued by Christine Schmidt, who he had befriended at the substance abuse facility at which she worked, for $4,759 she covered on two credit cards she had opened for him.

[15] Nord said he had been in substance abuse recovery since December 2016 and that he and the plaintiff had actually burned through a $10,000 royalty check from WWE on such things as fancy restaurant dinners.

Nord claimed she would have earned much more if she sold them at their estimated value, including 5 that were allegedly worth approximately $750 each, about which he informed her when offering them as settlement.

Schmidt defended the sale by claiming that she was ignorant about selling online and needed money quickly to pay bills.

Mathis ruled that she should have done her due diligence before accepting and selling the dolls, and reduced the amount owed to her by the proceeds from the sale to $3,059.

[17] On July 15, 2019, Hennepin County District Judge Jay Quam sentenced Nord to five years' probation on the condition that he remain in restrictive housing and refrain from "driving whatsoever."

The judge, however, in his decision, took into consideration the fact that Nord is in treatment, has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis which has confined him to a wheelchair and will spend the remainder of his life in assisted-living facilities.