10 Fascinating WWE Survivor Series 2008 Facts

4. The WWE Championship Match Was Vladimir Kozlov's PPV Debut

Survivor Series 2008 Poster John Cena
WWE.com

It's McMahon-ruled WWE: there's going to be foreign baddies, there's going to be monster heels, and there will be men who check off both boxes. Vladimir Kozlov, with his imposing physique and icy scowl, may have been a generation late to the Cold War party, but that didn't stop WWE from pushing him as though he were Nikita Koloff revitalized.

Kozlov was put into a triple threat (well, a singles match that became a triple threat) for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 2008, and it was his first ever pay-per-view match. With all due respect to a well-versed martial artist that could easily rip me in half, it wasn't exactly his finest hour.

Kozlov became the first man since The Patriot in 1997 to receive a WWE Championship match in their first PPV match with the company.

Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.