Vladimir Kozlov is a guy that really shouldn't have received a big push in his career, but it seemed like WWE was interested in doing it because they wanted to have a foreign heel. They love having foreign heels. Look at Rusev's push right now. Kozlov was signed in 2006 and by the 2008 edition of Survivor Series, he was getting a WWE Title shot. Did you know that Kozlov is on the short list of people that have actually beat The Undertaker clean? That just shows that he's a guy that they had really high hopes for. Some of the biggest names ever never beat Undertaker clean, yet Kozlov gave him a powerslam and pinned him on the February 27, 2009 edition of Smackdown. It was a shocker. What Vince McMahon saw in Kozlov was an athletic big, foreign wrestler that they tried to book into a main event role. It didn't last because of his limitations as a talker. Eventually he found his role as a comedy tag team partner of Santino, but that's not why he was brought in. Maybe if they gave Kozlov a manager he could have got over and been a top guy. It was another failed attempt by WWE in creating a new star.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
