The pointed scowl and simplistic brawling of Ukranian Kozlov were a throwback to the days of wrestling yore, when America-hating Russians were once a fad. A full generation after the Cold War ended, and WWE trots Kozlov out on television playing an antiquated gimmick. Fans didn't care, and they cared even less when he and Triple H slogged through resthold after resthold at Survivor Series 2008. Kozlov would eventually improve in the ring, turning face and forming a decent team with Santino Marella, but he never reached his potential as a monster villain. That quick push to the moon in his first year as a main roster player faded just as quickly when Triple H summarily dumped him out of the 2009 Royal Rumble match.
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.
