12 WWE Monsters That Failed
3. Vladimir Kozlov
A forceful reminder of Vince McMahon's love of a foreign monster heel, Vladmir Kozlov was character out of his own time during his 2008 peak, attempting to push the needless xenophobic buttons of a completely disinterested audience.
Getting the 'Russia, Number One!' rubbish out of his system, Kozlov had a unique spotlighted entrance but very little else after the bell rang, despite the months of jobber squashes designed to reveal further quirks of his character.
The victories only furthered fan indifference, but Vladimir was elevated nonetheless, working his first pay-per-view main event at the Survivor Series after weeks of attacking Jeff Hardy, Triple H and The Undertaker on television.
Unsuccessful in his first title match, Kozlov would still remain unbeaten for another four months, before The Undertaker finally pinned him in February 2009's Elimination Chamber.
A second defeat weeks later to Shawn Michaels signalled Kozlov's slide down the card, as he'd be drafted to ECW as a public acknowledgment of his failings at the highest level.
A babyface pairing with Santino Marella in 2010 would see Kozlov at his creative peak, as the Russian exhibited an unseen comedic side, but his 2011 release was little surprise after months of main roster inactivity.