Vladimir Kozlov Is BACK!

Former WWE beefy boy Oleg "Vladimir Kozlov" Prudius returns to American wrestling.

by Andy H Murray
Oleg Prudius Vladimir Kozlov
IMPACT Wrestling

Former WWE star Vladimir Kozlov is back in professional wrestling, having returned to IMPACT under his real name, Oleg Prudius, on last night's show.

Prudius' surprise appearance saw him attack Champagne Singh, Eric Young, and Jake Something to help new ally Dirty Dango win a five-way Call Your Shot Gauntlet preview match. As a result, Dango now enters the Call Your Shout Gauntlet at number 20.

There's currently no word on what Prudius' IMPACT role will be going forward, though he has been associated with the company since April 2021, when he was brought in as a Russian-language commentator. He made an onscreen cameo for IMPACT alongside Santino Marella this past March.

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Prudius hasn't wrestled since October 2012, when a short run with the Inoki Genome Federation in Japan came to an end. He has since formed a production company, Quasar Entertainment, and worked as a stuntman on such films as John Wick 2 and Fast & Furious 6.

In wrestling, Prudius is best known for his WWE run as Vladimir Kozlov, which stretched from 2006 to 2011. The 54-year-old started life as an imposing monster heel before taking a comedic turn alongside Marella in 2010.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.