Former WWE superstar Oleg Prudius — known as Vladimir Kozlov — made a return to wrestling in 2023. He appeared for IMPACT Wrestling, a move that came because he said he missed it.
Speaking during a recent virtual signing for K & S WrestleFest (via POST Wrestling), Prudius explained the decision to his return. Prudius said it was as simple as the fact that he missed the action of wrestling.
“It’s still in my blood. I miss action,” said Prudius. “And plus I have so many friends in TNA with my former partner Santino Marella. You know what is a funny story? Because when I was involved in production for movie ‘The Wrecker’, TNA made a show in Las Vegas (in 2023) and everybody said, ‘Oleg, come over. Let’s sit down, talk, meet’ and after, we got some idea, maybe somehow, I would be involved in wrestling and in the future days, make a cross-promotion between wrestling and movies. Because I feel like lots of wrestlers, performers from TNA, they can become huge actors because they can do stunt, they can perform and they have the skills (in acting). Yeah.”
Prudius has been aligned with Dirty Dango and Alpha Bravo on TNA TV since returning.
“He picked right up where he left off”
WrestleZone’s Bill Pritchard spoke with Dirty Dango about Prudius’ return to the pro wrestling scene. Dango said it doesn’t look like Prudius missed a beat during his absence.
“He looks better aesthetically now, I think, than he did back in WWE. He’s in great shape,” Dango said. “I hope I look that good in a couple of years. He looks great. He’s jacked.”
Prudius hasn’t wrestled full time in more than a decade, as he’s been enjoying a career as an actor. However, Dango said Prudius has adapted well.
“I was worried about his first match in like 11 years, which was [on the November 9, 2023 episode of IMPACT Wrestling]. And I feel like all the stunt work he’s done over the last 10 or 12 years, is very similar to wrestling, where you’re remembering spots and you’re going through through the motions. So his match was great, and he didn’t forget anything. He went right out there and nailed it first take. He picked right up where he left off for sure.”
