From The Vault Review: “Superfan: The Story of Vladimir”

We all know of the modern-day wrestling superfans, the ones that sit in the same spot every show and pop up throughout the shows. Most of them have their own gimmick now, typically wearing the same thing every show. Some have even spawned imitators. Nowadays they will pay wild prices for WWE On Demand concepts like walking the ring aisle at WrestleMania and getting introduced by Alicia Taylor.

For many of us though, there’s a generation of superfans before them. One in particular sticks out and became a star of his own without even trying. With his trademark muscles, Vladimir Abouzeide was a regular fixture in 1980s and 1990s WWF shows. He’s certainly the only one with an official WWE documentary. He even has wrestling figures.

The documentary, though, almost didn’t appear. It was made in 2021 but fell into an unfortunate hole when WWE made some changes in what they were releasing. As focus changed on WWE Network, several shows and documentaries went dark. One show was WWE Icons, set to spotlight numerous superstars complete with a companion recap and interview show. The first three episodes, focused on Yokozuna, Beth Phoenix, and Rob Van Dam, aired. The next two, Lex Luger and British Bulldog, were canned. The “Superfan” documentary suffered a similar fate, being put on the shelf.

For the next two years, fans would pester WWE on social media to release the documentary, but it seemed fruitless. Then, on October 28, 2023, we had the surprise appearance of the documentary being uploaded on WWE Network internationally and shortly after on Peacock in the United States. No hype, no big announcement, but just it suddenly being available at long last.

In 2026, Vladimir has had a few health struggles brought on as side effects of his with Parkinson’s disease. As the news has gotten out, the good folks at WWE Vault have uploaded the documentary onto YouTube. A lot can be said about WWE, but I have nothing but good to say about the people that work the WWE YouTube accounts. They have a love of the game.

Today I’m going to watch the “Superfan” documentary. I’d recommend you do the same but hopefully recapping it here will give you a little extra inspiration.

We start with the legend himself getting dressed and leaving the house. New York City, 2020, Vladimir Abouzeide in a facemask stands in view of Madison Square Garden. As we get these establishing shots, we hear soundbites of Gorilla Monsoon and Michael Cole announcing at MSG.

Vladimir tells us he misses MSG. This is when we zoom back to October 20, 1986. The MSG show gets a live edition of Piper’s Pit. Charlie Adorno, Sports Entertainment Fan, remembers sitting in the front row of the show. Roddy Piper interviews Bobby Heenan and Paul Orndorff, the two berating him for not having a partner. Piper says he needs to talk to his manager and waves towards a fan at ringside, calling Vladimir up to the ring. Vladimir hops on the ring apron and Vlad tells Piper that the partner should be Hulk Hogan. A month later, Piper/Orndorff vs Hogan/Piper main events MSG.

Sam Roberts, WWE Analyst feels like he saw Vlad on every show he watched. Jeff Jarrett, WWE Hall of Famer calls Vladimir a fanatic while X-Pac, WWE Hall of Famer tells us he was never surprised to Vladimir. “He was always there; we knew him by name.” You may note that Vladimir is wearing a Jeff Jarrett tee for most of the doc, so they’ve established a friendship over time. Roberts defines superfans and how we wonder how that person gets that same seat every show. Kevin Owens, WWE Superstar, tells us that you can’t help but notice them. Roberts tells us about how nowadays superfans try to cultivate a social media following as we see a few of the modern ones but reminds us there were superfans long before social media like Sign Guy, Rob Zombie Guy, and the OG Vladimir.

We flash through photos of Vladimir meeting big names like Undertaker and Shawn Michaels as Bruce Prichard, WWE Executive Producer tells us that people always thought Vladimir was an insider because he was always there and also the muscles. Jarrett says Vladimir was out of his mind but always brought energy to the shows.

Drew McIntyre, WWE Superstar, was always jealous of Vladimir as a kid and just knew he was related to someone in the company. Roberts heard that he was a superstar’s friend and that Vladimir was Vince McMahon’s personal trainer. Bruce laughs at the personal trainer idea. Other theories were that Vladimir was a lottery winner and used his fortunes to go to shows. Bruce learns that Vladimir is Haitian and not Russian.

New York City, September 2019. Vladimir Abouzeide is here to tell us his story. His mom came to the United States and he followed. She kept food on the table, and he always worried about her being taken care of. He started working to support her. He started watching WWE and fell in love, especially with Superstar Billy Graham. He snuck out and got tickets, his first show in section 14E. “And that’s when I became the greatest WWE superfan.”

Charlie remembers meeting Vladimir at MSG back when you’d have to stand in line to go buy tickets. They sat together every chance they had after that. Hulk Hogan, WWE Hall of Famer, says that MSG is the Roman Coliseum for wrestling, and everyone wanted to work there. Shawn Michaels, WWE Hall of Famer, says it is a huge box to check on your bucket list. The Rock, WWE Legend, calls his debut there a special night. Hulk calls it the high point of his checklist but then says the fans are an even higher point. Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO, tells us that there is not a more appreciative audience than New York. Hulk calls Vladimir one of the most passionate guys he saw at ringside. Jimmy Hart, WWE Hall of Famer, always saw Vladimir when he was being chased around ringside.

Vladimir tells us that he is himself and that’s how guys respond to him. Big Show told him at a show to never stop what he’s doing. We see footage of Sid Justice and Shawn Michaels embracing Vladimir at shows. Vladimir tells us how he hung out with the superstars at the bar, Triple H at a WWE banquet, and how wonderful they all are.

Vladimir laughs about being Vince’s trainer and bodyguard when really, he worked hard to save money for the shows. He tried to become a wrestler and couldn’t, so he decided to become the greatest fan ever instead.

September 9, 2019. Vladimir has lived in Manhattan for over 50 years and has been to shows around the world, but nothing is like being at the Garden. He’s here for Raw and we watch him have a great time at the show and cheesing at Stone Cold doing the beer salute. We flash backstage and see Jarrett giving him a huge hug and asking how he got backstage. Jarrett laughs, “I hate him more than he hates me.” Fans take pictures with Vladimir. Vladimir tells us he has been to 34 WrestleManias, only missing one, and is excited to go to his 35th in 2020.

March 2020. Well, you know what happens. “That was very, very sad for me because I really wanted to go. Everything changed. People dying.” He had hip surgery and was in rehab for half a year and his mom got hurt and had surgery as well. She had to go to a nursing home and Covid spread there, coming home for a week sick as he cries telling us how the last thing he told his mom was that he loved her. “I miss my mom. I want her back.” He says the two things that have kept him alive were his mom and wrestling.

Vladimir tells us about trying to commit suicide three times because he misses his mom. He’s going to therapy for help. “I’m down, I lost my mom, I have problem.” Vladimir wishes he could go to a wrestling show because it would be great therapy.

We head to Vladimir’s palace and see his collection of wrestling memorabilia, from classic figures to Honky Tonk Man’s guitar to Steve Austin’s beer cans. Many of them are from events he attended. Jarrett says Vladimir’s relationship with WWE is part of his moral fiber and he’s concerned because Covid has taken it away from so many people.

December 2020. Vladimir is given an iPhone to sit down and watch. Shawn Michaels tells Vladimir the year has sucked, and they want to thank him for being a superfan for always being there. Jeff Jarrett calls him a slapnut and says he misses him and thinks about him all the time. Sgt. Slaughter shouts him out for always being a fan and says he’s a big fan of Vladimir too. Hulk calls him the #1 Hulkamaniac of all time and he’ll never forget him. Shawn invites Vladimir to ringside when they’re able to come back. Vladimir is overcome with emotion over the videos. He prays to God for it to happen again. He speaks out loud to his mom, saying how much he loves her, thanking her for all she did, and praying that she can help bring wrestling back. “I’m like a kid. I love wrestling. Wrestling is in my blood.”

News comes out that WrestleMania is returning to Tampa, the first time with fans after Covid. Charlie calls Vladimir and tells him they’re going to WrestleMania. They meet at the airport and head to Tampa. Vladimir is all smiles. He gets ready in the hotel. “This is my relief. This is my medicine.”

Vladimir and Charlie head to Raymond James Stadium for WrestleMania 37. Vladimir is wearing a mask, but you can see the smile glowing from underneath. He tells us about missing his mom and how happy he is to be here. Vladimir, now with a cane, is greeted by several WWE wrestlers like Owens and Xavier Woods. Owens tells us that Vladimir is part of his wrestling memories because he was always there on the shows he was watching. Scott Hall asks Vladimir if he’s on the payroll yet and Drew McIntyre tells us that Vladimir exudes passion for wrestling.

Damian Priest, WWE Superstar, says that meeting Vladimir was special because they’re attended some of the same events. Vladimir poses in front of a WrestleMania video wall when up walks Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. Vladimir thanks them for WrestleMania tonight and Stephanie hugs him. Triple H surprises him with a display box certifying him as an official WWE Superfan. Triple H tells us nobody is more of a superfan than Vladimir and he remembers seeing him front row at the Garden. Stephanie saw him basically her entire life as she grew up at the Garden and it was really cool. Triple H: “Vlad being here kind of makes it official, we’re back. Finally, Vlad is back in business.”

Vladimir admires his new award and is speechless. “I gotta be in heaven.” When asked what he would tell his mom today, he has a quick answer. “I’d say, ‘Mom, I finally made the bigtime.’” “Thanks mom.” Vlad can’t help but remove his trademark glasses to wipe tears. “Ma, I love you mom.”

WrestleMania 37. Vince McMahon, with the superstars on stage, welcomes the fans back and thanks them, welcoming them back to WrestleMania with his trademark growl. Vladimir yells at Bobby Lashley, is greeted by Jimmy Uso, and dances as Bianca Belair wins the gold. “Motivation for me to go on. I swear to you there were times I thought about committing suicide, doing something bad. It’s like you sick. This is like a medicine for me.” KO gives Vladimir a big hug at ringside.

Other fans tell Vladimir what an inspiration he is to them. Drew says fans like Vlad make WWE as special as it is and Priest says the fans aren’t just there as spectators, they’re part of the show. Hulk and Shawn share their love for him. Vladimir: “I’m not part of the show, I’m part of the family. Dream come true.” Jarrett says that just by being there, Vladimir makes things better. “If you can stand out, you’re doing something special.” Vladimir: “I’m going to go to wrestling until I die.”

On screen text: “Vladimir has been to over 1,000 WWE events. He remains a true superfan.” We end with Vladimir watching his big moment with Piper back and laughing over it, loving it almost as much as he did when it happened.

I hadn’t watch this, but this was beautifully done. Besides being a great tribute to the man itself, it does make you reflect on your own fandom a bit. We write, blog, and tweet through wrestling shows that we’re watching at times to distract us from real life. Vladimir does the same by attending shows. As we all experienced, Covid and the quarantine around it was life-changing for a lot of us mentally. Things changed. It led to dark thoughts for some. If you ever find yourself in such a place, please consider reaching out to those that can help you. You’re not alone.

I really enjoyed this. It’s fairly short – 37 minutes – and it is clear the mutual love that Vladimir and the wrestling world have for each other. Give this one a watch and then send some good vibes to Vladimir.