411’s WWE Superfan: The Story of Vladimir Report

-I saw the report this AM that this documentary finally got a release outside of Peacock, and I assumed it would show up one day. That day is here as they quietly stashed it on Peacock today as well. Let’s get to it!

-Run Time: 37:26

-190 seconds of Peacock commercials as I assume that means they won’t have other commercials during the documentary. For movies they have been running all the commercials up front which I appreciate. I kind of wish they would do it for WWE shows as well.

-New York City 2020: We see Vladimir leaving his apartment and walking by Madison Square Garden while wearing a mask. Jeff Jarrett says Vladimir is synonymous with MSG in his brain and the pandemic took him away from the WWE and MSG. Vladimir says he misses all his friends here.

-Oct 20, 1986: Roddy Piper hosts a live edition of Piper’s Pit. We meet Charlie Adorno, who is a fan and was in attendance. Heenan told Piper he wasn’t Mr. Popularity and couldn’t find a tag partner. Piper brings a fan up to ask who he should pick as his partner and it’s Vladimir. He tells Piper to pick Hulk Hogan and the place explodes. The following month that was the Main Event Tag Match at MSG.

-Sam Roberts thinks Vladimir was at every show he has ever watched and Jarrett notes fan comes from the word fanatic. We get clips of Vladimir popping up in the crowd at all kinds of WWE shows. The talking heads note that being a wrestling/sports entertainment fan is in your blood. BROCK LESNAR GUY! FRANK THE CLOWN! HAT GUY IN ECW! SIGN GUY IN ECW! ROB ZOMBIE GUY IN ECW!

-Sam Roberts says he wanted a Vlad action figure to put in the front row of his arena at home. Jarrett says that what you see is what you get with Vlad. We hear Vlad on a show saying, “WWF number 1. Nitro sucks.”

-Drew McIntyre was jealous of Vlad as a kid and thought he was related to a McMahon to get front row seats all the time. They go over the various rumors and Roberts believed the rumor that Vlad was Vince’s personal trainer. Bruce Prichard laughs at that idea and someone else thinks Vlad was a lotto winner and quit his job to follow WWE around the country.

-Bruce Prichard is blown away when he learns Vlad isn’t Russian. He learns that he is actually Haitian. Vlad eating a WWF Ice cream bar. I WANT THOSE BACK!

-Vlad clears the air and says he was not Vince’s trainer. He is just a superfan. He was born in Haiti and his mom came to the US first. His mom was a single mother, but made sure they had food on the table. He notes his mom is 92 years old. He started watching WWE on TV and kind of liked it. Billy Graham and Bob Backlund were his idols and he snuck out to see his first show. He had tickets in the upper level.

-Charlie talks about meeting Vlad and how they developed a friendship waiting in line at The Garden to buy tickets for the next show. There were no PPV at the time, so it was The Garden was always the big show.

-Hulk Hogan talks about the history of MSG and what it means to work there as a performer. Shawn Michaels calls it the Mecca of Sports. Rock talks about his debut at MSG and how special it was to debut there. Hogan talks about the fans in MSG and calls them the greatest fans in the world. Vince says they are the most loyal and appreciative audience, but they make you work for it.

-Jimmy Hart isn’t sure how Vlad always got his seat. We see Vlad telling Mr. Perfect to get his ass in the ring. Ha! There’s Vlad at ECW One Night Stand II! Sid celebrating with Vlad after he won the WWF Title from Shawn at Survivor Series. That I remember clear as day. Vlad was even at a WWF softball game back in the day!

-He talks about hanging out with Hulk Hogan in a parking lot one day and HHH at an event. He has met everyone! He has heard all the rumors, and they aren’t true. He worked hard to save his money for the shows. He tells us he wanted to be a wrestler and couldn’t do it, so he wanted to be the biggest fan they had. “I feel special.”

-Sept 9, 2019: He has lived in Upper East Side Manhattan for 50 years. He has been to shows in Philly, Boston, and Baltimore, but MSG is the best. Vlad attends Monday Night RAW and says it was like he never left The Garden. He gets backstage and gets a hug from Jeff Jarrett. That’s a great moment!

-We see other fans meeting Vlad and taking pictures with him. Cool! Charlie says they made an agreement to attend every WrestleMania together. Vlad says he has been to 34 WrestleMania as he had to miss one. For reference, I have been to three and hoping to get to my fourth next year.

-March 2020: “Covid changed everything.” Vlad says he would work and then have to come home. He had his tickets for Mania 36 in Tampa, and then the world shut down. “People dying. I have a couple of friends who died by the way.” Vlad had hip surgery and was in rehab for six months. His mom also had to have surgery after a fall and had to go to a nursing home for rehab. In the nursing home, everyone was catching IT. She was home for a week before they found out she was sick and it turned out she had COVID. He saw his mom on a Friday, and she told him that she loved him. “Then that was it.” The next time he saw her, she had died. “I miss my mom. I want her back. I want my mom back. I want wrestling back.” He notes wrestling and his mom are the two things that keep him alive. He admits he tried to commit suicide three times. He did get some help and he is sure his mom will forgive him. “I wish I could go to one show to see these guys.”

-We see Vlad’s collection of WWE memorabilia and it’s quite impressive. A ripped Hogan shirt that was tossed to the crowd. A Honky Tonk Man guitar that was smashed over Honky’s head. Rockers shirt that was worn to the ring. Plus a ton of other stuff.

-Jeff Jarrett talks about COVID shutting the world down and how he thought of the fans who were missing out on something that meant so much to them. Vlad shows off an American Flag that has Hulk Hogan’s blood on it. Hogan calls the fans the heartbeat of the business and there is nothing more important.

-December 2020: Vlad receives a video message from Shawn Michaels thanking him for being their superfan. Jarrett calls him a slapnut and tells him he thought about him as he knows WWE is part of his identity. Slaughter sends a video message as well. There’s one from Hogan too! That’s cool of them! You can see how touched Vlad was by the messages. “Please make it happen God. I want to sit in the front row again.” He breaks down as he thanks his mom for watching over him and he starts praying for the return of wrestling. “Wrestling is in my blood.”

-WrestleMania 37: Charlie immediately called Vlad and told him they are going to WrestleMania in Tampa. They meet up at the airport and Vlad is ready to go. I can’t stop smiling at his reaction.

-Vlad says he always wanted to tell his life story. He says wrestling is his medicine and he really needs it. We see them pull up to the stadium and Vlad thinks he is dreaming. He is sporting a Shawn Michaels shirt and fans recognize him and are excited to see him back. He notes it is very emotional and talks about how much he misses his mom. She knew how much he loved wrestling.

-Kevin Owens meets Vlad backstage and says Vlad is part of the memories he has of wrestling growing up. Waltman and Drew McIntyre meet hims backstage as well. Scott Hall (RIP) asks if Vlad is on the payroll. Damian Priest meets Vlad backstage and he is sure they attended evens in NY together as fans. Vlad flexes in front of the WrestleMania sign as he says it feels great to be back home. HHH and Steph come up and surprise him. He tells the producer they got him on that one. Steph passes along her condolences about the passing of his mom. That’s classy! HHH presents Vlad with a WWE Title in a shadow box that notes he is an official WWE Superfan! HHH: “We put it in a box because we knew you would just wear it around all the time.” HA!

-Vlad just looks so happy and is in awe of the belt they presented him. He looks up at the sky and says, “I gotta be in Haven.” He would tell his mom that he finally made the big time. “Thanks mom.” He breaks down again and apologizes but no need. This is just beautiful! If you can go call your mom and give her a hug the next time you see her.

-Vince welcomes everyone to WrestleMania to start Night One and we see Vlad reacting to the show from there. Vlad laughs about giving it to Bobby Lashley as he gives him the double thumbs down. Vlad says it gave him motivation to go on from here. He notes again that this is medicine for him. KO gives him a hug after his match. “If you take wrestling from me, I have no life.”

-We get more footage of fans coming up to Vlad to get pictures and talk to him. Charlie says Vlad is his brother and they will keep going until they can’t go no more. Priest says Vlad is proof that the WWE Universe is part of the business. Hogan calls Vlad the greatest and says he loves him. It’s crazy how often he just pops up on camera for the last 40 years.

-Vlad says he isn’t part of the show, but he is part of the family. Jarrett says some people being there just make the show better. Vlad always stood out and he puts over how much Vlad loves wrestling. Vlad: “I’m going to wrestling until I die. Until I die.”

-Closing message on the screen: “Vladimir has been to over 1000 WWE events. He remains a true superfan.” We see Vlad watching the Piper’s Pit from MSG where he was pulled from the crowd. He marks out while watching it, and its fantastic!

-That was wonderful and worth the wait. I couldn’t stop smiling and I had tears in my eyes a few times as well. Definitely a must watch for those that follow the WWE as closely as all of us part of this community do, and I can see non hardcore fans being moved by this one as well. You don’t need to be a longtime fan to understand loss of a parent or dealing with what we all did during The Pandemic. I am so happy this story got out and now it is part of history. Wonderful job by all associated with this one. Thanks for reading!