Since his teenage years while growing up in Moscow, Russia, Pavel Kozlov had a passion for becoming a big name in American Pro Wrestling. Now, having made that dream into reality, he has set his a newfound goal for himself, to become a Russian actor as next Hollywood’s “Bad Guy.”

Early Years

Pavel Kozlov was the only child of parents who were both professors at the University of Moscow, Russia. As a child, he was destined to follow in on his parent’s footsteps of academic and creative excellence.

However, tragedy struck this young boy as he lost his father at the ripe age of 13, which took quite a toll on him. He discovered the American professional wrestling circuit during his grief, which he took as his newfound passion. Wrestling was non-existent in Russia at that time, so Pavel resorted to VHS recordings to learn and practice what he could from limited wrestling shows in Moscow. He would study for hours based on these tapes and tried to absorb whatever he can from the moves he saw. He finally found his passion in life, and that was to become a Pro-wrestler.

Alongside his wrestling passion, he recognized the value of education in his life as his primary means to fulfill his goals. For this, he moved to the USA and studied wrestling at Team 3D Academy in Florida. After he moved to Los Angles in 2017, he immediately enrolled in acting at Playhouse West (North Hollywood) and started his journey as a Pro-wrestler turned Russian actor en-route to be the next big thing.

Making a Choice

After his high school, Pavel Kozlov enrolled at the University of Moscow to study journalism and eventually got a job as a successful journalist. However, the burning desire to become a wrestler never left his mind, and in 2007, he made a tough decision to quit his job and dropping out of University and moved to the USA to follow his dreams. This was the hardest decision of his life, as he had to leave everything behind to pursue his dream. English was far from fluent for Pavel, and he worked hard to overcome this barrier while training at WWA4 for 1.5 years and started participating in independent circuits throughout Georgia and North Carolina.

Victor Romanoff: The Birth of a Villain

Eventually, Pavel Kozlov moved to improved opportunities soon after leaving WWA4. He wasted no time in enrolling at Team 3D wrestling academy, and this was where his dream came true in the form of Victor Romanoff: A Siberian fighting spirit and a heel character that paved the way for his other villainous portrayals as a Russian actor in Hollywood.

Pavel had never been in denial about his background, as he knows his Russian descent will bring many stereotypes in his way. He decided to use those stereotypes to his advantage and become “The Real Russian” in wrestling.

His character of Victor Romanoff had led him to cash in on the “Evil Russian” stereotype and portray evil characters in Hollywood. His most recent and known roles in TV shows: CW’s Black Lightning and CBS’s MacGyver.

Dedicated Individual

Whether it be his time as a Pro-wrestler or a Russian actor, Pavel Kozlov has always been an individual with dedication and objectives. With no friends or family, with English as a second language and tough times, his commitment to his dreams took him to the USA, the land of opportunities. Pavel approaches every opportunity as a chance to learn something new. He seizes every chance of experience while working with other actors, and with his training in wrestling, he is in his prime for all sorts of roles. He understands the possibilities for his career and takes every step to improve his skills.

Future

Pavel Kozlov thinks about his time back in Moscow, where his body was far from that of professional wrestlers. Still, with his dedication and hard work, he showed the world that nothing is impossible if you set your mind, body, and soul towards achieving it. With his commitment, he had the goal of becoming the next “Bad Guy” of Hollywood. He has proven that continuous learning and hard work is the key to success. He now trains at Hayastan MMA in North Hollywood alongside MMA legend Gokor Chivichyan and his son, Arthur, while honing his acting skills as an evil Russian actor for Hollywood.