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WHERE IS THE VLADIMIR DOCUMENTARY?

By Mike Johnson on 2021-11-22 10:03:00

If you clicked on this story, it's because I received this question from quite a few readers I ran into at the Survivor Series PPV last night in Brooklyn, so I will address it here. 

There's still been no word as to whether WWE will air the Superfan: The Story of Vladimir documentary before the end of this year and currently, it is not slated to debut on the WWE Network/Peacock.  It's a question I've asked a number of times and there's been no change to it.  Like other projects, it's just sitting there, even though it is 100% post-produced and completed.  There was talk WWE was trying to spin off their original docs for additional revenue by licensing them a third-party, potentially A&E, but there's been no word on that front and thus, the Vladimir doc (and other projects) sit in suspended animation.

Having seen the doc, I can tell you that if WWE doesn't change that strategy, they'll have to change the end of it whenever they do get around to putting it out, because as of January 1st, some of the ending will have been outdated. 

There's also been zero communication from WWE's end towards Vladimir in months. 

The film streamed for one week as part of the Los Angeles Shorts documentary film festival and it was nothing short of excellent, one of the all time best docs WWE has ever produced (and full disclosure here, Vladimir is one of my best friends), thus I have zero idea why the company isn't putting such a great effort forward for themselves.  It makes zero sense to me, especially since they spent over a year working on the project and were so high on the doc they revealed it DURING Wrestlemania 37 earlier this year and went to great efforts to honor him that weekend, which is showcased in the film.

If I'm going to be completely honest here, I'm going to just say this: WWE should really finally just release it, even if it's just on YouTube, because imagine the numbers the film would do on that platform immediately. 

It would do a lot of good for Vladimir, who's had some health issues of late and I truly believe it would benefit him emotionally and spiritually for him to have others see his story and respond to it.    He's spent his entire life supporting the company and WWE wanting to make the doc truly energized him in a way that he needed during a truly rough period of his life, which is gone into in the film.  I'd really like to see them cross the finish line, for Vladimir, and everyone who's ever seen him and wondered who in the world he is.

There is ZERO negative to getting the film out there, so, for those who have asked me last night and in general, where is the documentary - that's a great question and one we shouldn't even have to be asking, because it was supposed to be out months ago and again, with the timing of WWE being back in NYC (where Vladimir lives) for Survivor Series, they have missed another great window to release it.

So, WWE, ball is in your court.  Pick it the hell up.

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