Victor Zangief

==Early Life==
Victor Dzantemirovich Zangief was born on June, 17th, 1951. Victor was the son of Renae Devyatayev, a stage actress of Ossetian descent from the Republic of North Ossetia and Mikhail Zangief, a Soviet fighter pilot known for his incredible escape from a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. Although Victor was born in Kazan, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, when he was six years old Victor and his parents were forced to move to the Virgin Lands of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic where his father could only find work as a manual laborer. Victor would try to spend time with his father by grabbing a pick and a shovel, following his father to work; although Mikhail would eventually send him back home to be with his mother. When Victor asked his father why he would want to move away from Kazan, Mikhail simply replied that the Soviet citizens were urged to settle in the Virgin Lands and told his young son that when called upon by your country, it is a call that cannot be ignored. Victor always admired his father and his unwavering sense of nationalistic pride in their country, despite the fact that Mikhail was still considered a "criminal" due to his past as a prisoner of war. Upon the age of 10, Victor's life would change forever as he began showing signs of Gigantism, a rare disorder resulting in Victor's excessive growth. By the age of twelve, Victor was 6 ft 2 in tall, weighed 220 lb, and had chest hair. As he continued to grow rapidly, it became increasingly difficult for his parents to clothe and feed him on the low paying wage that his father made. This resulted in him having to leave his schooling and get a job as a farm hand on a neighboring dairy farm. During this time, Victor would watch the television his boss owned while on his break. His boss was Vakhtang Balavadze, a short tempered former welterweight freestyle wrestler who spent all his free time watching his television; his only ''prized possession'' after his wife cheated on him and ran away with another man, stealing all of his medals. Victor's work break would coincide with a 60-minute television program that Balavadze would watch religiously, an American professional wrestling show titled "Big Time Wrestling". Victor was initially dismissive of the foreign sports show but quickly changed his mind once he saw a Professional Wrestler by the name of Boris Stallkoff. Victor was in awe of Stallkoff, a large Russian fighter who represented the Soviet Union with honor and a soviet pride that reminded him of his father. Victor became enraptured in Stallkoff's struggles to obtain the Georgia National Heavyweight Championship and his constant battles against the American patriot Justin Warner; the National Heavyweight Champion. He was inspired by Stallkoff's determination to never give up his dream of becoming the ''best wrestler in the world'' despite his constant short comings against Warner. Although Victor grew to love American professional wrestling, he developed a deep seeded hatred of the American people, who would unceasingly boo and curse Stallkoff in a fevered frenzy. Victor soon became obsessed with professional wrestling to the point that it became all he could think about. It would hamper his field work as he would often wrestle with the farm animals; starting with sheep, goats, and small pigs before he moved on to wild boars and bear cubs. Seeing this, Balavadze introduced Victor to the world of amateur wrestling; something Victor had no interest in until Balavadze revealed that Stallkoff got his start in the amateur circuit and that they were wrestling partners who proudly represented the Soviet Union at the World Championships multiple times. When Victor asked Balavadze why he didn't join Stallkoff and become a professional wrestler, he cited that he planned to after the 1960 Olympics; but was unable to after a career ending knee injury. The injury resulted in him earning only a bronze medal; something that he believes brought a great shame to the motherland. Upon learning that his son would begin training in amateur wrestling, Mikhail thought that it was a great idea and a good outlet for his son to use his increasingly growing strength in a productive manner; especially one that could be used for the glory of their country.
=== Unrelenting Training ===
Under Balavadze's tutelage, Victor began a harsh training regime of weight lifting and constant grapple drills; to both enhance his physique and technique. As the years went by, Victor's strength grew so numerous that by the age of 14 he was able to perform a one-handed swing of a 110 lb weight. At 16 years of age, Victor was 6 feet 7 in tall and was able to uproot trees with only a cable around his neck; a training exercise Balavadze invented to test the limits of his young protégé’s inherent strength. Eventually, Victor's power grew so immense that Balavadze had to stop sparring with him; not wanting to exacerbate his knee injury. In his stead, Balavadze would go to local circuses that would come to town and pay off different animal trainers to let Victor wrestle against their trained Eurasian brown bears. The bears proved a difficult challenge for Victor as their equally large frame was not easily overpowered; forcing him to implement the grappling techniques that Balavadze taught him. Impressed by Victor's power, the trainers would hire him as an act in their circus where he would wrestle the bears in front of the audience. Victor would never receive any of the payments, however, as Balavadze explained that if he accepted money for wrestling it would disqualify him from future amateur competition. Regardless, Victor didn't care about the money as he was only interested in getting stronger for the sake of his country. Victor was appreciative of his coach's efforts in finding him a worthy training partner, but admittedly grew tired of wrestling tamed bears; as the circus bears he grappled against were often declawed and muzzled. Victor would frequently get into arguments with his coach over wrestling ''real bears'', during which it would become increasingly apparent that Balavadze's short temperament was rubbing off on his young student. Once 18 years old, Balavadze would finally enroll the 6 foot 10 in tall Victor at the local junior wrestling club; believing he was able to wrestle against the best they had to offer. Victor wrestled an exhibition match against one of the students there and quickly won the match; slamming his opponent onto the back of his head with a suplex and pinning him to the mat. However, much to Balavadze's shock, the other coaches refused to allow Victor into the club. They claimed that it was unfair for the other boys to wrestle with Victor, citing him a ''freak'' who belonged in a circus and not on the mat. Although his coach was enraged by his student's apparent dismissal, Victor was unaffected by the harsh words thrown at him. Instead, he walked toward the other students and introduced himself as ''Victor Zangief, the man who will show the world the indomitable might of the Soviet Union''. As the students stand silent in awe of the gargantuan Victor and his bold declarations, a fellow student named Viktor Kuznetsov shakes his hand and tells him that it is an honor to have him on the team; calling him ''Comrade Zangief''. The other students soon join in and express their gratitude that he is going to join their club; something Zangief is equally happy about. Seeing the support of their students, the disgruntled coaches have no choice but to accept Zangief into the club.
== Amateur Wrestler ==
Over the next two years, Zangief, Kuznetsov, and their club would go on to win numerous wrestling championships at local competitions. This culminated at the 1971 Junior World Championships where Zangief reversed the first seat in the 220lb class in freestyle wrestling. After this victory, Zangief would leave Junior competition and join the men's wrestling circuit. Now standing at a full 7 feet tall, both he and his coach agreed that it was time for him to seriously train for the next Olympic games happening in 1976. They hoped that he would be able to qualify for the Soviet national team; knowing he would be unable to make the team for the 1972 Olympics. Following this, Zangief, Balavadze, and Kuznetsov journey from Aktyubinsk to the city of Novosibirsk located in Western Siberia; hoping that the harsh conditions of the famed Siberian colds would work to harden Zangief's body for the rigorous matches ahead of him in his quest to join the 1976 Olympic games.
=== Olympic Dreams and The Myth of Zangief ===
Over the next five years Zangief would train like a man possessed, winning several wrestling competitions while becoming a local legend all around Western Siberia for his great feats of pronounced strength. People from Novosibirsk to Sverdlovsk told tales of the "Giant Zangief" and his incredible power, such as his battle against a monstrous wild boar that terrorized an entire village. The boar was said to be more than 12 feet long and weighed over 1,000 pounds. It is said that Zangief bested the mammoth creature by lifting it from behind and suplexing it. According to the legend, Zangief slammed it with enough power to forcibly drive the boar through the ground, creating a small crater in the wake of the devastating blow. Another tale of his might occurred from his efforts to help a small town after a vicious storm tore through the city. Spectators said that Zangief lifted a Siberian larch off of a wrecked car with people trapped inside. The tree was 164 feet tall and weighed close to 1,322 pounds, but Zangief with all his Herculean strength raised the colossal tree off of the vehicle saving the helpless family. Stories such as those spread like wildfire all around to the point that Zangief became something of a mythical figure among the Soviet community, one that was often compared to Ilya Muromets; a beloved Russian hero from medieval times, that was famed for the almighty strength that he used in order to protect Russia from those that would seek to do her harm. Despite Zangief's growing fame, his drive and focus to become a member of the Olympic team never wavered. It was something he carried with him along with the love and support of those he helped and met along his five year journey. As the time of the Olympic games inched closer, Balavadze entered Zangief in multiple high level wrestling tournaments in order for him to qualify for an Olympic try out.
==== Olympic Love ====
At the World Cup, Zangief would meet Ludmilla Tourischeva, a renowned Russian gymnast and five-time Olympic medalist for the Soviet Union. Zangief had long been an admirer of hers, believing that she embodied the classic Soviet style: grace, elegance, impeccable form, and strong technique. He first saw her when watching the 1972 Olympics where she won the gold medal in the all-around competition and led her team to a dominating Soviet victory. He respected her courage to try a new technique at the Olympic games as she was the first female gymnast to use two separate pieces of music for her floor routine, one of which was "March" from the film Circus by Isaak Dunaevsky. Zangief loved Dunaevsky's music, believing him to be the greatest Soviet composer of all time; something the two quickly bonded over. The more the two got to know each other, the closer the pair grew, even as Zangief's overwhelming views of nationalism both inspired and scared her as it boarded on xenophobia against anyone not Russian. Despite this fear, she found herself drawn to the wrestler and although Zangief had sworn off women, viewing them as nothing more than distractions, he found that Ludmilla was unlike any person he had met before. When she looked at him she saw deeper than just the giant he had become, she saw the true man beneath and wanted to learn more about him. She listened to his likes, his dislikes, his dreams, his fears, his insecurities, and shared his past of constant training from a young age as she herself started training at age 13, and began competing for the Soviet team at age 15. After the World Cup the two would make a constant effort to continue seeing each other meeting up at the closest town whenever they would get a break from training. Over time they fell in love with one another, with Zangief falling for her gracious manner and the supreme serenity she would give him whenever she was around; Ludmilla loved him for simply being him, a good natured man, with a great sense of humor, that was totally fearless. Everyone Zangief introduced Ludmilla to instantly took a liking to her, including his mother who taught Ludmilla her famed Borscht recipe; Zangief's favorite dish. However, her coach, Vladislav Rastorotsky, did not care for Zangief, believing him to be nothing more than a brute and a poor influence on Ludmilla; one that would affect her competitions. Despite Coach Rastorotsky's fears of failure, Ludmilla would pass her Olympic qualifying rounds with excellent scores, all while Zangief cheered her on; causing a ruckus at the games with his boisterous manner, something that would both embarrass and endear her.
==== A Shocking Loss ====
Zangief would then begin his final tournament to qualify for the summer Olympics. True to the moniker Zangief earned from his American adversaries months prior, he tore through the competition like an indomitable cyclone of power; earning a spot in the tournament finals. In the final match of the qualifying tournament, Zangief would face Soslan Andiyev, a fellow countryman of Ossetian descent. Andiyev was a decorated heavyweight wrestler, being a former world champion in 1973, 1975, and 1977; a former European champion in 1974, and 1975; the reigning Soviet champion from 1973–75; as well as having won the World Cup last year. Although Zangief looked to dominate from the outset of the match, Andiyev's superior technique proved to be Zangief's undoing as he was unprepared for Andiyev's advanced ankle picking technique, getting the giant off of his feet several times during the match. Andiyev went on to defeat Zangief on points, earning the final spot on the Olympic team by a close decision. Crushed by his defeat, a stoic Zangief walks over to his opponent. Ominously towering over the 6'4" Soslan, Zangief shocks everyone in attendance by shaking his hand and congratulating him on his victory. This particularly stunned both Coach Balavadze and Kuznetsov, due to them knowing Zangief for being extremely competitive, to the point of having destructive tantrums whenever he felt cheated or unjustly bested in training. Seeing Zangief smile in the face of an official defeat was a sight to behold for them, a sight they attributed to Ludmilla's influence on him. However, Zangief's smile would soon turn stern as he demanded Soslan win the Olympics and bring home the gold medal for the glory of the Motherland; a burden Soslan took on without hesitation.
=== Unconditional Sacrifice ===
With his current Olympic dreams dashed, Zangief had no choice but to restart his journey hoping to redeem himself and earn a spot on the 1980 Olympic team. However, after Ludmilla suffers a career threatening back injury, Zangief would finally take a break from his extensive training for the first time in over a decade and devote his time to Ludmilla. Over the next month, Zangief committed himself fully to Ludmilla's recovery; promising that she would be ready in time for the Olympic games. Everyday the two would train to strengthen her back muscles, with Zangief never letting up on her strict regime. Zangief's dedication to his girlfriend and his constant support of her and her Olympic goals, began to change the mind of her coach, Vladislav. Vladislav could see that Zangief's intense passion lit a fire in Ludmilla, a fire not even he could coax out of her. It was this fire that indeed led Ludmilla to recover in enough time to attend the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal, albeit not 100 percent. Despite struggling with the back injury, she finished third in the all-around competition, won silver medals on the vault and floor exercise in the event finals, and led the soviet team to gold for the third time in her Olympic career.
=== Starting a Family ===
In celebration of her Olympic victory, Zangief and Ludmilla traveled to the soviet capital in Moscow, where Zangief, after scraping together enough money from various odd jobs, took her to the Bolshoi Theater in order to see their infamous ballet of worldwide acclaim. During the show's closing act, Zangief proposed to her and Ludmilla happily accepted. Three weeks later the two would wed in her home town of Kiev, located in the Ukraine. During their wedding the two would perform a Hopak as their first dance together as husband and wife. Ludmilla had introduced Zangief to the Ukrainian folk dance during one of their early dates and he surprised her with it at the wedding much to the fanfare of her family and relatives. Following the wedding, Ludmilla stunned Zangief with a humble shack of a house she had Balavadze and Kuznetsov build in secret; confirming that she chose Novosibirsk as the place the two would begin living their new lives together as husband and wife. Staying in Novosibirsk was a huge relief for Zangief as it meant that he could continue his journey to the Olympic games without having to uproot his life and training regime. Five months later the two would have their first child. Ludmilla named the child Aleksandr, after the world renowned Greek conqueror Alexander the Great, believing their child was destined to achieve great things. Despite Zangief's apprehension to naming his son after a foreign hero, the fact that Aleksandr was born premature and still weighed 12lbs at birth, was a sign that his wife was correct in her estimation of his destiny; as well as a sign that he had inherited his father's gigantism. Becoming a father put many different things in perspective for Zangief as he now began to prioritize his family over his training. Until then Zangief and Ludmilla were supported by Coach Balavadze who would give Zangief an allowance as he spent all of his days training and did not work. Knowing from his own past how expensive a growing boy can become, Zangief decided to find a way to accumulate enough money to support his growing family. Due to this, Zangief began putting his training on the back burner in order to do odd jobs such as work as a model for painters and sculptors, although he hated staying still for long periods of time. The only job Zangief enjoyed was when he was able to join the circus whenever they would come to town, performing as both a spectacle as a giant and a strongman who could do incredible feats. He once leg pressed 24 men, with a total weight of 4,120 lb, on a plank with the soles of his feet. Some of his other feats included, carrying two Siberian tigers on his shoulders, breaking chains across his chest and arms, bending an iron bar with his bare hands, and pounding a 5-inch spike through a two inch thick plank using only the palm of his hand. Through this, Zangief was able to comfortably provide for his family as he made $1,000 a week for these circus performances. Life continued for the Zangief family as such for the next three years, with Zangief focusing all his free time in becoming a doting, caring, and nurturing husband and father to his wife and son. Due to this, Zangief's training slowly became little more than an afterthought as he confined himself to his new life as a family man; a life he believed Ludmilla and Aleksandr deserved.
=== Reigniting the Spark ===
However as the years went by since their marriage, Ludmilla could notice the spark behind his eyes were slowly fading as he talked less and less about his dreams of being a professional wrestler, of his goal of making the Olympic team, and his desire of representing the Soviet Union at the highest levels possible. Although happy to have such a loving husband and a great father in Zangief, she couldn't help but feel guilty about being the reason for his contentment. Fortunately, Ludmilla would get the chance to reignite the spark in her husband after his old rival Soslan Andiyev publicly invited Zangief to participate in this year's Soviet Championships. In the news article, Soslan stated that in the years since Zangief's apparent disappearance from the amateur circuit he has been unable to find a worthy challenger. The man who has been the reigning Soviet Champion since 1973 went on to personally challenge Zangief, stating that he was his greatest opponent and implored him to wrestle once more. After reading the article, Zangief was initially going to refuse Soslan's challenge believing it impossible to maintain a strict training regime along with a full time job and a family. Ludmilla tried to convince him otherwise, telling him to quit his hated job as a model and train full time; promising that she would find a way to support them. A notion he dismissed until Ludmilla reminded Zangief of his utter devotion to her during her back injury, begging him for the chance to return the favor and be there for him in his time of need. Seeing the burning passion and fire from his wife empowers Zangief with a determination he hadn't felt in years. The following day he quit his job and began training for his comeback.
=== Return to Amateur Wrestling ===
For the next few months, Zangief worked non-stop, training vigorously day and night to get his body back in fighting shape, while Ludmilla supported the family as a coach for the local gymnastics team. Although Zangief was able to get his conditioning and physical power back at its peak, it became increasingly apparent to Coach Balavadze that his years away from grappling had caused too much deterioration to his technique. Undeterred by his coach's estimations of his current abilities, Zangief suggested that they merely keep training relentlessly until he is back to proper form. This idea is dismissed, however, with Kuznetsov noting that it would be impossible to get as many grappling sessions Zangief would need in order to be ready to competitively take on Soslan in the short time they have left until the World Cup. Disheartened by his coach and best friend's revelations, Zangief began to contemplate quitting his return to wrestling. Fortunately, Kuznetsov's words inspire Coach Balavadez with an idea on how Zangief could get as many spars as he would need in the short time the team has left to prepare. However, Balavadez admits that it would come at a cost. Intrigued by what his coach means, Zangief asks him what he would have to do. Balavadez tells his pupil that he'd have to move away from his family for the remainder of their training, dedicating all of himself to the task of his return. Although hesitant of leaving his family behind, Zangief knows Ludmilla would want him to do whatever it took to not only return but win against Soslan. Determined not to let her down, Zangief agrees to do whatever Balavadez has in mind. 
==== Circus Wrestling Circuit ====
The next day Balavadez and Zangief travel to the capital of Moscow in order to enlist Zangief as a performer in one of the city's Grand Circuses. These "Grand Circuses" were different from the local Circuses that would come to Novosibirsk in that they were much bigger and included wrestling exhibitions. Having been a former performer Balavadez is able to speak on Zangief's behalf to Soyuz Gost-Cirk, the organizer of circuses in the Soviet Union, to get him a spot on one of the traveling Grand Circuses as a wrestler. Although the circuses paid their wrestlers for participating in their events, Zangief refused to accept payment as it would turn him "professional" and thus disqualify him from participating in the World Cup. In his stead, Zangief requested that all of his money would go to Ludmilla. When Zangief first joined Circus Wrestling, he was forced to grow wise to the carnies who traveled and wrestled alongside him at these events, as they often used tricks to protect their money and reputations during competitions. They would devise little-known and often dangerous wrestling moves, called "hooks." Hooks were illegal in conventional amateur wrestling, but had high rates of success against even the most athletic and experienced of competitors, essentially removing the rules from "professional wrestling". Although disgusted with their shewed tactics, Zangief was pleased that he would find himself challenged in new ways by his contemporaries. Much to everyone's shock, Zangief was quick to prove himself too strong for his opponent's hooking tactics to work against him and quickly became the top Circus Wrestler in the circuit.
==== The World Cup ====
By July of 1979, four months after Zangief joined the Circus Wrestling circuit, he had traveled all over the Soviet Union, from Sevastopol to Kiev and fought over 6,000 wrestlers, defeating them all. With the World Cup two weeks away, Zangief returned home to spend time with his wife and young son before disembarking with them to the most anticipated match of his career. The highly publicized challenge between Soslan and Zangief would garner near national attention as the World Cup received overwhelming spectator turnout which forced the government to host the World Cup at the Bolshoi Theatre; which could accommodate up to 3,400 people. With the Bolshoi Theatre filled with over three thousand adoring fans, Zangief and Solsan began the tournament tearing through their respective brackets until both made the finals. As the match began, Zangief thanked Solsan for his challenge admitting to him that he ignited the fire within him again. Solsan then thanked Zangief in return for accepting his challenge and making it to the finals to meet him once again. The bout was closely contested with Soslan’s advanced ankle picking yet again causing Zangief great difficulty early on. However, Zangief was able to break through Soslan’s technique, countering his ankle pick and using his athleticism to get behind Soslan, allowing him to slam his opponent onto the back of his head with a devastating suplex, pinning him to the mat before the end of regulation. With the match suddenly over, Zangief looked upon everyone in attendance finding his friends from the circus, members of his old junior wrestling club, Kuznetsov, Balavadez, his parents, Ludmilla and Aleksandr, before being overtaken by all of his pent up emotions over the past 7 months; letting out a resounding battle cry of victory which was met in kind by the roaring approval of the crowd. Here at the same building that he proposed to his wife, he won the World Cup, doing so as their son witnessed him avenge his only loss in amateur competition.
=== Professional Dreams ===
With his victory over Solsan, Zangief’s dream of representing the Soviet Union for the 1980 Olympic games was officially renewed in earnest. He began training religiously over the next three months while still maintaining his duties as a father and a husband. During this time Aleksandr and his father would bond by watching tapes of American pro-wrestling, much like Zangief used to when he was younger. The two would often play wrestle around the house breaking things much to the disapproval of his mother. Watching those old tapes of Boris Stallkoff again, began to itch at Zangief as he remembered his original dream of becoming a professional wrestler, of winning the world heavyweight championship and representing the soviet union as the greatest foregin champion to ever wrestle in the states. Nonetheless, he would keep his focus on training for the Olympics and continue to put his quest to become a pro wrestler behind him. It wasn't until after finally qualifying for the national Olympic team that Zangief was met with a once in a lifetime opportunity that had the potential to change his life forever. With his dream finally obtained after tireless years of unimaginable work, Zangief was introduced to one of his childhood heroes, Caleb Sokolov. Sokolov was an Olympic Gold Medalist weight lifter turned professional wrestler who was a former World Wide Wrestling Federation World Heavyweight Champion. Zangief was shocked and awestruck to meet Sokolov, wondering why he would seek him out. Sokolov informed Zangief that he has been watching him for quite sometime now and that he has become extremely impressed by what he's seen Zangief accomplish. Zangief thanks Sokolov for his compliment before Sokolov tells him of a potential job proposal as an official Professional Wrestler. Zangief is stunned by this, as his once unattainable childhood dream is suddenly within his grasp. Before he is able to respond, Caleb Sokolov gives him his card and arranges a meeting with Zangief for tomorrow night. Once back home, Zangief informs Ludmilla of what transpired after the match and is still left bewildered by Caleb's offer of turning professional. Although pleased that another one of Zangief's goals were achieved, Ludmilla points out to her husband that him becoming a professional wrestler would disqualify him from the Olympics and throw away all of the hard work he, Balavadez, and Kuznetsov had gone through just to get him to that milestone. Hearing Ludmilla's sobering words steels Zangief's resolve to commit himself to the Olympics; reminding him that it's not just his dream on the line but also everyone else who sacrificed things to get him where he is.
== Professional Wrestler ==
The next night, Zangief goes with Ludmilla to Sokolov's arranged dinner meeting with the intention of declining his offer. However, upon arrival at the restaurant, Zangief and his wife are introduced to Sokolov's college and the man behind the job proposal, a Japanese professional wrestler by the name of Igari Kanji. Igari was a main event attraction of the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance, a successful wrestling promotion based out of Japan. Igari tells Zangief that he is starting his own wrestling promotion based in Japan called "New Japan Pro Wrestling" and that he wants to sign Zangief to an exclusive contract. Before Zangief can let out his rebuttal, Igari and Sokolov go into detail guaranteeing Zangief a multi-year contract and personal training at a state of the art facility. Seeing Zangief's apprehension in his face, Sokolov told him that he's seen his in-ring abilities on the mat and believes that under Igari's influence, Zangief has the potential to become a world champion. Hearing Sokolov's words, Zangief, against his wife's better judgement, agrees to sign a two-year contract with Igari Kanji's New Japan Pro Wrestling. Zangief deciding to become a professional wrestler crushes Ludmilla as not only has Zangief gone against their joint decision of focusing on the Olympics, but it also means that Zangief will have to relocate to Japan in order to train and wrestle there; something Ludmilla was not prepared for. This would result in the two getting into a heated argument with one another, as Ludmilla was unable to see how her husband could make such a life changing decision. Seeing how hurt his wife was, Zangief assures her that it's only temporary. He pleads with her to understand that becoming a world champion was his first dream and that it superseded his goal of going to the Olympics. Zangief tells her that he wants to make Aleksandr proud, that he wants to fill him with the same Soviet pride he had watching Boris Stallkoff when he was younger; as the world's greatest foreign champion. The following day, an excited Zangief informs Balavadez of his meeting with Igari and Sokolov, telling him of his contract and new goal of becoming New Japan Pro Wrestling's World Champion. However, to Zangief's disappointment, Balavadez is equally crushed by Zangief's abandonment of their Olympic quest. Frustrated and confused about everyone's reaction to his contract signing, Zangief and Balavadez begin to argue with one another. Zangief is upset that Balavadez isn't happy for him getting this opportunity especially with him always knowing his heart was set on becoming a professional wrestler from the beginning. Meanwhile, Balavadez feels betrayed by Zangief making this decision without him and working with Caleb Sokolov who was the man that ran off with his wife and stole his Olympic medals decades ago. Zangief is shocked by that revelation of Sokolov and apologizes to his coach for not consulting him earlier but nonetheless asks for his help in his training, begging Balavadez to come with him to Japan. Despite Zangief's best efforts, Balavadez refuses, leaving Zangief's side for the first time in decades. Feeling alone, Zangief seeks out Kuznetsov, who although shocked by his friend's decision is genuinely happy for Zangief. Zangief in turn invites Kuznetsov to come to Japan with him, but Kuznetsov declined his invitation telling his old friend that he has been accepted into the institute of Novosibirsk to study physical education; something that Zangief accepts as he wishes his friend well in his endeavors. Upon returning home, Zangief and Ludmilla talk about their future together as a family. Zangief asks Ludmilla to come with him suggesting that Japan could be a fresh start for everyone but Ludmilla steadfastly rejects that idea, having fallen in love with her job as a coach and with her students. However, Ludmilla forgives Zangief for signing the contract and reassures him that their love is strong enough to withstand anything, even if they are separated by countries for a time. Ludmilla then kisses Zangief before telling him that she believes he will be the world champion and knows that he will make Aleksandr proud. Hearing her loving and endearing words puts tears in the mighty Zangief's eyes and he kisses her back passionately. For the next few weeks before Zangief has to leave for Japan, him, Ludmilla, and Aleksandr savor every moment they have left together, with the family frequently going on trips to the park, the local circus, and anything else the young Aleksandr’s heart desired; hoping that the memories they would create now could satisfy him until his father’s return. Once the time finally came for Zangief to leave his wife and young son, he questioned if he could truly go through with it. Becoming a husband to Ludmilla fulfilled him, it was something he never dreamed would happen. Becoming a father to Aleksandr was the greatest gift he never knew he needed. Having them in his life was worth more than any amount of gold medals or world championships; they were his everything. As he approached the door to leave their home, he turned around to look at his precious family and before he could tell them he couldn’t go through with leaving, Aleksandr cheerfully shouted that his daddy was going to be the world champion. Seeing the joy and pride swell in Aleksandr gave Zangief the final push he needed to go through with his decision. Zangief then kissed his family goodbye and entered the private car Igari arranged to take him to the airport.
=== Life in Japan ===
Once in Japan, Zangief’s new life as a professional wrestler would officially start as he began his training at Igari’s dojo as one of his “Young Lions”. Zangief was surprised to find himself joined by several other amateur wrestlers from around the world that Igari had recruited and together they trained everyday from sunup till sundown. Zangief and the other Young Lions lived in dormitories adjacent to their dojo and were expected to perform household duties such as cleaning, laundry, and cooking, something a lot of the other recruits took exception to. However, although Zangief’s household skills were “unrefined to say the least”, he was determined to accomplish every task above and beyond his capabilities, determined to prove himself. Before wrestling shows a Young Lion was also expected to carry the baggage of their seniors, assemble the ring, and arrange guest seating, all of which Zangief did without reproach. They were also responsible for the security of the audience, shielding them from brawls which may spill outside the ring, a task that the 7 foot Zangief excelled at. Even though he enjoyed learning about the wrestling business and discovering the different techniques he could use in the ring, for the first few months, life in Japan was overwhelming for Zangief. The revelation of Caleb Sokolov being the one who ran off with Coach Balavadez’s wife, put a strain on Sokolov and Zangief’s relationship leaving the two unable to bond with Sokolov as his handler despite the fact the two were the only Russians in Tokyo. Due to this, Zangief often chose to travel alone but was not used to the hustle and bustle of the budding Tokyo city and Zangief became increasingly frustrated with the overcrowded streets and subways he would find himself frequenting on his way to and from the New Japan Pro Wrestling arenas. The only real enjoyment he got out of living in this new foreign land was that when people would look at him they would stare out of awe and amazement; having never seen a “gajin” or foreigner the size of Zangief before. There were many times when complete strangers would ask Zangief to take photos with them simply for the fact that he was a giant. This was a stark contrast to the way people reacted to him back in the motherland as they would keep their admiration at a distance, unless formally introduced. However, Zangief often scared off his Japanese admirers by shouting his goal of becoming their world champion in his native language of Russian; something that would both confuse and amuse him.
=== Meeting the Great Indra Bridge ===
Fortunately for Zangief, he would receive a visitor that would change his life both socially and professionally. That change would come in the form of the Legendary Grappler Darun Mister, who came to both visit and challenge Igari’s recruits. Although Zangief was unaware of Darun Mister’s fame he was informed of Darun’s accolades through Caleb Sokolov. Sokolov told Zangief that Darun was the nephew of The Great Gama, an Indian wrestler who remained the undefeated champion of the world. This piqued Zangief’s interest as Coach Balavadez had mentioned the Great Gama’s name before but Zangief had dismissed Gama’s legend as a mere foreign folklore. As Sokolov continued, he explained that Darun was directly taught by his uncle in Pakistan and was the first individual world championship medal winner from independent India, winning multiple medals in Freestyle, Greco-Roman wrestling including a befitting gold medal at the British Commonwealth Games held at Edinburgh, Scotland. Zangief was told that after his Olympic career Darun was awarded the first Arjuna Award in wrestling, by the Government of India and subsequently became “Rustam-e-Zaman” otherwise known as the Pakistani World Champion in his second home of Pakistan. Sokolov explained that as both the Undisputed National Champion of India and the Pakistani World Champion, Darun declared himself the “Great Indra Bridge” uniting these two countries through his great wrestling prowess. Darun imposed a condition on himself that he must wrestle abroad and win multiple world titles in order to sustain his claim of being the Great Indra Bridge. Zangief learns that this condition lead Darun to become a professional wrestler in order to win all the World Championships across the world, starting with the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance where he won the JWA Big League Tournament, the NWA International Heavyweight Championship, and the JWA All-Asia Heavyweight Championship twice. Hearing Sokolov’s tale of Darun Mister’s impressive feats, Zangief continued to dismiss Darun’s abilities, citing that he’s never faced the power of the Soviet Union. Just then the Young Lions are ordered to line up before Igari and Darun, with Igari informing everyone that he has brought Darun to the dojo in order to test their abilities in the ring. Believing that Darun Mister is the best man capable of both relating too and inspiring his trainees, Igari leaves the class in his capable hands. As Darun addresses the Young Lions, the 6 foot 10in tall gargantuan of a man, declares that he heard they were some of the best amateur wrestlers around the world and that he plans on dissuading them from becoming professional wrestlers by crushing their spirits. Stating that above all else he hates “weak youngsters claiming themselves to be grapplers”. Following this declaration, Darun has everyone introduce themselves by their name and country. Upon hearing Zangief’s name he stops the introductions and addresses him individually for the first time, admitting that Igari’s tales of Zangief’s legendary wrestling prowess is what convinced him to seek out the Young Lions and test them for himself. Zangief is unmoved by Darun’s words as he continues to look stoically through his instructor, something that impresses Darun as he hopes Zangief is able to survive to the end of the training session. Darun put the Young Lions through his daily training regime requiring them to do a minimum of five thousand squats, and three thousand push-ups while wearing an Indian doughnut-shaped wrestling apparatus called a Hasli of 1 Quintal which weighed approximately 100 kilos or 220 lbs. The intensive “warm up” as Darun referred to it, eliminated about half of the Young Lions who either passed out from exhaustion or quit the day's training out of pure frustration. The remaining Young Lions then began grappling with each other on a constant rotation as Darun watched on unimpressed. Once 30 minutes had passed he stopped the trainees and had them surround the ring. Darun, still wearing the Hasli, would call the name of the trainees one by one in alphabetical order to come in the ring and face him in a singles match calling it their final test. Zangief, believing that the final few of the Young Lions that still remained were truly the best of their class, is shocked to see Darun with the Hasli, decimate his contemporaries each in under 5 minutes. The only person able to last an inspiring 14 minutes against Darun was Zangief’s roommate Herclio Strong, an Olympic level strongman from Italy who managed to break Darun’s Hasli, impressing both Darun and Zangief. Nonetheless Herclio, much like the others before him, was defeated, leaving only Zangief remaining to challenge Darun. Seeing how strong Darun Mister truly was began to shake Zangief with excitement about the chance of grappling with him. As Zangief entered the ring, Darun apologized for having the advantage, citing that his Hasli was to keep them on an even playing field. To which Zangief replied, in extremely broken English, that he was the one with the advantage due to having spent so much time out of the ring. Although Darun is impressed by Zangief’s overwhelming confidence, he laughs before telling him “You don't get it Youngster! Darun is not just the strongest wrestler in India, he is the strongest wrestler in the world. Darun has been approached by numerous challengers ever since he became champion. Darun will continue the fight, until he gains the privilege to call himself the strongest. Darun will prove to you why he is indeed the world’s ultimate fighter.”. The two legendary amateur wrestlers then began grappling with one another exchanging a dizzying array of holds and locks for the next 60 minutes. After an hour of pure wrestling the likes of which the Young Lions in attendance hadn’t seen since the days of Frank Gotch vs George Hackenschmidt, their contest was declared a draw as neither man could get the advantage over the other. From that moment, Darun’s entire demeanor changed, where he was once a brooding unimpressed instructor, Darun became a smiling older brother, quick to shake Zangief’s hand and declare him worthy. The mutual respect developed between the two would result in Darun taking Zangief under his wing, alongside his roommate Herclio Strong who proved his fighting spirit to Mister. Darun selected the two Young Lions to be his “seconds” accompanying him to ringside for his matches and helping him prepare for his upcoming fights.
==== Finding Friendship in a Foreign Land ====
Both Zangief and Herclio would wake up early before their training with Igari at the dojo and join Darun’s workouts, accompanying him to the gym for weightlifting and his daily regimen. Working out together allowed for the three of them to bond as the more time the trio spent together the more they realized how much they had in common, particularly their passion about professional wrestling and how each of them had the dream to return home as a world champion. The more the three worked together, the closer they grew as Darun began teaching the Russian and Italian English and would show them around the cities and towns of Japan that they would tour. The Japanese nightlife would end up consuming Herclio Strong who became more focused on partying and participating in local street fights than training, resulting in him being expelled from the New Japan Dojo. Without Herclio, Zangief and Darun would continue to grow closer as friends and their friendship would soon translate to the ring as well, as Darun requested that Zangief become his tag team partner.
=== New Japan Pro Wrestler ===
Finally able to work in the ring as a professional wrestler in front of a live crowd, Zangief would not waste this opportunity to make a name for himself as one half of the “Ultimate Meteo Tag Team”. However, although the “Ultimate Meteo Tag Team” would go on to achieve early success winning many of their early matches, the duo were unable to win the company’s NWA North American Tag Team Championship. Despite this setback, Zangief’s impressive amateur wrestling style that he incorporated into his matches began to resonate with the Japanese audience. Wanting to showcase Zangief and his unique style, Igari and the New Japan bookers would start to put him in occasional singles matches, while still wrestling primarily as a Tag Team with Darun.
==== Challenging for the NWF Heavyweight Championship ====
Not long after, Zangief as a singles star would earn himself enough wins to challenge for New Japan Pro Wrestling’s NWF Heavyweight Championship, a championship which was only second in prestige to the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. In a poetic twist of fate, the NWF Heavyweight Champion Zangief was booked to face was none other than the masked wrestler Great Puma, the same man who dethroned Darun as the NWF Heavyweight Champion months prior. Dedicating his first championship match to the glory of the Soviet Union and avenging his tag partner’s loss, Zangief set the stage for a highly anticipated contest. Once the two men finally met in the ring there was an aura and special atmosphere to the arena, one that reached a fever pitch as soon as the bell rang. The start of the match was intense, physical, and Zangief worked with a constant sense of urgency, taking Great Puma down at will. The Soviet challenger set the tone early with a powerful overhead belly to belly suplex into the side mount double wrist lock and continued to astound the crowd by outclassing the long reigning champion with his masterful display of technical amateur wrestling while executing an assortment of high level reversals. The audience was stunned to see the once dominant champion being dominated by the “Red Cyclone”. Besides catching Zangief on the jaw with a powerful kick, Zangief continued to control the match with big throws like the Fisherman Suplex as well as an assortment of other suplexes. The amount of physical punishment Great Puma took from being constantly thrown around the ring and dropped on his neck by the massive Zangief brought a sense of danger whenever he'd grab hold of the champion. The crowd were ready to see a shocking upset and tension once again filled the arena as the constantly grounded Great Puma had to continue avoiding Zangief’s submission attempts. Despite surviving Zangief’s various submissions, Great Puma continued to be outclassed which was made evident by Zangief’s tactful spinning escape from a headscissors which drew a big pop from the Japanese faithful who were beginning to favor the Russian challenger to their NWF Heavyweight Champion. Frustrated from being out-shined by Zangief, Great Puma resorted to spitting in his opponent’s face. This disrespectful act completely enraged the once focused Zangief who ripped off another overhead belly to belly, but as Zangief went to continue his assault, Great Puma rattled Zangief in the corner to set up a devastating Spin Heel Kick which floored the 7 foot giant and allowed Great Puma to finally lock in his patented Figure-4 leg lock, managing to make Zangief tap out and once again retain his NWF Heavyweight Championship via submission to the roar of the crowd.
== Pro Wrestling Debut==
Debuting on February 22 at Sumo Hall, Zangief wrestled two exhibition matches, first against Salman Hashimikov (which ended in a time-limit draw), then against Osamu Matsuda, whom he defeated. In April of that year, he participated in a tournament to determine the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion at New Japan's first show at the Tokyo Dome; he defeated Buzz Sawyer in the quarterfinals, but lost to Shinya Hashimoto in the semifinals. Zangief would continue wrestling in the mid-card, before leaving at the tail end of the next year. In April of that year, Zangief returned to Japan, this time with the shoot-style UWF International. Like in NJPW, he didn't compete for championships, he mainly wrestled in mid-card single and tag team matches. In October, he left UWFi, fed up with what he assumed to be character mistretment and left Japan for America. However the American demographic wasn't ready to see a Russian Champion in America and he got no work, resulting in Zangief moving north to Canada.
==The Red Cyclone==
Zangeif became "The Red Cyclone", a bearded villainous character billed from Russia, and debuted with the International Wrestling Association in Montreal, Québec. He defeated Johnny Rougeau for the IWA International Heavyweight Title the following year. 
==WWWF==
Zangief then returned to America and debuted in the World Wide Wrestling Federation, managed by Capt. Lou Albano. He soon started a feud with then-WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino. Coming to relize that he may never get a true oprotunity to promote Russia as the greates contry in the world, or to propel himself to superstardom he beings to ponder retirement. However Zangief's whole life would change when he was called upon by the General Secretary of the CPSU, and Soviet President, Mikhail Gorbachev. Zangief then returns to the U.S.S.R. and is informed that Gorbachev wants him to met a man of great “infulence” named Bison. Bison tells Zangief that he admires his skills in the ring and wonders if he is as powerful outside of it. Bison then has Zangief fight 3 of his gaurds, which of whom he effortlessly defeats. Bison then turns to Gorbachev and smiles saying “He will do”. Zangief is extremely confused and tells Bison that he won't do anything for somone who had just sent men after him. Bison then laughs and says “What if i could get you the Championship.” Zangief then looks to Gorbachev and asks him “Can he do that” to which Bison answers “Yes, If you work for ShadowLaw, I can pursade Mr. McMahon to make you the greatest Wersetler in history, but only if you join me” Bison then extends his hand and Zangief shakes it agreeing. A week later on January 18, "The Red Cyclone" defeated Sammartino in Madison Square Garden for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship by pinfall after a kneedrop from the top rope, ending Sammartino's seven and two-third years reign on top.  
==Street Fighter II V ==
As fulfilment for his side of the deal Zangief frequently works as one of Shadowlaw's strong-men. He is sent to kidnap a 17 year old boy named Bo, which he does easily since Bo was exhausted at the time. Zangief later fights Guile when he breaks into Bison's fortess, and Guile manages to beat him after a hard fight. At the end of the battle Bison is killed by Bo releasing Zangief of his debt as well as many others around the world. The very next day Zangeif returns losing the title only 21 days after winning it. He lost to Pedro Morales, essentially being used as a "transitional" champion (as he was used to move the title from Sammartino to Morales without having the two faces work against each other). After the loss, Zangief remained a contender for the title, but never reclaimed it, and left the WWWF, retiring from Wrestling and returning to Russia, to dissaper in the vast wilderness of Siberia. 
==Street Fighter II==
4 years later Zangief is called upon once again by the General Secretary of the CPSU, and Soviet President, Mikhail Gorbachev. The President promised Zangief the country's full support in exchange for traveling around the world and showing off the might of the Soviet Union again (and to improve his image abroad, an objective which Zangief wasn't made aware of). Zangief agrees and after the meeting with the President, Zangief is sent to train at the best Soviet Trainning Facility. He then participates in the second World Warrior Tournament, hosted by Shadaloo, at the behest of Gorbachev. He defeats Blanka, who is a Brazilian man whose body has been infected green with too much chlorophyll in the jungles he lives in, but loses to Forrest Masters in the 2nd round of the tournament. 
==The Return of The Cyclone==
After the tournament, Zangief - dissatisfied with the outcome - returns to training in the Russian wilderness, wrestling bears. Eventually, he is approached by the largest wrestling organization in the world with an eye to signing the "Red Cyclone" to their promotion. Zangief at first refuses, saying that he is less interested in money than he is in bringing honor to Russia by demonstrating Russian strength. He is promised a stage to better showcase his skills, with his matches watched by millions. Due to the obvious help this will bring to his will to show Russian strength, Zangief gladly accepts and joins the National Wrestling Association. Zangief found success in the NWA, winning many regional tag and singles titles in the Georgia, Florida, and Mid-Atlantic territories. 
==Street Fighter 3==
Zangief enters the Thrid World Warrior Tournament held by S.I.N. to prove to his young fans (some of whom are beginning to claim that martial artists are better and that Zangief is just a show fighter) that he's still got it. He defeats a huge Turkish oil wrestler named Hakan in a pure Wrestling bout showcasing his amateur wrestling background. However he is defeated by Bo in the 2nd round. Zangief although sadden by the lost is not dis-hearten as he proved to the childern as well as himself that he isn't just a show fighter. After the tournament, Zangief frantically realizes that he hasn't gotten a souvenir, and says "I didn't even understand what the guy was saying before I beat him". He then has an idea and tires to take a photograph of the Secruity footage of him fighting Hakan. However Zangief is discovered by Seth (actually one of the many copies of the host of the tournament) Zangief then defeats Seth and takes a photo holding the beaten Seth in a headlock, which is then viewed by the admiring young fans who recognize Seth as the "bad guy from the TV". Months later under orders from Gorbachev, Zangief is sent to combat the forces of what appers to be Shadaloo, which is beginning to spread its corruption into Russia. Zangief encounters many fighters along the way, befriending some such as E. Honda and Hakan. Zangief then gets into a fight with Chan the younger brother of Bo. Chan holds his own for a while, displaying the same raw brutality. However, when Bo starts to see that Chan is in trouble, he intervenes. At that point, the power of the Satsui no Hado begins to corrupt Bo's spirit once again, and Bo fires off a Metsu Hadoken, but not before Forrest interrupts him and brings him back to his senses. As a result, the attack barely misses Zangief, but causes parts of the building to collapse, and Zangief falls through the crumbling floor. Zangief surrvies but is in critical condition as he has broken his left wrist, right leg, and right elbow. It is later reveled to Zangief that the tournament's host was a man named Dr. Sadler and wasn't Shadaloo. 
==NWA==
17 months later Zangeif returned to the NWA and he teamed with Ray Stevens to defeat Paul Jones and Masked Superstar to capture the NWA World Tag Team Championship. This would be the first of his four reigns as a World Tag Team champion, later winning the belts with Don Kernodle and twice with his "nephew" (kayfabe), Nikita Koloff as The Russians.The Russians (which also included Krusher Kruschev) were a top heel stable for the next 2 years, and Nikita, under Zangief's training and mentoring, and by association, became a hated heel in his own right, he would go on to have a successful singles career of his own. After Nikita turned face on Zangief to join their enemy Dusty Rhodes , Zangeif teamed with Vladimir Petrov and Dick Murdoch to get revenge. Zangief's biggest NWA feuds were against Rhodes, the Road Warriors, the Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) and Magnum T.A.. Zangief spent time in Paul Jones' stable, the Paul Jones Army 2 years later, where he was a "coach" of sorts for the Powers of Pain, The Barbarian and The Warlord. He later split with Jones, reunited with Nikita, and feuded with Jones' team, the Russian Assassins, before leaving Jim Crockett Promotions in January of the following year. He also spent time in Eastern Championship Wrestling, appearing on the very first ECW card 3 years after his departure from the NWA.
== Final Matches ==
That same year, Zangief also wrestled in the first television main event of Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling, beating Bobby Fulton. After this Zangief and Hashimikov were chosen to represent the Soviet Union for the Pat O'Connor International Tag Team Tournament at Starrcade: Collision Course for World Championship Wrestling; they defeated the Canadian team of Danny Johnson and Troy Montour in the quarterfinals, but lost to Masa Saito and The Great Muta in the semifinals. Zangief then permently retires from professional wrestling. 
== Life After Wrestling==
After wrestling Zangief became a born again Christian and he traveled to churches to share his testimony, and became an ordained minister. Currently, Zangief lives in Winterville, North Carolina leaving Russia after the collaspe of the Soviet Union. Zangief lives with his wife, Renae and has four adult children. He remains active in various charities and he has written a book, titled Is That Wrestling Fake? The Bear Facts. 
==Legacy==
Zangeif was inducted to the Southern Championship WrestlingHall of Fameand the 'Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Zangief recived the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called, a badge (double-headed eagle) attached to a chain (called a "collar") worn around the neck for very special circumstances, or more commonly on a 100mm-wide blue sash worn over the right shoulder and a star worn on the left breast that was Awarded to him for Outstanding Service to the State, fulfilling his life long dream of making Russia Proud as their “'Red Son”.