Andrei Sokolova

**Andrei Ioan Sokolova** (born October 20th, 1990) is a Romanian-born professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist who is currently signed with American professional wrestling promotion, REVOLT! Pro Combat, where is the current REVOLT! Heavyweight Champion in his first reign, as well as British promotion, Royal Wrestling Kingdom. He is also the inaugural REVOLT! Heavyweight Champion, winning the title at REVOLT's first huge event, REVOLT 1.

Sokolova is known for not only his time in the Royal Wrestling Kingdom but also for his time in Precision Wrestling, otherwise known as Saturday Night Precision, where he went under the name of **Victor Sokolov.**

Sokolova is also a former MMA fighter, but has never had an official fight, this is why some of his moves in wrestling consist of hard hitting strikes, and vicious submission holds. He trained for around a year, but never broke into the sport, and decided to pursue a career in the professional wrestling industry instead

## Early Life

Andrei was born in Bucharest on October 20th, 1990, and lived with his mother, father and eventually his younger sister. Sokolova had a rough childhood, as his family was fairly poor, with most of his father's earnings going towards Andrei and his sister, Elena, and made sure they had a good future.

On November 23rd, 1995, Sokolova's life changed forever, his father was convicted of multiple tax frauds, and was sent to prison for 8 years, this impacted Andrei and Elena's life massively, and their mother used all of her and Andrei's father's savings to send Andrei and Elena to a private school in Doncaster, England, where they would be adopted by the Jones family, acquaintances of Sokolova's father. They were flown over shortly after, and would never see their mother again, but it was later learned that their mother sadly commited suicide, details are unknown on Sokolova's father, but it's pressumed he's still living in Romania today after serving 8 years in prison.

During his time in Doncaster, Andrei and Elena quickly mastered the English language, and settled into their new lives with their new mother and father. Both watched wrestling from a young age, and fell in love with it, whilst Elena would eventually go on to become a teacher at Doncaster University, Sokolova stuck with what he loved, wrestling, and after graduating from secondary school and eventually college, Andrei enrolled in the High Stakes Wrestle Academy in March 2011, in order to train to become a professional wrestler.

At the academy, Victor met a fellow graduate from his school by the name of Oliver Dyke, and the two quickly became good friends, advancing quickly in the academy where they trained for two years. In January 2013, Sokolova and Quinn were noticed by a fairly large wrestling company in the UK, Adrenaline Pro Wrestling, and were signed to one year contracts.

## Professional Wrestling Career

### **Early Career**

Oliver and Andrei made their debut for Adrenaline Pro Wrestling, under their real names, in February 2013, competing as enhancement talent in a tag match against APW Tag Team Champions, Luke and Adrian Wild, in which they lost in a matter of minutes. After this, Oliver and Andrei competed against each other in April 2013, where Andrei would come out on top after making Oliver submit to a Dragon Sleeper. Andrei then went on to unsuccessfully challenge for the APW Young Lion Championship at APW - The Long Road, in a losing effort to then champion Gareth Williams, a man who he'd eventually meet in Saturday Night Precision, going under the name of Yuri Williamson.

Andrei and Oliver went back to competing as a tag team in August 2013, as they managed to capture the APW Tag Team Championships from The Wild Brothers in November 2013, which was Andrei's first title in his wrestling career. At APW - All Out Assault which took place in January 2014, Dyke and Sokolova lost the APW Tag Team Championships to the team of Bradley Pugh and Roberto Mitchell, and failed to recapture them in a rematch at APW - Live From Scotland. After this match, Andrei was released from his contract by mutual consent, whilst Dyke also left, but to persue a career in Japan.

### **Independent Scene (2015 - 2016)**

Now having come back to the squared circle, Andrei competed all around the UK for various small wrestling promotions and even made a return to Adrenaline Pro Wrestling in June 2015, where he faced Gareth Williams once again in a losing effort. In July 2015, Andrei won the Southern British Wrestling Heavyweight Championship in his first appearance for the company, coming out on top in a 10 man battle royal. Sokolova dropped the belt in August of the same year, and was unsuccessful in the rematch. In January 2016, Andrei teamed up with Oliver Dyke (also known as Oliver Quinn) and Harvey Edwards to capture the Scottish All Star Wrestling Trios Championships, and held them for 2 months, before dropping them in March 2016.

In May 2016, Sokolova was contacted by American promotion, Precision Wrestling (Saturday Night Precision), and was asked about a potential contract. He flew out to Orlando, Florida that same month, and signed a contract which would last a full year.

### **Precision Wrestling (2016)**

Sokolova made his debut for Precision on the SNP episode after Money in the Bank, under the name, Victor Sokolov. He made an immediate statement by attacking Mr. Money in the Bank, Will Neilson, along with his tag team partner, Rhys Haze, storyline injuring Neilson so he could return to the UK and deal with personal problems. Sokolov then began a feud with Rhys Haze, defeating him in his debut match for Precision. Leading up to Fully Loaded, Victor would begin to have problems with another new signee, Anthony Sharpe, and after defeating Jack Rogue on Precision. The two would sign a contract for a Last Man Standing match at Fully Loaded, Sokolov won this match, with it being one of the more brutal matches in Precision history.

After Fully Loaded, Sokolov resumed his feud with Rhys Haze, defeating him in a Steel Cage match on Precision. Victor picked up another win over The Scat right before Summerslam, and the match was set, Victor Sokolov would face Rhys Haze in a Three Stages of Hell match, where the loser would be fired. Will Neilson's contract would also be terminated if Rhys lost. Leading up to the event, Sokolov targeted Haze for his countless loses and called him a mirror image to Will, except he was worse than him. Haze fired back, calling Victor a nobody, and promising to defend both his and Will's honour at Summerslam.

Summerslam happened and Rhys Haze came out on top, winning 2 falls to 1. The first fall was a Falls Count Anywhere match, where Sokolov would win. The second fall was a Flaming Table match, where Haze would win. The final fall was a Hell in a Cell match, where Haze would win after delivering a Butterfly DDT to Victor on top of the cell, and one final one in the ring. After the match, Will Neilson returned and attacked Sokolov, marking Victor's final Precision appearance.

It was unknown at the time why Victor only lasted 2 months in Precision, it was eventually revealed that Sokolov couldn't commit to working anymore US bookings, and said that he will keep his career in the UK for now. Since then, Sokolov has opened up to going back to the US, and has made appearances for Royal Wrestling Kingdom in Orlando in America, and Toronto in Canada.

After Summerslam, Andrei flew back over to the UK and back to his home in Doncaster.

### **Royal Wrestling Kingdom (2016-present)**

In October 2016, Sokolova was contacted by a newly opened wrestling promotion in the UK, Royal Wrestling UK, and after watching him at the High Stakes Academy, as well as around the British independent scene, offered him a contract lasting 5 years. Due to the companies monthly event schedule, Sokolova gladly accepted, and became the first official member of the RWK roster.

Sokolova signed to RWK along with people like El Pecador, Ryan Vendetta, Nick, and Archangel, the latter of which he faced at RWK's first official event, The Grand Coronation. Sokolova returned to his old 'Victor Sokolov' persona, but kept his last name as his real last name, 'Sokolova'. The match between Sokolova and Archangel was a match to determine who would face off for the most prestigious title in the company, the RWK Crown Jewel, and this was a match that Victor would go on to lose via a Transcending Agony from Archangel.

In December 2016, the next event was announced as Carnival Games, and Sokolova changed up his character completely, as he dropped his original satanist gimmick, and became in his words 'a lost soul'. At Carnival Games, Sokolova defeated Vitor Mata for his first win in the company, using an exposed turnbuckle to his advantage. The next event for January 2017, was announced as being Dragon's Den, and Victor was set to face the new RWK European Champion, El Pecador.

At Dragon's Den, Sokolova just lost the match, after his shoulder came off the mat a second too late, with Pecador retaining the title. Due to the circumstances of the win, Sokolova would face El Pecador again, but this time Azrael and Reese Jefferson would be added to the match, making it a Fatal 4 Way match for the European Championship. This match took place at the next event, Ruler of the Ring, where Sokolova would once again lose after Pecador pinned Jefferson. After the match, Victor made an announcement that he was sick and tired of how he was being treated, and brought in Brad Adams to assist him in RWK, also becoming his tag team partner in the process. Before signing for RWK, Adams had enjoyed a successful 4 year career on the independent scene, where he mainly competed in the UK and Japan, and his talents were noticed by RWK officials, who signed him to a contract.

#### **rEvolution and feud with Ryan Vendetta**

At a live event, taking place after Ruler of the Ring, rEvolution consisting of Sokolova, Adams, and the new additions of Michael Kelly and Adeline La Roux, extended a hand out to Ryan Vendetta, asking him to join them in rEvolution. Vendetta looked to accept the invitation, but tried to attack the group and was mauled in the process, with Sokolova, Adams, and Kelly leaving Vendetta in a bloody mess. At the next event, IWT Mania V: When World's Collide, rEvolution came up short against the newly formed team of Azrael and Odin, after Odin curb stomped Victor into the mat. The move left Sokolova with a legitimate concussion, and a planned match for Cold Day in Hell against new rival Ryan Vendetta was called off, and Brad Adams replaced him.

Adams lost to Vendetta at Cold Day in Hell, being pinned by Ryan's new finishing move, the Minefield Driver. Both men attempted to attack Vendetta after the match, but Vendetta's cousin, Nova, came out to save him from the assault, and a tag match was made for the next event, Kings of the Empire, pitting Vendetta and Nova against Sokolova and Adams. At the event, Sokolova pinned Ryan Vendetta to get the win for his team after a miscommunication between Vendetta and Nova ended in Ryan being hit by a new finishing move from rEvolution, The Pinnacle of Destruction. Ryan swore he would get vengeance, and one final match was made for Peace of Mind, a Steel Cage match between Ryan Vendetta and Victor Sokolova.

At Peace of Mind, one of the most brutal and destructive matches in RWK's history took place, as Victor and Ryan went to war inside of the steel cage. In the end, a mistimed MST sent Ryan plummeting from the top of the cage, with Victor capitalising and hitting him with the Hellblade Rolling Cutter for the win. Both men were left heavily injured after the match, with Sokolova being sent to hospital, and Vendetta subsequently suspended after an argument with Kristina Oliver. Sokolova publicly spoke about this match, calling it a match that helped define his career in RWK, and praised Ryan Vendetta for his hard work, and for helping him take that next step to the top of RWK.

#### **RWK Imperial Championship Pursuit**

Sokolova was not seen in RWK for almost 2 months following Peace of Mind, this is because he was dealing with a legitimate shoulder injury sustained in a live event tag match, where he teamed with Brad Adams to face Vendetta and Nova in a rematch. Victor was thought to be out for at least 5 months, but his recovery was very quick, and he was able to return at Path to Destiny. Leading up to the event, a mysterious vignette displayed at Democracy Rules, highlighting a mysterious man, who was later revealed to be Sokolova, opening a box containing the words 'Last Rites', showing that whoever the figure was, they would be appearing at Last Rites.

Sokolova did indeed return in a second video message at Last Rites, taunting the RWK roster, especially Ryan Vendetta, bringing up the fact that he got fired from RWK, and entering himself in the Destiny Royale, where the winner would face the RWK Imperial Champion at Grand Coronation II. Before Path to Destiny, Sokolova confronted Kristina Oliver, and asked her to make him a high number in the Destiny Royale due to his previous win over Ryan Doucette, feeling he should have been recognised for that win. Kristina told him it was all down to the luck of the draw, and Sokolova left the room unhappy. His final message before Path to Destiny consisted of him describing how the RWK roster had sinned, and going back through his career history to repent his own sins, mainly the seven deadly sins. Sokolova ended the promo calling himself a God, showing that this match had driven him over the edge.

At Path to Destiny, Sokolova entered in at number one in the Destiny Royale, and produced one of the greatest performances in his career, lasting over an hour in the match, and had the joint most eliminations in the match with 4 alongside El Pecador. Pecador was also the man to eliminate Victor, eventually winning the match, crushing all of Sokolova's hopes and dreams in the process. Leading up to The Kingdom Awards, Sokolova said that El Pecador just signed his death warrant, promising destruction and chaos upon him and Deacon MacFarlane.

Sokolova faced CLIQUE member Joseph Diamond at The Kingdom Awards in his crusade to destroy CLIQUE, he debuted a new submission manouever, Maelström, and he used this move to make Joseph Diamond tap and pick up a much needed victory. After the match, the inevitable happened, as Brad Adams assaulted Victor Sokolova with a chain and broke off from SIN.

Leading up to the event, Brad Adams was shown in a nightclub with Sokolova, seemingly switching the drink that Victor had ordered to something else. This caused a bad reaction from Sokolova, who stumbled arround his apartment and sustained minor injuries, even vomiting on camera. Adams seemed to have been proud of what he did, but he reasonings were unknown, but the main reason was supposedly to weaken Sokolova before The Kingdom Awards.

Victor Sokolova was set to face Brad Adams in a Massachusetts Street Fight at Grand Coronation II, a match that would make or break either man's career. The two ended up putting on a classic, bringing out the best in each other. The match ended when Sokolova leaped from the top of a ladder to stomp on a chair covering the ribs of Adams, before smashing his head into an exposed turnbuckle, and then hitting the 'Chaos Control' for the victory. It is unknown where Sokolova will go from here, but it seems all is not over yer for him in RWK, despite his REVOLT! career getting off to a flying start.

### **REVOLT! Pro Combat (2018 - present)**

In December 2017, Andrei signed a big money deal with newly opened promotion, REVOLT! Pro Combat. He was assigned to the Heavyweight division, and made his televised debut on the first episode of Saturday Night Resurgence, teaming with Sinister Ace to face Michael Bishop and Shackleford.

Bishop would pin Sokolova following a dispute with partner Sinister Ace, leading to Bishop being able to nail Andrei with 'The Executioner'. The following week on Sunday Night Rebellion, Andrei faced a veteran of the business in Justin Jones, defeating him in quick fashion. He then moved on to face former partner Sinister Ace in a Street Fight, and utterly destroyed him with weapons and his own bare hands, picking up another victory.

Due to his efforts, Andrei was put into a match with Ivar Akselsen, where the winner would go on to REVOLT 1 to challenge for the Heavyweight Championship. The match would end in a draw when Scott Diamond interfered and took out both men with 'The Vortex', Talib Bari would then come out, announce that Scott Diamond was suspended, and both Ivar and Andrei would move on to face Shackleford (who had qualified earlier by defeating Ryan Savage) for the Heavyweight Championship.

At REVOLT 1, Andrei would make history, and pin Ivar Akselsen after a 'Chaos Control' Rolling Cutter to win the REVOLT! Heavyweight Championship. He became the first Heavyweight champion in the company's history, and won his first World championship in his career.

#### **REVOLT! Heavyweight Champion**

Sokolova's first test of champion came in the form of Badass Kevin, in which he taunted him with various video messages, and almost appeared to be getting more and more unstable. He defeated Kevin with his finishing Rolling Cutter, and then swiftly defeated the Middleweight Champion, Stone Murdock. However, Andrei would hit a roadblock in a loss to Reginald Dampshaw III, but regained momentum by teaming with Michael Bishop to decimate Angelo Brando and Suneo Honekawa. He is currently scheduled to team with the new Middleweight Champion, Prince of Phenomenal, to face Lucian Baal and Michael Bishop.

## MMA Career

### **Early Career**

After his stint with APW, Andrei returned to the High Stakes Wrestling Academy, which was now simply known as the High Stakes Acadmey, and offered both wrestling and MMA training. Intrigued, Andrei decided to undertake MMA, and trained for one year. He excelled, but ultimately never decided to persue it as a future career, and opted back to wrestling where he stayed at the academy for another year.

## Personal Life

Sokolova has said in interviews that he is a huge fan of heavy metal and rock, and notes VITJA, Of Mice and Men, Parkway Drive, Capture, and Wolves In The Throne Room as some of his favourite artists. Andrei also watches a lot of football being raised in England for most of his life, and supports English based team Tottenham Hotspurs, along with his hometown team of Doncaster Rovers. Andrei is also a big video game fanatic, noting that he plays games with other RWK talent in his spare time, and owns a gaming room in his house.

Outside of the ring, Sokolova is close friends with various RWK wrestlers such as Tyler Keenan, Brad Adams, El Pecador, and Christopher Jordan. He has also bonded with members of the REVOLT! roster, including Malcom Jones, TLA, and Reginald Dampshaw III. He is described by his peers as a very humble man, and someone you can always go and talk to about anything. He is known to have two homes, a fairly large condo in Doncaster, England, which is where he currently resides, as well as a recently purchased high end appartment in Santa Monica, California.

In March 2016 during the events of IWT Mania V: When World's Collide, Sokolova sustained a legitimate concussion after taking a Curb Stomp from Odin. The move caused a lot of tension backstage, and left Sokolova unconcious for a few seconds after the move was executed. Andrei took a month off to recover, leaving then tag partner, Brad Adams, to face Ryan Vendetta at Cold Day in Hell. Odin soon left the company after this for reasons unknown.

In July 2016, Sokolova injured his left shoulder at an RWK untelevised live event, but he worked through the injury, and even fought Ryan Vendetta inside of a Steel Cage with the injury still lingering. It was decided that Victor needed time off to heal, and was written off at the end of Peace of Mind, but returned nearly 2 months later.

## In Wrestling

**Finishing Moves**

* Chaos Control (Rolling Cutter) - 2017 - present
* Maelström (Owari Death Clutch/Modified Dragon Sleeper) - 2017 - present
* Hellblade (Leaping Cutter) - 2016; used only in Precision Wrestling

**Signature Moves**

* Final Impact - (Vertical Suplex Side Slam) - 2017 - present
* Seeing Roșu (Running Bicycle Knee) - 2017 - present
* Reckoning (Chicken Wing Gutbuster) - 2017 - present
* Shatter Thy Spirit (Wristlock Roundhouse Kick) - 2017 - present
* Muri (Snap Headbutt) - 2017 - present

**Entrance Themes**

* The Great Destroyer - Nine Inch Nails (2016 - 2017)
* Heavy Rain - VITJA (2017 - present); RWK only.
* Pray For Me - G-Eazy (2017 - present); REVOLT! only

## Championships and Accomplishments

* Kingdom Award - Breakout Star of the Year (2017)
* First REVOLT! Heavyweight Champion.