Welcome, Moscow Mauler

Lane DeGregory: TAMPA

The Moscow Mauler couldn't sleep Sunday. On the night before one of the biggest days of his life, the 37-year-old professional wrestler lay in bed in his South Tampa home, staring at the ceiling, replaying scenes from his boyhood in the USSR: roughing up his buddies, discovering a golden-haired American hero on TV, hatching a dream. And now, on the eve of everything coming true, he was anxious. Excited. Maybe even — it was hard for him to admit it — nervous.

This 6-foot-6, 310-pound monolith of a man, who is known for choke-lifting his opponents with one hand, never trembles in the ring. But this performance was going to be different. This wouldn't be Vladimir Kozlov…