Combat sports and professional wrestling

Vadym Huttsait

Vadym Huttsait (Вадим Маркович Гутцайт), Ukrainian sabre fencer born 1971 in Kyiv; 1992 Olympic team gold for the Unified Team, coached Ukraine's 2008 women's sabre champions, Minister of Youth and Sports 2020–2023, NOC of Ukraine president since 2022.

Vaino Kokkinen

Väinö Kokkinen (Vaino Kokkinen), 1899–1967, Finnish Greco-Roman wrestler; won Olympic middleweight gold at Amsterdam 1928 (75 kg) and Los Angeles 1932 (79 kg), fourth at Berlin 1936; European champion 1930.

Val Venis

Val Venis (Sean Allen Morley, born 1971, Oakville, Ontario) is a Canadian wrestler of the WWF Attitude Era, a porn-star-gimmick character billed from Las Vegas; two-time Intercontinental Champion, later Chief Morley, NJPW and TNA after 2009 WWE release.

Valentin Nikolayev

Valentin Vladimirovich Nikolayev (Валентин Владимирович Николаев, 1924–2004), Soviet Greco-Roman wrestler; 1956 Melbourne Olympic light-heavyweight gold, 1955 world champion, later coach in Rostov-on-Don.

Valentin Raychev

Valentin Raychev (Валентин Райчев), Bulgarian freestyle wrestler born 1958 in Sofia, won 74 kg gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics in eight matches, then took 1981 world and European silver before coaching and leading the Bulgarian federation.

Valentin Yordanov

Valentin Yordanov (Валентин Йорданов), Bulgarian freestyle wrestler born 1960, flyweight 52 kg; Olympic gold 1996, bronze 1992, seven world and seven European titles, Foxcatcher team member.

Valentina Nikonova

Valentina Gennadyevna Nikonova (Валентина Геннадьевна Никонова), born 1952 in Kazan, Soviet foil fencer; 1976 Montreal Olympic gold in women's foil team and 1973 world individual foil champion.

Valentina Prudskova

Valentina Prudskova (Валентина Александровна Прудскова, 1938–2020), Soviet foil fencer from Yershov, Saratov Oblast. Olympic team foil gold 1960, silver 1964; world team champion 1958, 1961, 1965.

Valentina Rastvorova

Valentina Rastvorova (Валентина Ксенофонтовна Растворова, 1933–2018), Soviet foil fencer from Odesa; Olympic team gold 1960, individual silver 1960, team silver 1964, and 1958 world individual champion.

Valentina Shevchenko (Валентина Анатольевна Шевченко)

Valentina Shevchenko (Валентина Шевченко), "The Bullet", Kyrgyzstani UFC women's flyweight champion born 1988 in Bishkek; 12-time Muay Thai world champion, seven defenses in first reign, regained title at UFC 306.

Valentina Sidorova

Valentina Sidorova (Валентина Васильевна Сидорова), Soviet foil fencer, 1976 Olympic team champion and 1980 team silver medallist, twice individual and seven-time team world champion (1974-1986).

Valentina Vezzali

Valentina Vezzali, Italian foil fencer born 1974 in Jesi, won nine Olympic medals (six gold) from 1996 to 2012, three consecutive individual foil titles, then entered Italian politics as sports under-secretary.

Valerian Sokolov

Valerian Sokolov (Валериан Сергеевич Соколов), Soviet amateur boxer, bantamweight gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, four-time USSR champion, later Soviet national head coach; not the violinist Valeriy Sokolov.

Valerie Barlois Mevel Leroux

Valérie Barlois-Mevel-Leroux (born 1969, Melun) is a French épée fencer, 1996 Olympic team gold and individual silver medalist behind Laura Flessel, 1998 world team champion, and a 2000 Olympian as Barlois-Leroux.

Valerio Aspromonte

Valerio Aspromonte (born 1987 in Rome) is an Italian right-handed foil fencer who won Olympic team gold at London 2012 and World and European medals before retiring in 2020 to coach.

Valery Popenchenko

Valery Popenchenko (Валерий Попенченко, 1937-1975), Soviet amateur middleweight boxer; 1964 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and Val Barker Trophy winner, 200-13 amateur record, retired 1965, died in a stairwell fall.

Valery Rezantsev

Valery Grigoryevich Rezantsev (Валерий Григорьевич Резанцев), born 1946, Soviet Greco-Roman light-heavyweight (90 kg) wrestler; double Olympic champion Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976, five-time world champion, famed for the "bychok" push-down.

Valter Walker

Valter Walker (born 1997), Brazilian UFC heavyweight, brother of Johnny Walker, nicknamed The Clean Monster and The Foot Hunter; 16-1 record with five straight first-round UFC submissions, four by heel hook plus a calf slicer over Thomas Petersen in July 2026.

Vampiro

Vampiro (Ian Richard Hodgkinson, b. 1967, Thunder Bay, Ontario), also El Vampiro Canadiense, Canadian wrestler, CMLL and AAA star, WCW 1998-2000, tag champion with Great Muta, AAA Director of Talent, retired April 17, 2026 at JCW Strangle-Mania.

Varteres Samurgashev

Varteres Samurgashev (Вартерес Самургашев), Russian Greco-Roman wrestler born 1979 in Rostov-on-Don; 2000 Olympic lightweight champion, 2004 bronze at 74 kg, world champion 2002 and 2005.

Vasile Andrei

Vasile Andrei (born 1955, Albești, Romania) is a retired heavyweight wrestler, 1984 Olympic Greco-Roman 100 kg champion and 1980 bronze medalist, also a two-time world silver medalist and Romanian flagbearer in 1980 and 1988.

Vasile Puscasu

Vasile Puscasu, born 1956, is a Romanian freestyle wrestler who won the 100 kg gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Romania's first Olympic freestyle wrestling title.

Vasiliy Lomachenko

Vasiliy Lomachenko (Василь Ломаченко), Ukrainian boxer born 1988, two-time Olympic gold medalist (2008, 2012), three-division world champion, 18-3 with 12 KOs; retired June 2025, announced comeback May 2026.

Vasily Zhirov

Vasily Zhirov (Василий Жиров, Vassiliy Jirov), "The Tiger", Kazakhstani southpaw boxer born 1974 in Balkhash; 1996 Olympic light-heavyweight gold and Val Barker winner, IBF cruiserweight champion 1999-2003.

Velvet Sky

Velvet Sky (Jamie Lynn Szantyr, born 1981) is an American retired professional wrestler, two-time TNA Knockouts Champion, member of The Beautiful People with Angelina Love, NWA commentator, and 2025 TNA Hall of Fame inductee.

Velveteen Dream

Velveteen Dream (Patrick Clark Jr., born 1995), American wrestler, Prince-inspired NXT star 2015-2021, longest early NXT North American Champion (209 days); career ended amid 2020 Speaking Out allegations he denies.

Vengeance (2001)

Vengeance (2001), WWF pay-per-view, December 9, 2001, San Diego Sports Arena; inaugural Vengeance replacing Armageddon; Chris Jericho beat The Rock and Steve Austin to become first Undisputed Champion.

Vengeance: Night of Champions

Vengeance: Night of Champions was WWE's June 24, 2007 pay-per-view at Houston's Toyota Center where every championship was defended. Cena retained in a five-way, Nitro and Candice Michelle won titles; it became the annual Night of Champions series.

Verano de Escándalo (2026)

Verano de Escándalo (2026): AAA's three-week wrestling event at Arena San Marcos, Aguascalientes, aired July 25–August 8, 2026, first under WWE ownership; La Hiedra & Laredo Kid won the Mixed Tag Team titles, Dominik Mysterio betrayed El Grande Americano, building to TripleMania 34.