Ilja Dragunov Articles - Page 2

When NXT Deadline came to an end with the image of Ilja Dragunov and Trick Williams staring each other down as Carmelo Hayes came up behind his long-time friend, it marked the end of the WWE Premium Live Event calendar, with fans having to wait through Christmas and New Years in order to see their […]

After watching six hard-hitting contests, two Iron Survivor Challenge matches, and a new number one contender for the NXT Championship be named in Trick Williams, Ilja Dragunov found himself in the main event of NXT Deadline opposite one of the most experienced foes he’s ever faced in former United States Champion Baron Corbin. While Dragunov […]

And just like that, there was one, NXT fans. With just one Premium Live Event left on the 2023 WWE calendar, Shawn Michaels will bring one of the most unique cards WWE presents of the entire year: Deadl1ne. Featuring a very unique match type that is one part Survivor Series, one part WarGames, ten performers, […]

As the WWE Universe prepares for the final Premium Live Event of the 2023 calendar year, NXT Deadl1ne, Shawn Michaels took his usual trip around the proverbial horn to discuss with the media about what to expect from his Superstars like Ilja Dragunov, Trick Williams, and Wes Lee. Sitting down with Peter Rosenburg on his […]

Trick Williams is less than a week away from what could be one of the defining moments of his professional wrestling career. If he can put his recent attack at the hands of (probably) Lexus King – though maybe Carmelo Hayes – behind him, go the distance, and become the second-ever Iron Survivor Challenge winner […]

There was a time when Carmelo Hayes was the certified face of NXT, and arguably the top priority in WWE’s developmental system. On paper, it made sense, right? After working his way up the ranks, beating darn near every performer the brand had to offer and establishing himself as the next great do-it-all cruiserweight, Hayes […]

It feels like fans have been fantasy booking who will dethrone Roman Reigns as the Universal Champion, from Bryan Danielson to Jey Uso, John Cena, Sami Zayn, and now LA Knight since… well, since he initially won the title all the way back in August of 2020 at Payback. Now granted, Reigns has grown considerably […]

With his second-ever defense of the NXT Championship officially on the books for Week 2 of Halloween Havoc, Ilja Dragunov followed his challenger, Carmelo Hayes, in having a sitdown interview with lead commentator Vic Joseph about his current place in the WWE Universe, the tough road he took to the promotion, and, most importantly of […]

When news broke that Cody Rhodes was not only going to be on a very special episode of NXT but was actually going to open the show with a huge announcement, it sent the rumor mill ‘a spinning as to what on earth he could have planned. Fortunately, fans didn’t have to wait long to […]

After watching Trick Williams return to the NXT locker room with his newly won North American Championship around his waist, Carmelo Hayes knew the pressure was on to keep his championship reign alive at No Mercy. Facing off against one of the most prolific performers on the NXT roster, with a commanding win over Gunther […]

After working a highly contested match at The Great American Bash with the NXT Championship on the line, a match some say Trick Williams impacted in a way that severely assisted the champion, Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes will hit the mat once more at No Mercy, this time, with pride, more so than the […]

By securing a win over Wes Lee in the opening contest of NXT, Ilja Dragunov has officially punched his ticket to No Mercy, where he will challenge for the NXT Championship for the fifth time in his career in WWE’s stateside developmental program. At 29, Dragunov has wrestled all over the world, worked matches against […]

In case you haven’t heard, there’s been a good bit of drama surrounding the matches booked – and not booked – for SummerSlam, and no, it’s not that Grayson Waller will be in the Slim Jim Battle Royal instead of getting an automatic match against Austin Theory, who is somehow seven years older than the […]

Whether they wrestle one more match, 100 more matches, or never wrestle again, Ilja Dragunov and Gunther will forever be linked for one reason and one reason alone: NXT UK. Working on one of the most criminally overlooked brands in the WWE Universe, Dragunov, and Gunther – then wrestling as Walter – went to absolute […]

As Shawn Michaels and WWE attempt to elevate the NXT brand to new heights, mainly with weekly viewers but in general too, the dynamic quarter of Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, and Dominik Mysterio, collectively known as The Judgment Day, have made flying into Orlando immediately after RAW a part of their weekly routine, […]

If there’s one complaint some fans have about Gunther‘s run at the top of the SmackDown and now RAW roster – other than, you know, the weird 1940s German stuff that persistently keeps coming up in ideas from creative – it’s that he maybe hasn’t been afforded the best competition as a member of the […]

After taking care of business on SmackDown in the first-ever Intercontinental Championship challenge of Xavier Woods’ career, Gunther was riding pretty darn high; his Intercontinental Championship had been successfully defended for the 10th time, Imperium came off as imposing as ever, and with the WWE draft rapidly approaching, the faction looked prime to hear their […]

When JD McDonagh came out during Carmelo Hayes’ opening segment on NXT, he was undoubtedly looking for some smoke, as one does when they challenge a championship contender to a match, but little did he know just how “Unbesiegbar” things would get. Working a back-and-forth match that saw the “A-Champ” work a little closer than […]

After securing a win over Apolo Crews at NXT Vengeance Day, Carmelo Hayes was riding high. He and Trick Williams walked down to the ring to sing their praises, and it looked like the duo were preparing for a one-way ticket to wrestle Bron Breakker… at least until JD McDonagh walked down to the ring […]

Bron Breakker is NXT’s biggest contradiction; he’s the brand’s most prolific star and a relative newcomer to wrestling, having only wrestled 47 matches in NXT and in general. Sure, he’s wrestled in big-time bouts, beaten many of the best stars to make their way through the brand, and is a freakin’ Steiner, for crying out […]