When Ilja Dragunov and Trick Williams took the ring in the main event of Night 1 of Spring Breakin', more than just the NXT Championship was on the line.
If the “Mad Dragon” secured the victory, he would retain his title, sure, keeping the reign of the Unbesiegbar alive and well on WWE's developmental brand, but Williams would also be forced to leave NXT for good, as you only get so many bites at the Dragunov apple before leaving the proverbial territory once and for all. And if Williams secured the win? Well, Dragunov would almost certainly leave NXT, too, as he's expected to hear his name called on either Night 1 or Night 2 of the WWE Draft, landing on either the Red or Blue brand after accomplishing darn near everything there is to do in WWE Developmental.
No pressure, right?
Taking the ring for a 12-minute main event with a half-dozen former NXT Champions in the ring, Dragunov and Williams worked the rare babyface-babyface title match television main event, exchanging respectful blows before the show went to commercial and returning to the action right in the middle of some high-powered offensive assaults, with the “Mad Dragon” having to be checked on by the referee after taking a rough landing before rebounding in a major way with his Coast-To-Coast Missile for a near-fall.
Still, Williams wasn't just going to lay down and die, hitting Dragunov with the H-Bomb and the Torpedo Moscow for near falls before the match went outside the ring, where Trick Willie put his 30-year-old foe through the announcing table with a Rock Bottom. Returning to the ring as the crowd excitement built considerably, Dragunov hit a trio of H-bombs for near falls but ultimately couldn't secure the pin, as he'd suffered too much cumulative damage on his head from his signature maneuvers. Still, in the end, the match came down to the two performers standing opposite each other, gearing up for their finishes. Charging at full speed like Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson a few days prior, Williams hit his target and dropped Dragunov for the 1-2-3, leading to the men hugging it out after the match and Williams becoming the new NXT Champion.
What does this mean for the future of NXT? Only time will tell, as who knows what the promotion will look like at the end of the WWE Draft, it's clear the Trick Williams era of NXT is here and isn't going away any time soon.
Booker T got his wish to keep Trick Williams in NXT.
In the lead-up to Trick Williams' career-defining NXT Championship match against Ilja Dragunov, Booker T was asked to give his take on the bout scheduled to headline Night 1 of NXT Spring Breakin', and who he'd like to see come out of the event with the belt around his waist.
Would the former King of the Ring put his money on the “Mad Dragon,” a performer who has already ended Carmelo Hayes' run as the NXT Champion in America and unseated Gunther as the NXT UK Champion back in England after over 900 days with the belt? Or would he put all of his eggs in Trick Willie's basket, rooting for the man he put over in a huge way with his theme-song adlibs even though he has a clear disadvantage in the experience department?
While Booker opted to keep things close to the vest, he did have some glowing things to say about Williams' potential as a future main roster Superstar, noting that if he sticks around in NXT and continues to progress in his journey, he has the potential to be a true blue main roster star.
“Wrestling is subjective to the person watching. I never really look at that side of it because I wasn't that great of a wrestler myself [laughs], I just act like I was a good wrestler. Trick Williams has done something so captivating, and that's being able to connect with the crowd. The crowd wants to see Trick Williams and him come up just because of the charisma he displays on a weekly basis. He's a good dude as well,” Booker T told Wrestle Rant via Fightful.
“The wrestling, that's going to come. I talk to Trick Williams all the time myself about that aspect of his game. It's not something that happens overnight. Trick Williams has had, you can count on both hands about how many matches Trick has had on television. For me, Trick is a diamond in the rough, but trust me, once we polish him up, he's going to shine and shine like new money. Right now, he's doing a h*ll of a job as far as creating his aura in NXT. Is Trick Williams ready for the main roster right now? Personally, I don't think so, but that's what NXT is for, to keep these young guys ready for that next level, just like Carmelo Hayes. He's been grinding in NXT for two years. He's been grinding. Give Trick Williams that same amount of time and see how he develops. He is truly going to be a generational talent in this business that hasn't come along in a long time.”
Had Dragunov won his match against Williams, the former Trick & Melo Gang hype man would have been forced to go to RAW or SmackDown in the 2024 WWE Draft, or remain a free agent until one of the main roster brands decided to take him on as a free agent. Instead, Williams gets to represent the Black and Gold brand as its top champion, and he'll be able to grow as a performer as his legend continues to grow in WWE, too.