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 Cheap Heat show, HBK was asked about his headliner, Dragunov, who will go head-to-head with one of the most experienced performers in developmental, Baron Corbin. How does Mr. Michaels feel about Dragunov's run so far? Well, in the humble opinion of the “Heartbreak Kid,” the “Unbesiegbar” is one of NXT‘s true success stories, as he's taken every opportunity given to him and run with it.

“To me, once again, the passion and the intensity,” Shawn Michaels told Peter Rosenburg via Fightful. “Again, learned it with him in the UK too, and I'm so proud of that, that some of these well-kept secrets, I guess, from a global standpoint, I was so fortunate to get to see it from the beginning over in the UK. You could see then that he unique and different and special. He's another one that I think, what he's doing now is unbelievably impressive. But I think when he has an opportunity to do that globally, again, we're going to see something special, and also something… I don't know. Ilja's not the biggest person, but he's got such a great look and an intensity, you can feel his passion. He can come out in a rehearsal and have that kind of passion and intensity, so that's the thing that's so fantastic about that. What you see from Ilja is who he is and what you get. I think people see that, they connect with it right away because they know authenticity when they see it, and that's what Ilja has. We're thrilled to have him here, but like I said, it would not surprise me if one day, he gets snatched up. But I'm so happy that he'll have an opportunity, and happy for the people that have not seen him to be able to have the chance to see him because he is a special kid for sure.”

Say what you will about Dragunov as a champion, about his lack of size, about his overly aggressive style, or the fact that he really should be the set-up guy in Impermium – a suggestion even he is tired of hearing – but one thing you can't say is he doesn't leave it all in the ring. Corbin had better bring his A-Game at DeadL1ne, because this is gonna be a war.

Ilja Dragunov vows to dazzle NXT fans at Deadl1ne.

Speaking of Imperium, Ilja Dragunov was recently asked in an appearance on The Bump about how he's grown since his match with Gunther in NXT UK. While Dragunov acknowledges that said match holds a special place in his career, he told Matt Camp, Megan Morant, and company that every match he wrestles is special, as he's the kind of performer who brings the passion every single week.

“Entirely different. I mean, look at my body of work I've put in since I came back to NXT back in November. Every single performance I'm in is memorable. People will see a difference as soon as I step into the ring. People feel something. People feel a connection, they feel an intensity that they've never seen before. There's no one, at this point, doesn't matter if it's NXT or WWE in general, who can fill my spot because I'm entirely unique, and this is a reason why I'm sitting here as the NXT Champion,” Ilja Dragunov said via Fightful.

“I think I just elevated everything I did. Every performer needs to rely on their strength, and as soon as I stepped into this business, I knew that my passion, my soul, the energy I have, is my biggest strength. Even my pain resistance, all of these things, I try to push and elevate all the time. It takes a lot of life out of me. I don't know how much life I already lost through this, but I need to push things to the limit, and I do it every single time. I have no rest while I'm doing this. This is a reason why I just keep getting better and better, and this is what people see when I perform.”

Can Dragunov build a career out of passion alone? Maybe yes, maybe no, but one thing is for sure: he's certainly shown a willingness to return to that well whenever possible, as it's proven to be his special sauce in NXT.