It’s been a long road to the top for NXT UK’s Ilja Dragunov – moving from Russia to Germany at a young age, plying his trade and honing his craft across the globe – but this week, Dragunov may win his first piece of WWE silverware!
After months of waiting due to NXT UK lying dormant, Ilja Dragunov finally gets his NXT United Kingdom Championship opportunity on this week’s show – a shot he earned by winning a Battle Royal earlier this year – when he takes on the dominant champion that is WALTER.
Not one to ever take anything for granted, Dragunov is not looking past the United Kingdom Champion but, speaking with Inside The Ropes‘ very own Kenny McIntosh, the Russian Superstar managed to at least allow his imagination to take him across the pond.
Kenny asked Ilja if it were possible to take on anyone in WWE in a Survivor Series-style clash as NXT United Kingdom Champion, who would the Russian dynamo want to face?
“I always think about the perfect scenario and not like just match-wise, dream match-wise, I think about something which is so special because nobody would think about this before, which could be like very unique and very unpredictable. I think like a character as unique and special as Ilja Dragunov is what appeals to me, so for that reason I think it would be very special to face Bray Wyatt. It would be very special in a lot of ways that I think nobody would ever see it coming.”
“A-Kid. I think A-Kid is definitely the person in NXT UK where people should pay their attention to, because I never saw someone with this kind of special work ethic and this special kind of persona – so talented and so humble. And we already had a match against each other. Why not repeat it?”
You can read our full interview with Ilja Dragunov here.
Tune in to see Ilja Dragunov vs WALTER for the NXT UK Championship on NXT UK on Thursday 8pm on WWE Network and Friday 10pm on BT Sport.