Ilja Dragunov has been waiting six months for this shot at NXT UK Champion WALTER, but will settle to fight anyone. Noam Dar got in face earlier in the show, and Dragunov will take this tune up match in this week’s main event on NXT UK.
Noam Dar Lets Six Months Of Frustration Out On Dragunov
This one picked off where their brawl earlier in the night stopped, Dragunov taking Dar down and pummeling him with open palm strikes. Dar would get up and shove Dragunov into the ropes, and kick him in the leg as the referee calls for a clean break. Dragunov would come back just as hard, and Dar would be the one in the ropes, though he got his clean break.
Dar would grab the arm of Dragunov, only to be lifted to the shoulders of Dar and once again end up in the ropes. He’d try to come back with a kick to the shin, but missed and Dar almost got beheaded by a spinning backfist, but he thankfully dodged at the last second. Dar ran back into a knee strike, before taking a stiff forearm to the face and a running crossbody, all this getting a two count.
Dragunov would hit a spinning chop and a senton to the chest,, causing Dar to slip to the outside to break this flow from Dragunov. Dar would try to brawl, but end up with his face hitting the apron. Back in the ring, Dragunov would go to the middle rope and be caught by Dar, who went for an armbar only to be fought off. Dar would instead just kick the shin, sending Dragunov crashing to the mat.
The leg is now the target for Dar, perfect for his Champagne Super Kneebar finisher. Dar would kick Dragunov while he’s down, and then hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a nearfall, before stomping all the limbs hard into the mat. Things are looking good for Dar at this point, but that would change.
Ilja Dragunov Won’t Be Stopped
Hard snap mares into the ropes would bring back memories of a young William Regal, Dar pulling for UK Wrestlings past. Some open palm strikes to the face of Dragunov would wake The Mad Russian up, with Dar being dumped on his head with a driver. Now with a chance to catch his breath, Dragunov is ready to conduct his way to victory.
Dar would be hit with a hard running knee in the corner, but he’d dodge the first lariat; only to be beheaded with the second. Dragunov would look for the Gotch Lift Suplex, and Dar desperately fought his way out, grabbing a submission after getting Dragunov on the mat. He’d try for the kneebar but fail to successfully grab the hold, getting kneed in the face when he tries again.
Both men would fall to the mat after a huge lariat from Dragunov to Dar, but Dragunov would scale the rope for something. He’d miss on the way down, stumble to the corner and a forearm would hit him flush. Dar would send Dragunov to the apron and dropkick him to the floor, quickly rush him back into the ring and connect with a lariat to the back of the head for a near fall.
Another NXT UK Classic For The History Books
Dar would pull Dragunov to his feet, nail some knee strikes before hitting a flatliner. This got a two count, but Dar seamlessly moved into a fujiwara armbar. Dragunov fought back to his feet, but Dar wouldn’t let him go, until Dragunov got the arm and rained hard chops to the neck, something out of the playbook of the legendary Kenta Kobashi.
Eventually a chop to the face allowed Dragunov to hit the Gotch Lift Suplex for a near fall, shocked that Dar kicked out. Alexander Wolfe of Imperium came to ringside to distract Dragunov, but instead had Dar run into him. Dragunov would hit his Torpedo Headbutt, getting the win.
It is matches like this which make NXT UK so special. While this brand often gets ignored for the original NXT, it maintains the same magic and provides big matches like this quite regularly, and this match was another example of this.
Ilja Dragonauv is marching forward to face WALTER, are we looking at our next NXT UK Champion? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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