For the past 870 days, WALTER has been unstoppable as WWE NXT UK Champion. It’s been the longest reign of the modern era, with all who stepped to The Ring General falling after epic battles. However, only one man got as close as Ilja Dragunov did on November 29th, 2020. After pinning him in a tag team match, Dragunov knows he can beat WALTER. On that night, he failed. However tonight at NXT Takeover 36? Dragunov is ready to die before he loses. He will redeem that loss, and prove that this championship belongs to him.
Ilja Dragunov Tries To Ground WALTER
Recent matches with Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne have shown everyone exactly how good Dragunov is, but the chants of WALTER would win out as they got ready for the ring introductions. WALTER hit a glancing slap to tease Dragunov, who was ready to square up. Dragunov would be tossed to the mat before dodging a chop from WALTER, and hitting some of his own.
Recall that at Stand & Deliver, WALTER beat Ciampa with a chop, and also shattered an announce table with one. Dragunov would weather the offense from WALTER and manage to take him to the mat. A side headlock would see WALTER fight to his feet, but Dragunov was holding on tight, even through a back suplex.
Finally getting free, he hit some strikes in the corner, before Dragunov caught him with the short arm scissors. WALTER would try to roll out, but Dragunov was keeping him well grounded. Finally powering him up and putting him in the top rope, WALTER nailed a chop and sent Dragunov tumbling to the floor. A brutal powerbomb onto the apron would add to the punishment.
Back in the ring, WALTER would look for the sleeper hold after a kick to the ribs. Dragunov was still struggling, before being launched with a German Suplex. WALTER would apply a deep Boston Crab in the middle of the ring before moving into a STF. Realizing Dragunov wouldn’t quit, he snapped him into a sitting position and kicked him right in the spine.
WALTER Starts Throwing The Heavy Chops
Dragunov would try to come back as WALTER laid in some strikes, before ending up in the sleeper hold once again. WALTER channeled Minoru Suzuki and tried to move into a piledriver but took a back body drop. Dragunov went for Constantine Special, but was caught into a suplex.
WALTER hit one of his chest shattering chops, causing Dragunov to crumble to the mat. He’d pull his way up and take a boot to the side of the face. However, he would fire back up and counter a lariat right into a wristlock, before hitting some hard knee strikes. He’d hammerlock the arm and rain down some elbow strikes, before pulling him into a knee strike to the jaw.
A jumping knee strike was met by a lariat which took Dragunov out of the sky, before running him down with a second for a two count. Dragunov took a chop to the back of the neck, and would fire up. He was seeing red, letting his rage take over and hit a chop to WALTER’s neck before a German Suplex. WALTER chopped him in the face before being kneed in the face and dumped with a deadlift suplex.
All Great Reigns Eventually End
A diving dropkick was used to set up a diving senton, before Dragunov was ready for Torpedo Moscow, only to be caught in a sleeper suplex. He’d land on his head, but come right in with another Torpedo to the back of the head. One more would land, and the reign was a second away from ending. Dragunov hit his best blow, and now he needs to get creative.
He’d go for some rapid chops before catching WALTER on the top rope with a snap superplex. A diving dropkick was met with a shotgun dropkick from WALTER for a two count. WALTER chopped him in the face, hit a powerbomb and a diving splash, but still Dragunov held on. Dragunov springboard out of the corner with a headbutt, before falling into some elbow strikes on WALTER.
He’d grab a sleeper hold, but WALTER scaled the ropes and dropped Dragunov back down. Dragunov came back and hit more elbows before reapplying, and being unable to break it. He was trying to squeeze the life out of WALTER, before hitting forearms and chops to the back of the head and applied the sleeper once more and WALTER finally gave in.
The standard set in their first match was hard to match, but you can never doubt the greatness of WALTER. It was brutal, it was cerebral, it was pro wrestling in its greatest form. Neither man has much flash, but they’re believable in their offense and selling, and suck you in like no other. It was an incredible fight, but lacked the shocking violence factor of match one. Still one of the best matches WWE will have all year. Match Rating: 4.75/5 (**** 3/4)
Can Dragunov hope to match the reign of WALTER? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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