Ilja Dragunov really had a fantastic first year in WWE.
After the Russian was announced to join NXT UK in early 2019, he has had some remarkable pay-per-view moments against the likes of Finn Balor and Cesaro ever since.
Ilja Dragunov is very popular with NXT UK fans
Now, in recent Coventry registrations, Dragunov is now the number one competitor in the WALTER NXT UK Championship and they seemed destined to meet as soon as possible.
Although the exact date for this match remains to be determined, talkSPORT had the chance to chat with Dragunov before these recordings and to choose his brain.
Hi Ilja! You seem to be one of the most popular men of the NXT UK brand right now, do you feel like you have really started connecting with WWE fans?
I think so, I think so. I have a style very different from many other artists. It’s very expressive, a little different and it’s not always easy to get into it, but I think the passion I express, my style and my dynamism, of course.
It connects slowly with people. I love to see them doing the orchestra with me, feeling the passion that I cross. It’s been a great experience for me and yes, I feel like I’m more connected with people.
You had a lot of options before joining WWE, are you glad you made that choice and worked with Triple H and Shawn Michaels?
I feel like people understand me and it’s very important to me, which is why I love my work here so much. They understand what I am doing without really telling them much. And in WWE, I saw absolute professionals to a whole new level that I had never seen before, I don’t regret a single day that I am here.
And what is it like working so closely with guys like Triple H and Shawn Michaels?
Yeah what can i say ?! Of course, he learns from the best. It’s just stuff you can’t imagine when you get into it [professional wrestling]. It’s a completely new horizon for me and I know things I never thought I would know and I see them from a different perspective. I grew up as an interpreter every day. It’s the most exciting moment of my life.
Ilja Dragunov did a fantastic show with Cesaro at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff
Triple H told me after NXT Uk TakeOver: Crdiff that he thought Cesaro had made you that night. Were you nervous or excited before that one? How was the experience?
It was more exciting because I didn’t get nervous anymore. I think being nervous is a waste of time because it doesn’t change the situation, it just takes you away from what matters.
So it was pure excitement, you don’t get a chance to fight Cesaro everyday and there must be a reason [they’ve put me in that match]. I enjoyed it on such a level. I feel like since that day my life has changed and it’s exciting.
We trusted you for some European dream matches, who else would you like to participate with?
There are many names. I think when it comes to European names, guys like Aleister Black, whom I knew before he went to WWE. I think we would be very well connected and it is a fight that people would like to see, perhaps.
Ilja Dragunov is the number one candidate for the NXT UK title
Lots of fans want to see you take on WALTER and maybe even dethrone him – is there still time?
I think everyone here on this brand is eager to face the brand’s biggest star, who is obviously the champion. I have a great history with WALTER and I love these fighting sensations.
Like, matches that look like fights and wars, everything born from brutality and passion. At some point, this has to happen.
