Ilja Dragunov has really had a fantastic first year in the WWE.
After the Russian was announced to be joining NXT UK at the start of 2019, he has had standout moments on pay-per-view against the likes of Finn Balor and Cesaro since.
Ilja Dragunov is very popular with fans in NXT UK
Now, at the recent tapings in Coventry, Dragunov is now the number one contender to WALTER’s NXT UK championship and they seemed destined to meet sooner rather than later.
While the exact date of that match is yet to be determined, talkSPORT had the chance to chat with Dragunov ahead of those tapings and pick his brain.
Hi Ilja! You seem to be one of the most popular men on the NXT UK brand right now, do you feel like you’ve really begun to connect with the WWE fans?
I think so, I think so. I have a very different style to a lot of other performers. It’s very expressive, kind of different and it’s not always easy to get into it, but I think the passion I express, my style and my drive, sure.
It’s slowly connecting with the people. I love to see them doing the orchestra with me, feeling the passion I’m going through. It’s a very nice experience for me and yeah, I feel like I’m more connected to the people.
You had a lot of options before joining WWE, how glad are you for making that choice and working with Triple H and Shawn Michaels?
I get the feeling people understand me and that’s very important to me, it’s why I love my work here so much. They understand what I’m doing without really telling them a lot. And in WWE, I’ve seen absolute professionals on a whole new level that I’ve never seen before, I don’t regret a single day that I’m here.
And what’s it like working so closely with guys like Triple H and Shawn Michaels?
Yeah, what can I say?! Of course, it’s learning from the best. It’s just stuff you can’t imagine when you’re getting into it [professional wrestling]. It’s a completely new horizon for me and I know things I never thought I’d know and I see them from a different perspective. I’ve grown as a performer every single day. This is the most exciting time in my life.
Ilja Dragunov put on a fantastic show with Cesaro at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff
Triple H told me after NXT Uk TakeOver: Crdiff that he felt Cesaro made you that night. Were you nervous or excited before that one? How was the experience?
It was more excitement because I don’t get nervous anymore. I think being nervous is a waste of time because it doesn’t change anything about the situation, it just takes you away from the focus of what matters.
So it was pure excitement, you don’t get chances to wrestle Cesaro every day and there must be a reason [they’ve put me in that match]. I enjoyed it on such a big level. It just feels like since that day my life has been changing and it’s exciting.
You’ve been trusted with a few European dream matches, who else would you like to get in there with?
There’s a lot of names. I think when it comes down to European names, guys like Aleister Black, who I knew before his time in WWE. I think we would connect very well and that’s a fight people would want to see, maybe.
Ilja Dragunov is the number one contender for the NXT UK title
A lot of fans want to see you take on WALTER and perhaps even dethrone him – is it time yet?
I think every person here on this brand is looking forward to facing the biggest star on the brand, which is obviously the champion. I have great history with WALTER and I love those big fight feels.
Like, the matches that feel like fights and wars, everything that is raised out of brutality and passion. At some certain point of time, it needs to happen.
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