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WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov for the NXT UK Championship - NXT TakeOver 36
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The most anticipated match heading into NXT TakeOver 36 was WALTER defending the NXT UK Championship against Ilja Dragunov. It was a heavily pushed rematch between the two men from last year. They put on one of the most physical encounters in WWE history and probably the greatest empty arena match in the history of the business.
The battle started with a feeling-out process of mat wrestling, submission attempts, and escalating into their strikes. WALTER took control with a vicious powerbomb on the apron and completely obliterated Dragunov with his signature lethal chops. The dominant champion brutalized Ilja with chops to the point that his chest looked like raw meat and was the color of his red boots.
A former WWE writer just went after JBL for his comments HERE
Ilja Dragunov had a superb babyface performance with impeccable selling, engaging facial expressions, and body language that gripped the viewer in his journey to overcome WALTER. Whatever the champion threw at Dragunov, he preserved and kept fighting here at NXT TakeOver 36.
WALTER went through his greatest hits with terrific callbacks to his past victories. He hit the top rope splash that beat Pete Dunne at TakeOver: New York, the lariat which defeated Tyler Bate at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff, and the standing chop that finished Tommaso Ciampa at Stand and Deliver. Through it all, Ilja Dragunov proved that he was more than ready at NXT TakeOver 36.
Dragunov hit two Torpedo Moscow's that weren't enough, so he bombarded WALTER with strikes and locked on a sleeper that he wouldn't let go. Ilja eventually made WALTER tap out to win the NXT UK Championship. This was the WWE Match of the Year and just a stellar display of beautiful violence. It was undoubtedly the show stealer on this NXT TakeOver 36 card.
Star rating: *****
