7 Ups And 2 Downs From NXT Worlds Collide

By Scott Carlson / January 26, 2020

Ups...

7. Balor, Dragunov Deliver Solid Opener

While no one knew who Ilja Dragunov was, they seemed to enjoy his match against Finn Balor at Worlds Collide, though roles seemed to be reversed.

Balor has been a heel for a while, but since Ilja was an unrecognized foreigner, he was roundly booed while Finn was cheered. Despite the mixed-up dynamics, both men had a fun match full of counter-wrestling, as they traded moves and reversals. Dragunov did a nice job of stringing together some offense and earning respect from the fans, but it wasn’t going to be enough to overcome the Prince.

The outcome wasn’t terribly in doubt, as Balor losing to a relative unknown would have been a dumb decision at this stage. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an enjoyable bout.