6 Ups & 2 Downs From WWE NXT UK (22 April)
5. Ilja Is The One
The memories remain for @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR...#NXTUK pic.twitter.com/TLtr8bVlG7
— NXT UK (@NXTUK) April 22, 2021
Ilja Dragunov is definitely taking the NXT UK Championship from WALTER, isn’t he?
NXT UK’s production team are making it seem that way, at least. A brief, albeit effective, vignette saw the Russian reviewing some previous match footage from bouts following his loss to WALTER. From a visual standpoint, this was great in every way imaginable. The red light striking Ilja’s face, giving off vibes of his ‘Red Fury’ moniker, alongside his visual frustration every time he received a chop from an opponent. He recalls WALTER’s chops each and every time.
It’s short vignettes like that which elevate characters, not that Dragunov needs elevating, of course. If he is the one to dethrone ‘The Ring General’, then a) NXT UK must wait until crowds are back for this genuinely historic title change, and b) it’ll all have been worth it because of these promotional packages.