8 Ups And 2 Downs From WWE NXT (Aug 10)

1. Pete Gets The Job Dunne Against Dragunov Thanks To WALTER

On the back of perhaps one of the most unexpectedly brilliant in-ring promos of the year, Ilja Dragunov found himself locking horns with another NXT UK alumni in the form of a rather pissed off Pete Dunne. The two would trade barbs, with Dunne demanding a thank you for paving the way for Dragunov, before the TakeOver 36 NXT UK Championship challenger demanded a fight with the Bruiserweight in the main event.

As you likely expected, glorious violence ensued.

Seriously, WALTER aside, are there two other individuals currently signed to WWE that possess the ability to inflict believable punishment in quite the way these two studs do? It was a brutal war from start to finish, with savage grappling exchanges making way for excruciating shoot-outs and some of the closest near-falls of the year.

As their contender for NXT TV Match of the Year reached its closing stretch, though, the looming shadow that is the Imperium leader finally made his presence known, distracting Dragunov long enough for Dunne to nail him with a Bitter End for the win.

Far from making Dragunov look weak in defeat, however, the challenger would nail his bitter rival with a Torpedo Moscow to send him flying out of the ring. Only to pick up the title shortly after and make fans once again question whether this passionate ball of fire could actually do the unthinkable.

When wrestling makes us believe in the seemingly impossible, it is almost untouchable.