Triple H Is "Obsessed" With THIS NXT UK Star

If Shawn Michaels' favourite Jordan Devlin, this guy might be Hunter's...

by Andy H Murray
Ilja Dragunov
WWE.com

Yesterday brought news that Shawn Michaels is very, very high on NXT UK's Jordan Devlin, the current WWE Cruiserweight Champion, but it looks like his old D-Generation X partner holds a different European wrestler closer to his heart.

Per talkSPORT's Alex McCarthy, a trustworthy source on all things British wrestling, Triple H is "obsessed" with Ilja Dragunov:-

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This bodes extremely well for Dragunov's future. A featured star on NXT UK he may be, but he hasn't yet reached the level of prominence he used to sit at back in Germany's wXw. Now, with the support of the machine behind him, fans can probably expect the high-energy Russian star to start making major moves on WWE's most neglected brand.

Dragunov's last big match came at Worlds Collide on 25 January, where he was felled by Finn Balor in the night's opening match. A previous WALTER opponent on the indies, perhaps he'd make a fitting NXT United Kingdom Championship challenger sometime in the near future, particularly as the Austrian bruiser has already run through most of his other competition in the UK.

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Let's see if Triple H's admiration for Ilja results in a big, immediate push.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.