Ilja Dragunov's Definitive 10 Best WWE Matches, Ranked
Ilja Dragunov has been in WWE for quite some time now, and despite having some of the greatest in-ring showings in the company’s history, he has spent his time in WWE exclusively in the developmental system. With a change in hierarchy, people like Dragunov may get more of a chance to succeed, but time will tell.
Bianca Belair's Definitive 10 Best WWE Matches, Ranked
Bianca Belair has had a variety of strong showings in WWE, but which matches stand above the others?One thing is for sure with Dragunov though - his in-ring work is incredible, and TheSportster’s ranking system will determine which of his WWE matches are the best of the best. These ratings will also be compared to those from cagematch.net and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
To learn more about how we rank wrestling matches on TheSportster, please check out our match ranking criteria guide here.
10 Ilja Dragunov Vs. Cesaro (WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10
Storytelling | 1.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.07
Cesaro made the trip to Cardiff in 2019 for an exhibition match against Ilja Dragunov, and the pair showed what European wrestling is all about. Not only was this very physical in terms of strikes, but the power moves and impactful slams were also great. The cool, calm, and collected Cesaro going up against the raging bull of Dragunov led to some nice psychology and an interesting clash of styles. On a grander stage and with more of a story, this could’ve certainly been ever better.
9 Ilja Dragunov Vs. Bron Breakker (WWE NXT 07/11/2023)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10
Storytelling | 1.75/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.32
Two of the most intense wrestlers in NXT went to war here and the ring could hardly contain the two steam trains crashing head to head. Breakker’s immense power and strength went up against Dragunov’s stiff and hard-hitting offense, and the resulting mixture of styles was pure class. It was a super TV match and whilst it didn’t quite reach the highest of levels and drama of some other Dragunov matches, it accomplished what it needed to and both wrestlers looked very strong coming out of it.
8 Ilja Dragunov Vs. Carmelo Hayes (WWE NXT Halloween Havoc 2023)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10
Storytelling | 1.75/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.47
Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes closed out their brilliant trilogy at Halloween Havoc 2023, and whilst it was arguably the weakest of their three matches, this isn’t to say it was - in fact, it was fantastic. There was an attempt too much to make this an “epic” with excessive kickouts and whatnot, but it still worked well and the two men put on a match which had some great exchanges, strong character work, and big moves. It can be hard to complete a great trilogy in wrestling, but these two accomplished it.
7 Ilja Dragunov & Pete Dunne Vs. Gunther & Alexander Wolfe (WWE NXT UK 10/15/2020)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 1.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: N/A
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.92
The lack of a crowd was the only real downside to this absolutely insane tag team match, though they did use this to emphasize just how brutal the strikes and moves were, so it wasn’t all negative. Two of Gunther’s biggest rivals in Ilja Dragunov and Pete Dunne formed a super team to take on Gunther and his Imperium ally Alexander Wolfe, and the resulting matchup was a massively physical war in which all four men just beat the holy hell out of one another.
MJF's Definitive 10 Best AEW Matches, Ranked
MJF has proven that he is a generational talent with his impressive resume of matches in AEW.It acted as the perfect set up for Dragunov vs. Gunther for the NXT UK Championship, adding some real intrigue given that Gunther & Wolfe were on the losing end. Due to happening in NXT UK during the pandemic, this match doesn’t get the praise it deserves.
6 Ilja Dragunov Vs. Carmelo Hayes (WWE NXT Great American Bash 2023)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.98
Although this was a first time ever encounter between these two individuals, they showed a level of chemistry that is seen between those who have worked together for years. Dragunov and Hayes brought back the feeling of black & gold NXT to this new version with a brilliant clash for the NXT Championship. It wasn’t quite their best match together though due to a frustrating ending and arguably too many kickouts. Either way though, it was still a fluid, wonderfully wrestled match.
5 Ilja Dragunov Vs. Bron Breakker Vs. JD McDonagh (WWE NXT Halloween Havoc 2022)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.78
In what was arguably the best match since the transition from NXT Black & Gold to 2.0, Ilja Dragunov, Bron Breakker, and JD McDonagh put in a real shift to steal the show and have a tremendous triple threat battle. It was very hard-hitting, and the complete difference in the styles between the three men made for a great dynamic. Dragunov & McDonagh might’ve put in most of the work to keep the match together, but the still inexperienced Breakker had great bursts and looked like a beast.
4 Ilja Dragunov Vs. Dijak (WWE NXT Battleground 2023)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.96
A classic David vs. Goliath formula was followed here, and it was surrounded by an absolutely brutal Last Man Standing stipulation. Both men really lived up to this stipulation, bringing physicality and violence in waves. There were some nasty looking bumps throughout which were accentuated by Dragunov’s world class selling. Dijak put in some of his best work in years, rising to the occasion and looking like his old self, and appearing very dominant in his attacks. It could have perhaps gone a little longer, but that is a very minor downside to what was a terrific clash.
3 Ilja Dragunov Vs. Gunther (NXT TakeOver 36)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 5.25 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.64
This was a highly physical and brutal match between two enemies engaged in a blood feud, and it brought their NXT journey to an end with Dragunov finally overcoming Gunther (then Walter) to win the NXT UK Title. This match was all about how much punishment Dragunov could endure, absorb, and use to bring the fight. In truth, despite the rave reviews for this one, it did get a little excessive when it came to how much Dragunov managed to overcome, but it still worked. The reduced NXT crowd did create a slightly duller atmosphere than a full arena too, which didn't take much away from the match.
2 Ilja Dragunov Vs. Carmelo Hayes (WWE NXT No Mercy 2023)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10
Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.13
Jon Moxley's Definitive 10 Best AEW Matches, Ranked
Jon Moxley is the heart and soul of AEW, having put on some incredible matches for the promotion.The best match in the series between Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov came at No Mercy 2023 in a hard-hitting clash in which it felt like both men would do anything to win and leave as NXT Champion. This had plenty of big spots, callbacks to their other matches within their rivalry, and some electric near-falls which got the crowd on their feet. For those who haven’t kept up with the revamped NXT, this is one you should not miss as it was tremendous, and one of WWE’s best matches of 2023 in fact.
1 Ilja Dragunov Vs. Gunther (NXT UK 2020)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10
Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
Crowd Reaction | 2/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer Rating: 5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.61
Ilja Dragunov’s greatest WWE match came against Gunther, and in a bizarre set of circumstances due to the position of the world, it was in an empty arena in front of zero fans. However, that in itself played into how good this match ended up being. It was violent, brutal, every chop rang through the venue, each kick reverberated, and every clash with the mat seemed ten times more painful. This war felt like one of the most authentic battles in WWE history, and while the lack of a crowd did obviously affect things, they played into it and made the most of a bad situation.
