WWE title match scrapped due to potentially serious injury to champion
WWE Superstar Ilja Dragunov was set to face Trick Williams during the New Year's Evil episode of NXT.
The NXT Championship bout was confirmed after Williams secured the opportunity by winning the Men's Iron Survivor match earlier this month. However, it appears that the bout won't be happening this week as originally scheduled.
During a backstage segment on the show, NXT backstage correspondent Kelly Kincaid revealed that Dragunov hadn't received medical clearance following an injury sustained during his match with Ridge Holland a few weeks ago.
Consequently, she announced that the previously advertised championship bout wouldn't be taking place tonight.
"BREAKING: @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR has not been cleared by WWE Medical Personnel. The #NXT Championship Match with @_trickwilliams will NOT take place tonight. #NewYearsEvil," WWE announced on Twitter.
Check out the announcement below:
In response to the news update, the challenger, Williams, expressed disappointment but extended well wishes to Dragunov for a swift recovery. However, Williams is still set to compete later in the night after he agreed to put his title opportunity on the line against Grayson Waller.
The timeline for The Mad Dragon's return is yet to be determined.
What was your reaction to the announcement regarding Ilja Dragunov's potential injury? Let us know in the comments section below.