WWE NXT TakeOver 36: 5 finishes to WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov - NXT UK Championship match
WALTER will defend his WWE NXT UK Championship against Ilja Dragunov at TakeOver 36. The match was originally advertised to take place on an episode of NXT UK last month. However, a hand injury suffered by WALTER forced WWE to reschedule the contest to TakeOver 36.
This won’t be the first time the two superstars will be competing in the ring. They competed for the title nearly a year ago on the episode 29th October 2020 episode of NXT UK.
The five-star match ended with WALTER picking up the win after The Mad Russian gave it his all in the ring. Dragunov has been much more aggressive and focused ever since, and he will likely give WALTER an even tougher fight this time around.
This will be Dragunov’s first TakeOver match on US soil. WALTER, meanwhile, is well-versed with TakeOver shows and will look to use his vast experience during the contest. One thing fans must remember is that Dragunov has pinned The Ring General in a tag team match on NXT UK.
The Austrian Anomaly’s faction, Imperium, could also play a major role in the outcome of the contest. With all of these factors in mind, let's take a look at five ways the match between WALTER and Ilja Dragunov could come to an end at TakeOver 36.
#5. Timothy Thatcher attacks WALTER to cost him the match at WWE NXT TakeOver 36
WALTER has all the momentum heading into WWE NXT TakeOver 36. He has already defeated Ilja Dragunov to retain his title once, and he could easily do it again at the show.
However, things could turn ugly for The Ring General if his past comes back to haunt him. He has already tried to get hold of Timothy Thatcher earlier and even defeated his tag partner Tommaso Ciampa in a brutal contest.
At TakeOver 36, Thatcher could look to turn the tides and come for WALTER instead. While NXT ended the storyline abruptly, the creative team could look to reignite it at TakeOver 36.
Thatcher could come out to distract WALTER and give Dragunov a chance to take him out and pick up the victory.
Even though Thatcher and Ciampa are currently caught up in a rivalry with Ridge Holland and Pete Dunne, the NXT creative team could look to build a future feud.
The angle would allow NXT UK to get a new champion and also give WALTER a reason to stick around on NXT for some time and hunt down Thatcher. A rivalry between the two superstars would be epic, considering their history.