Ilja Dragunov recently spoke with Fightful where he discussed various topics, including his upcoming WWE NXT Title match against Carmelo Hayes at tonight’s No Mercy pay-per-view event.
The two men faced each other for the first time at the Great American Bash pay-per-view event on July 30, 2023, where Hayes emerged victorious. Dragunov earned another opportunity to wrestle Hayes for the NXT Championship on the September 12 episode of NXT television. Dragunov said,
“I think I bring out a lot of different things out of a lot of people because what I do in the ring is so entirely different compared to a lot of other different performers next to me. When I step into this ring will certainly feel something, because I feel something. Because as soon as I step into this ring everything is real to me, even before this. Everything is real to me. When I step in, I’m coming for a fight. I’m coming into break absolutely everything. The entire passion that I carry around with myself that everybody feels. Yeah, I bring different sides out of people because you need a lot to get me down. I’m not going to make it easy for you.”
He continued, “Most definitely [brings out a different side in him]. You look at the struggle that was there, you look at the entire back and forth between us—most definitely. Because he’s the champ. He needs to bring out different sides of different people. It is absolutely necessary. If you can’t do that, you shouldn’t be champion. He’s gotta prove himself towards me. He did, I think. The people were absolutely excited to see that match that you can just hear the noise in the arena. There is something that people, I think, absolutely remember.”
