Ilja Dragunov is doubtful that he would be able to beat Gunther if they had a match in the near future.
The Mad Dragon was the one who dethroned the WWE United Kingdom Champion following The Ring General holding the championship for 870 days back in 2021. However, a lot has changed for both men since then.
While Dragunov remains as intense as ever and has recently risen to the top of NXT, Gunther has been on the run of his career with a record-breaking Intercontinental Championship reign and often has the best match of the night against the likes of Chad Gable, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus.
While speaking with Haus of Wrestling, Dragunov was asked if he could repeat history and once again bring a historical reign to an end. In a somewhat surprising answer, the NXT Champion acknowledged that there are doubts creeping in but he is working hard to alleviate them and get even better in the ring:
“It is the hardest question to answer, to be honest, because you just gotta see and look at him and how good he is. Like, I know, I’m good. I know that, like, I do, and do enough to prove that again and again and again. But knowing how great he is, and to have this feeling inside myself that I’m not even slightly on his level at the moment. That is something that is, on one side, driving me extremely crazy, but on the other side, is motivating you really, really hard.
Dragunov continued by referencing the mismatch between himself and the Imperium leader and how it made the victory even more monumental. The Mad Dragon concluded by saying that if the opportunity of a rematch does present itself then he will give it his all:
“And I think this is a thing that is kind of magnetic to each other because every time we step together in a ring, it was brutal, and it was a perfect David and Goliath story. Apparently, underdog tries to overcome the impossible story, and I’m the perfect underdog. I’m one of those guys; I’m one of a dying breed. Like a really good brutally fighting underdog and the absolute final boss that you see in Gunther, and we both embrace our personas so well that this is like the perfect mixture.
“This is something people want to see; it doesn’t matter how often it will happen. So, if I’m the one who’s able to do this, actually, I can’t say if I really know this, but if I get the chance to, you can make sure that I’m going to do everything I can to be that guy.”
Gunther Smashes Another Milestone
Still reigning as the Intercontinental Champion, no one has been able to take the title away from The Ring General in over a year. With there being no sign of the reign slowing down, Gunther recently hit another milestone as champion.