“That match was a banger!”- WWE Universe overjoyed as Ilja Dragunov advances in the King of the Ring tournament after defeating current champion on Raw  

The recent WWE Draft changes went into effect from the latest episode of Monday Night Raw. This meant that Ilja Dragunov, one of WWE’s fastest-rising stars, was now officially a member of the red brand. WWE announced that he would be a part of the King of the Ring tournament. In the first round of the tournament, he was set to face the Highlight of the Night, Ricochet.

The Mad Dragon beat the former Intercontinental Champion in an intense match to advance to the second round of the tournament. Despite Ricochet getting a good amount of offense, his opponent always seemed one step ahead of him. Eventually, the 30-year-old was able to put him away with the H bomb.

This first-round bout was undoubtedly one of the best matches on this stacked card. The match included several crazy spots. At one point, Ilja Dragunov delivered a German Suplex to the inaugural Speed Champion on the floor. The 35-year-old got his revenge later in the match by delivering a hurricanrana to the Russian from the top rope.

However, the NXT call-up showed great ring awareness and immediately rolled out of the ring to avoid being pinned. This gave him just enough time to recover and make a strong comeback in their match. In the end, the former NXT Champion showed respect to his opponent by shaking his hand.

Fans delighted to see Ilja Dragunov beat Ricochet and advance to the second round of the King of the Ring tournament

The wrestling world was delighted to see Ilja Dragunov’s first match as an official member of the Monday Night Raw roster. He was one of the most prominent NXT Draft picks for the red brand. Hence, fans were happy to see him being treated as such. He had won his second match after officially becoming a part of the main roster. Additionally, he had also advanced to the next round of the King of the Ring tournament.

On the other hand, some remained unhappy with the treatment Ricochet was getting. The WWE still does not seem to treat him as a main-event-caliber superstar. Even after being crowned the first inaugural Speed Champion, he was eliminated in only the first round of the tournament.

Needless to say, it was still great to see Unbesiegbar putting on the same great-quality matches that he used to while wrestling on NXT. Furthermore, fans were excited to see what potential match-ups he could have in future rounds of the tournament. After Gunther beat Sheamus to advance in the tournament himself, many are wishing for an NXT UK rematch between the two, just on a much grander scale. 

In case you missed it:

• WWE reportedly part ways with Hall of Famer after 32 years; contract not renewed under “new era” of the company 
• “I came to back yelling and cursing,” Newly drafted Raw Superstar recalls CM Punk calming him down backstage after he got busted open in a match

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