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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.
#4. WALTER chops his way to a victory at WWE NXT TakeOver 36
WALTER has been one of the most dominant superstars in WWE NXT for over two years. He hasn’t competed in too many matches on NXT or NXT UK, but has held the NXT UK Championship for over 800 days.
The Ring General is famous for his cringe-inducing chops, something that has helped him pick up several victories during his wrestling career. At TakeOver 36, fans could end up watching another chop battle between WALTER and Dragunov.
The two superstars will likely compete in a lengthy match with several big spots. WALTER could ultimately pick up the victory with a massive chop followed by a Folding Powerbomb or one of his other high impact signature moves for the win.
#3. Imperium helps WALTER retain his WWE NXT UK Championship at TakeOver 36
Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel have been by WALTER’s side on WWE NXT for a long time now. Even after the departure of Alexander Wolfe from NXT, the two men have continued to work on WALTER’s orders.
At TakeOver 36, the two men could play a vital role during WALTER’s match against Ilja Dragunov for the NXT UK Championship. They could come out late in the match and distract the referee or attack Dragunov to help WALTER win the contest.
The angle will bring Aichner and Barthel closer to The Ring General and make Imperium’s position in NXT even stronger.
#2. MSK repay the favor and help Ilja Dragunov win the WWE NXT UK Championship at TakeOver 36
The go-home episode of WWE NXT before TakeOver 36 saw MSK defend their titles against Imperium. The two teams had a good match before WALTER made his way out. The Austrian Anomaly tried to enter the ring to distract the referee to give Imperium an unfair advantage.
However, Ilja Dragunov made his way out to attack WALTER and give MSK a chance to retain their NXT Tag Team Championships. After the match, WALTER took out MSK and Dragunov to make a statement.
MSK could look to repay the favor at NXT TakeOver 36 and come out to attack Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel at ringside. The chaos could allow The Mad Russian to hit his finisher and pick up the win. NXT could look to extend the rivalry between MSK and Imperium following the angle.
#1. Ilja Dragunov pins WALTER clean to win the WWE NXT UK Championship at TakeOver 36
WWE NXT TakeOver 36 will be the perfect place for Ilja Dragunov to show what he’s made of. He recently had his first match on NXT and will be looking forward to the NXT UK Championship match at TakeOver 36.
The Unbesiegbar must have learned from some past mistakes and could use that experience to give WALTER an even tougher fight this time around. Dragunov could outwrestle The Ring General at TakeOver and pin him clean to pick up the biggest victory of his career.
NXT UK is ready to have a new champion at the top as WALTER has now reigned supreme for over two years. Dragunov could prove to be the change that the brand needs to move forward.
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