Ilja Dragunov isn’t scheduled for a match at WrestleMania 42.
That, the origins of his H-Bomb finisher and being credited for the improvements of Trick Williams in the ring are among the topics “The Mad Dragon” spoke about during an appearance on The Ringer Wrestling Show.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview where he touches on these topics with his thoughts.
On how people are crediting him for Trick Williams’ in-ring improvement: “People are saying this but, that’s all Trick’s work… Of course, it’s always two parties in a match… Three at least because you have always a ref in the match. But, I don’t want anyone to give me the flowers for Trick’s progression because, this guy — just had the opportunity, and of course I was a bit more experienced in that sense for sure. But he was ready. It’s just like a person who is waiting for a particular spot and you give him someone who just wants to work with him, and I was very heavily pushed in NXT times, from the get-go, and I was just working with him, and had fights that I thought made sense. But all the stuff that made him with ‘Whoop that Trick’ and his presence and his aura, that is all his work and I don’t wanna take any credit for that.”
On how there were moments in those matches where Trick leveled up:On he and Carmelo Hayes not having matches at WrestleMania 42: “What would you say? Disappointment is such a hard word. I’m living my absolute best life. I have amazing performances with Carmelo (Hayes), and I think, honestly, everything that we achieved together, from NXT, to the main roster, not having a match on WrestleMania, this year, is only one thing that we don’t have, compared to all the things that we achieved in front of the audience. All the memories and moments we gave to the people that were watching us fighting. It is nothing that anyone could take away from us, and people will remember this, and somewhere down the line, it’s all gonna make sense… And look at Melo. Melo is on the main roster since one and a half years? Roundabout. I was out for a year with the ACL tear. But, looking at him, how much he connects with the audience, how much people, like, are on their feet when he has his entrance. Not having a match this year on WrestleMania is not gonna do any harm to him, and people that work like him get their payoff.”
On his favorite wrestling move and getting the H-bomb from MMA legend and former UFC fighter Dan Henderson: “My favorite wrestling move?… That’s a tough one. I really don’t have a favorite wrestling move. I gotta be so accurate and say it’s my H-Bomb, and honestly, that’s such a simple move and I completely stole it from Dan Henderson in MMA. It’s such a simple move but I’m very happy that I was able to pull it off before somebody else came up with the idea.”
