Trick Williams Names Ilja Dragunov As WWE Star Who Pushed Him To ‘Next Level’

Published: 33 minutes ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 14 seconds ago by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

Trick Williams Names Ilja Dragunov As WWE Star Who Pushed Him To ‘Next Level’

Trick Williams has named Ilja Dragunov as the WWE star who helped push him to the “next level” in his career.

With WrestleMania 42 taking place this weekend, Trick Williams faces WWE United States Champion Sami Zayn on April 19.

Signed in February 2021, Williams initially headed to NXT before his main roster call-up earlier this year and has cited his feud with Ilja Dragunov as instrumental in his progression as a WWE star.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated, William reflected on the feud that culminated with Dragunov losing the NXT Championship in April 2024, saying:

“I gotta say Ilja Dragunov man. I just happened to go back and watch those matches. Vengeance Day, the same day Melo turned on me and everything like that. And man, every single match I’ve had with Ilja Dragunov is just phenomenal.

“He pulled out a side of Trick Williams that I didn’t even know existed. You literally just in the ring and you’re going to fight. He demands that, and that’s what I needed to take my career to the next level.”

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Vengeance Day in February 2024 saw Williams unsuccessfully challenge Dragunov for the NXT Championship, a title he would eventually win two month later on the April 23 Spring Breakin’ episode.

Williams has previously stated that Dragunov is the “stiffest” star he has worked with in WWE, noting that one particular kick saw his “vision turned off.”

While the matches may have been what drove Williams forward, he would note the importance of story, when asked whether the match or storyline was most important, saying:

“Storyline of course. Storyline is what keeps the people invested, what keeps the people coming. You know what I mean?

“Because without storylines nobody truly cares. We’re not stunt doubles, we superstars. We here to make the people feel something.

“I want the people to feel something every singles time they see Trick Williams.”

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Intensity Personified

Ilja Dragunov is the first Russian-born star to be signed with WWE, debuting in NXT UK back in 2019 and subsequently being brought Stateside, with a main roster call-up in 2024.

A former NXT UK Champion, Dragunov also held the NXT Championship, with his main roster call-up seeing the WWE United States Championship also in his possession.

Billed at 5’10”, Dragunov is far from the most imposing presence on the WWE roster, but stands out for his sheer intensity and a style that made him a standout on the European scene, including a run in Germany’s wXw that saw him feud and team with WALTER, now known as GUNTHER.

Indeed, it could be argued that some of the intensity that GUNTHER brings to the ring can be seen in Dragunov, with the pair seeing their rivalry continue in NXT UK, leading to the aforementioned Championship reign, and untelevised WWE SuperShow matches back in 2024.

In action as recently as March 20, Dragunov faced Carmelo Hayes in a losing effort for the WWE United States Championship on SmackDown.

That loss is unlikely to derail any ambitions that Dragunov may hold to add more WWE championships to his record, although a detour to revisit a feud with Williams may be something worth pursuing.

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