6 months ago
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Despite losing to Jey Uso in the King of the Ring tournament quarterfinals last night, recent "WWE Raw" call-up Ilja Dragunov has his sights on climbing the ranks of the main roster. Speaking in a backstage interview with Cathy Kelley following last night's show, Dragunov shared his feelings on the loss while offering a warning to his future opponents.
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"It's so frustrating," Dragunov said during the interview. "All I know right now [is] I'm tired, I'm in pain, but the beauty of it is that I'm already very dangerous in this ring, but if I'm in pain, I'm an entire monster."
Dragunov was asked about his rivalry with GUNTHER, which last saw the two competing at WWE NXT Takeover 36 — a match that Dragunov won. However, a lot has changed since then, and GUNTHER advanced in the tournament while Dragunov did not. Asked to predict whether GUNTHER or Uso might go on to the tournament finals, the former WWE NXT Champion declined to choose one over the other.
"The only prediction I can make is for myself, and this prediction is: no one is safe anymore," Dragunov continued. "To quote Shawn Michaels, ... 'I'm what the kids call a real problem.'"
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The WWE star then thanked Kelley for her time and continued selling the impact of his loss to Uso before the camera cut away. While Dragunov was served with a defeat, it's clear that WWE intends to carry his rivalry with GUNTHER forward on the main roster.
The animosity between the two stretches back to their days on the European independent scene, and Dragunov and GUNTHER have wrestled 11 singles matches against one another throughout their careers. Dragunov has one six of the contests, including two via disqualification, while GUNTHER has won three. The pair also had one double count-out.
