WWE NXT UK Champion WALTER Gets A New Challenger, Finn Balor Vs. WALTER Note

By Marc Middleton

Ilja Dragunov is the new #1 contender to WWE NXT UK Champion WALTER.

Today's NXT UK episode on the WWE Network saw Dragunov win a 20-Man Battle Royal to earn a future title shot. The other 19 competitors were NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Joe Coffey, Ridge Holland, Alexander Wolfe, Noam Dar, Tyson T-Bone, Dave Mastiff, Kassius Ohno, Travis Banks, Saxon Huxley, Flash Morgan Webster, A-Kid, Kenny Williams, Amir Jordan, Ashton Smith, Oliver Carter and Ligero. Dragunov last eliminated Bate to get the win.

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Above is video of The Mad Russian speaking with Josiah Williams after the match. Williams asked what was going through his mind.

"What's going through my mind? The same thing as always, since I came to this brand, to NXT UK," Dragunov said. "I made the difference. I made the difference because I was... I'm stepping into these big battlegrounds. I don't take anything easy and in this Battle Royal, I do it like I always do, I hit this ring like a lightning strike, and I left it as the last man out of 20 people. 20 people! And the #1 contender. I don't care... I don't care who's in front of me, either WALTER or Finn Balor, because they both fought great competitors, but they both never, never fought pure will."

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Dragunov made mention of WALTER and Finn Balor in his promo. It was believed that Balor vs. WALTER was going to take place at the NXT UK "Takeover: Dublin" event on April 26, but it was re-scheduled until October 25 due to the coronavirus pandemic. There's no word yet on if they still have plans for Balor vs. WALTER, but it looks like Dragunov could face the winner of that match when it happens.

Dragunov also tweeted on the big win and wrote, "Moments so pure, like my fighting spirit is and all this pain Im fighting through. Its worth it. #UNBESIEGBAR #NXTUK"

WWE has not officially announced when Dragunov vs. WALTER will take place, but stay tuned for updates.

Below are a few shots from today's Battle Royal, along with Ilja's full tweet:

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