WALTER vs Ilja Dragunov (NXT UK - 10/29/2020)

Second.

For a 25 minute match, they did a terrific job working a consistent and urgent pace. Starts off super hot and really doesn't let up with loads of strikes and chops. WALTER is a great bully heel and Dragunov is an awesome fired-up babyface. One of the best matches of the year.

Best non-Japanese match of 2020 so far imo, with a crowd losing their shit this would be my undisputed MOTY, and like cap this could dislodge my top picks on further reflection. I really like Walter and I think this is his best bout.

In an attempt to distract myself recently I wrote almost 1500 words about this match (and said almost nothing). I watched it again. This is my #1 MOTY right now. It quite possibly makes my list next year. Top shelf stuff.


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Walter vs Ilja Dragunov: The Walter Match I have Been Waiting For



Walter vs Ilja Dragunov from NXT UK on Oct. 29th, 2020 is the Walter match I have been waiting for. Now, don’t hear what I’m not saying. This isn’t to take a thing away from Ilja Dragunov. In fact, I think he is the only wrestler on earth that could achieve this particular brand of greatness with Walter. This also isn’t to take anything away from the rest of Walter’s career. I am a huge Walter fan, a god damned mark really. I think he has been at least one of the top 3 wrestlers in the world every year from 2016 and 2019.

It is, in fact, because I think so highly of both Ilja Dragunov and Walter that I say this is the Walter match I’ve been waiting for. I think Walter has been one of the best, most consistent high-end performers of our generation. He has carved out a space for himself in the wrestling landscape – particularly the indie scene – that is relatively unique and highly effective. The physicality might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he demands a certain level of quality in the ring. That said, despite being one of the best wrestlers in the world in my eyes, he has never quite put on that next level, elite match, something that stands out as singular in the sea of great wrestling we enjoy today. The line between great and that true classic is really thin. Walter – for me – had a number of matches on the great side of that line, but never quite crossed it.

Enter Ilja Dragunov. Dragunov was arguably Walter’s best dance partner well before they worked under the WWE umbrella. Their 16 Carat Final from 2017 was nothing short of incredible. Despite well-established reputations (especially in Walter’s case) it put both men on the international map in my opinion. They have sense had plenty of quality matches and displayed wonderful chemistry, but it always felt like there was something on the table. That changed last month. Walter and Ilja went out and constructed an absolute masterpiece of high violence and drama. This match struck an unbelievable balance between storytelling and physicality that maximized each man’s strengths. I’ll spare you the play by play because if you haven’t seen it you should stop reading and go watch it right now. However, I don’t know if it was NXT UK agenting or just everything coming together, but this leapt off the screen and over their previous outings (and Walter’s other high-end matches more generally) for me for a few reasons.

First, a refreshing return to physicality… and then some… makes this stand out. I have heard some people talking about the level of violence in some confusing ways. Primarily, I hear people saying that this is unique and that it feels like the first version of something that will be aped for some time to come. Those people clearly haven’t watched Walter enough. This is hard to watch – in a good way, to me – but it isn’t singular in the pantheon of wrestling or even Walter’s career. It was, however, fresh and unique in the context of WWE/NXT, even for Walter, who I wouldn’t say has been shy about hitting people since signing with the “fed”. I don’t know if they were throwing a hail mary to save the brand/get it some buzz or if NXT UK is just far enough from the center that it gets to do what it wants sometimes, but this feels much more like I am watching a buzz stirring PWG or WXW match than an NXT UK match. I also find the idea that this will become a trend sort of peculiar. Folks have tried to mimic Walter for a while now and well… Walter is still special. The fact is, beating the crap out of people isn’t as easy as it looks. Walter knows his character and its motivations so well that it is many ways the space between the violence where he does his best work. He has been honing this skill for some time. And let’s not pretend that just anyone can take a beating like that while putting on such a dramatic and gutsy performance. Ilja’s selling, his comebacks, and execution don’t just highten the violence, they add a layer to the overall performance. If people try to copy what we saw here, most are going to realize pretty quickly that they can’t because this is both unique and a logical extension of the chemistry and toolbox Walter and Dragunov bring to the table.

Second, a dash more melodrama goes a long way. It wasn’t just the violence that set this apart. As I have said, Walter has beat the piss out of any number of wrestlers. Hell Walter beat Ilja’s chest bloody more than once. This violence felt like it had a little more direction, was bound just a little better by the drama. The neck work early and how it came back in all the right spots was such a welcome narrative thread. It added just the right wrinkle to this story. Walter was in the zone as far as his acting goes. He does most of his storytelling through visceral brutality, but I think he adds a lot of personality to different matches thanks to understated facial expressions and character responses. He brought that up just enough here. I didn’t need an HBK-esque staring at his hands to tell me that Walter didn’t know what he had to do to keep Ilja down. I just needed Walter’s increasing shock and frustration. I also didn’t need Walter to do much of the emotional heavy lifting, because Ilja was out there putting on the god damned performance of his life. How does the most high-energy man in wrestling somehow turn the volume UP and not feel hammy? Don’t ask me… ask that fucking maniac how he does it. Ilja’s immense intensity drew out the passion of stoic Walter by refusing to die at the hands of the champ’s brutality. At the same time Walter’s amped up violence brought out the best physical storytelling I have seen from Ilja, which is a fairly high bar. And while you didn’t need it to recognize the greatness of this match, it didn’t hurt to have some knowledge of their previous bouts either.

Finally, they kept it simple, one of the things that I didn’t love about late indie and some patches of WWE Walter was the shift to more traditional heel tactics. Goliath taking short cuts worked for me once or twice, but it felt like we were going to that well one too many times and started to chip away at Walter’s greatest asset, his aura. Walter is not a wrestler who should need shortcuts and, for my personal taste at least, neither Walter nor Ilja need a match to be overthought. Leave the bells and whistles in the back and let these two tell you the story of violence, heart, determination, and maybe even heartbreak. It is one of the things I like about wrestling, it tells a basic human story at its core. Rocky isn’t a classic not because everyone likes boxing or even violence. It is a classic because it’s a human story about struggle, heartbreak, and overcoming obstacles told through the boiled down prism of a one on one fight. While there is more than enough room for all kinds of permutations and variations, I think at its absolute best that is what wrestling does as well. The way they tell that story here is so captivating. I was biting on every near fall at the end and thought “well, that’s it” more than once, but the match didn’t overstay its welcome by even a second. This was a simple story told with pitch perfect narrative beats and otherworldly passion. That is really all I can ask for in wrestling.

To be honest, as much as I love the work of and believe in both Walter and Ilja, I had sort of given up on getting a match like this once they signed with WWE. It didn’t really seem on brand for the wrestling empire and all its fiefdoms. The unbelievable success of the match – earning praise from across the various proverbial wrestling isles – might bode well for our chances of getting something like it in the future, but I’m suspicious. I don’t know what the future holds for either wrestler or even for NXT UK, but as a selfish fan I am over the moon that we got this match to have in perpetuity. It’s a wonderful addition to the wrestling pantheon and reminder of what can be achieved in a wrestling ring when you trust talented performers to tell stories in their own way.

Amazing write-up, Cap. I watched it yesterday and I'm still in awe of it. I knew roughly how long it lasted and the ending still came as a shock because I was thinking "How has time gone by THAT quickly?" Two incredible performances and the match just flew by.

Darrenn and I have never been so far apart on a match.

Man, this match was incredible. I just saw this and it was even better than the 2021 one.

I love how much these guys fight even when clinches, and how their blows come at wild angles with clear momentum. The lack of grace and precision is exactly what modern wrestling, especially indie style is missing. Dragonuv's selling is really incredible on both offense and defense, and his comebacks feel well earned. Most wrestlers would do something like 4-5 german suplexes in a row, but Dragonuv fights for every single one, convincingly wearing down Walter to his level.

My only criticism is that Dragonuv kicks out of a bit of too many moves, but it goes in line with the story they're trying to sell and the finish makes sense because of it.

I gave this match another watch before bed last night and Matt, you may be surprised to find out that I not only loved the match but am planning on ranking it next time.

Ilja is still as silly as I ever thought he was but I met him at his level and it didn’t bother me.

Nigel McGuinness puts in one of the most offensive commentary performances I’ve ever encountered. But I decided not to let commentary hinder my appreciation for a match.

I think this is my favorite WALTER performance. He’s at his most physically imposing, he’s not taking a whole lot of short cuts, he’s just being a mean old bear.

The match never evolved into chop exchanges or kick out spam. It’s impressive how reserved the match is in every way (aside from commentary. )