SUMMARY
- Trick Williams is the brand new NXT Champion.
- The fan-favorite star defeated Ilja Dragunov on the April 23 episode to win the prestigious title.
WWE has continuously been giving a great product to pro wrestling enthusiasts, and it continued on the April 23 edition of NXT Spring Breakin. In the main event of the show, Trick Williams challenged Ilja Dragunov for the NXT Championship, and he was able to come out victorious after a classic one-on-one encounter against the 30-year-old performer of the yellow brand.
Williams had the majority of the crowd support throughout the match, and he indeed stood up to their expectations of becoming the champion. The match was not a long one, but both stars gave epic performances to make it highly entertaining. Moreover, the hot crowd at the Performance Center made things even more interesting, as they were fully invested in this high-profile encounter.
TRICK WILLIAMS DEFEATS ILJA DRAGUNOV!
TRICK WILLIAMS IS THE NEW NXT CHAMPION!!#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/C8xBxLXnrM
— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) April 24, 2024
The stakes were high for this match, not just because the championship was on the line but also because the stipulation of the bout was special. As accepted by Trick, he was going to leave NXT forever if he lost the match, but as he has been able to come out on top, it’s obvious that Williams will continue to be on the brand.
It must be noted that Dragunov won the title at NXT No Mercy on September 30, 2023, by defeating Carmelo Hayes. With this victory, he became the first person to have won the NXT and NXT United Kingdom Championships. Following this win, Ilja was having a dominant reign, but it was eventually cut short by Williams as he won the prestigious title from him, thus ending his 206-day-long reign.
WWE Universe is extremely happy with Trick Williams’ victory
As soon as he won the title, fans started sharing their reactions, and it was visible that WWE Universe is extremely happy with Trick Williams’ victory. Pointing out how the 29-year-old superstar is the next big thing in the organization, someone said, “He’s the future of the company happy for bro.” (Via: X)
Sharing how Williams did the unthinkable at the latest edition of NXT, an audience member wrote, “That place was SHAKING after he won.” “That building was fu*king shaking dawg,” another member of the professional wrestling community commented after the fan-favorite star’s title victory on the yellow brand.
Will Ilja Dragunov be called up to the main roster after the loss to Trick Williams?
As Trick officially booked his spot at the top of the NXT roster by dethroning Ilja Dragunov, fans are wondering what’s next for the Russian-German pro wrestler. While some believe that he might want to get revenge on Williams, others are asking if Dragunov will be called up to the main roster after the title loss.
A major reason behind this is the 2024 WWE Draft, as the Triple H-led promotion is set to shake things up within the next week. The draft is set to take place on the April 26 edition of SmackDown, and it’ll continue on the April 29 episode of Monday Night RAW. As fans usually see few NXT call-ups at this time, this year it can potentially be the 30-year-old star.
The WWE Draft is on April 26 and April 29.
Ilja Dragunov is eligible.#WWERAW
— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) April 9, 2024
If WWE really pulls the trigger on this move, there are a lot of exciting feuds for Ilja Dragunov on both brands, and that’s why it’ll be interesting to see where he gets drafted to. On the other hand, it also remains to be seen how well Trick Williams performs as the new NXT Champion, as he’s going to lead the yellow brand in this new Triple H era.