Dijak vs. Ilja Dragunov

[8.0] "Another awesome, hard-hitting affair between these two. It's not quite as brutal as their amazing match at Battleground, but for a TV match, it goes HARD. The finish with Gacy hitting Dijak with a weak ass boxing gloves is kinda funny, and Dijak's character work is so corny, it only fits. ***3/4+"

[7.0] "[3.5*] Awesome hard hitting match. But, for a 12-min match (this was the televised timestamp), I think it is a little bit overrated here. No worries, it was still amazing. Very stiff bout, the strikes were beautiful. Dijaks punches are one of the best in the whole game. Really cool stuff."

[8.0] "Incredibly fast paced and hard hitting, almost as good as their last. Putting this on free weekly television without the title on the line was an odd choice but doesnt quite take anything from the match."

[6.0] "Such a goofy finish to a physical and intense fight makes no sense. These two were in second gear from the start and for TV standards delivered what was asked. I wish Ilja would hold back this cinematic selling on the main roster. It actively takes away from the hard-hitting action."

[6.0] "What was that finish! The was a very good match until a very odd interference spot that led to the finish. Both guys worked really hard. Dragunov is one of the best workers in WWE but I have watched quite a bit of him lately and he is leaving too far into his weird faces and intensity, we're it is getting to the point of self parody. Did Dijak is a very good wrestler and for the time they had this was worth checking out if you don't think you'll be soured by a bad finish ***1/4"

[8.0] "Great match, hard strikes and great counters. Even the weird participation of Joe Gacy wasn't enough to put me out of the good mood, sometimes that guy is just too much. (****)."

[6.0] "Trying to catch up on a lot of the upper end of the 2024 Matchguide and outside of the Trick Williams/Ilya match, NXT is not something I try to engage with. Obviously, Dijak and Dragunov are more than capable workers and this match should have been a jumping off point for larger story between them and it does not seem to be the case. I tend to give credit in my ratings for stiff work and both delivered. The finish was absolutely awful and stupid and takes what could have been a nice like 7.5 match down a notch for me. For every leap, its more cringe booking of several steps back in NXT."

[10.0] "As a guy who dips in a out of NXT I can't speak for the booking really, but NXT definitely seems to be having some very good matches as of late. This is most definitely one to see, a real banger between two guys that I like an awful lot. Ilja is one of the most intense and physical guys in wrestling today and basically can do no wrong with me. Dijak at 6'7 is an impressive modern big man and was able to stand toe to toe with Ilja and give him hell just as hard as he got it. They basically just beat the hell out of each other and that's what it's all about for me. My only minor gripe is the finish, after this hard hitting, gritty match, the deciding factor was this: Dijak's latest rival, Joe Gacy, rolled (literally, like he was on wheels or something) out from under the ring and poked Dijak in the face with a boxing glove on a pole, cackling weirdly as he did it, and that gave Ilja an opening for the win. I can't take anything away from the match as it really did rule, but what a bizarre finish. What little I've seen of Joe Gacy is far from appealing. But that aside, this match absolutely ruled."

[6.0] "I found this to be disappointing as Dijak's presentation is bad and unconvincing. The hard hitting parts of the match were good but ultimately meaningless as after all the loud strikes this ends off a Joe Gacy run in with a boxing glove on a stick gimmick."

[8.0] "This was a great, hard-hitting match. It started at a fast pace with Ilja and Dijak trading forearm blows. The match was stiff as hell, featuring stiff forearms, chops, big boots, superkicks, and slaps. However, when Dijak put Ilja in the ring, Joe Gacy tapped his foot distracting Dijak. He checked under the ring but couldn't find Gacy anywhere. This slight distraction caused Dijak to get hit with a stiff punch. However, Dijak came back with a strike of his own, hitting Ilja on the bridge of his nose, which was busted open after a dropkick from Trick Williams. There were great stiff exchanges and sequences between the two men, concluding with Dijak hitting a nasty discus big boot. Ilja's right side of his face was dripping blood. Ilja had Dijak on his shoulders for a firemans carry, but Dijak tried to get Ilja to let go by squeezing his nose. Ilja ran into a corner and hit a Death Valley Driver in the corner. At one point in the match, there was a "Whoop that Trick" chant because both men were whooping each other with stiff shots. Dijak countered the Tiger Feint Discus Lariat with his own devastating Lariat that took Iljas head off. Dijak then hit a Springboard Elbow Drop but sold his elbow, which he hurt during his match against Joe Gacy. Joe Gacy emerged from under the ring with a boxing glove on a stick and punched Dijak, allowing Ilja to capitalize and hit the H Bomb to win the match. Overall, this was a solid 8/10. I wished Joe Gacy hadnt interfered because Ilja and Dijak were tearing the house down, and Gacy's interference seemed unnecessary."

[8.0] "A very good hard-hitting, reminding me of the match they had last year. Could've been quite a banger without an anti-climactic finish. I can understand Gacy interfering, but interfering in that way ? That sounds way too silly and out of place with this match. 8/10."

[8.0] "A really hard-hitting main event here. Joe Gacy hitting Dijak with a boxing glove was a little odd, but everything else was awesome. I only wish that these two got a little more time to beat the absolute hell out of each other. That said, though, this was still pretty good for what it was. I was hoping that Dijak would face Dragunov at Stand & Deliver, though. I'd really like to see him as NXT Champion soon."

[8.0] "This was an amazing match. This was very hard hitting and back and fourth with some very stiff strokes, especially those chops. This could have used a little bit of build up and been on a PLE, but still an amazing match."

[8.0] "Very good match. Dijak confronted Dragunov earlier in the show to set this up. As expected, these two hard a stiff, hard hitting match. They really laid it in with the chops and the punches. Always great to see these kinds of matches when done properly like it was here. The Joe Gacy interference was dumb, he just bopped Dijak in the face with a boxing glove and that was enough to keep him down so Dragunov could hit the H-Bomb for the win. The right winner for sure, but there could have been a better way to get there especially after such a rough fight. 8/10"

[8.0] "[8.4] Ilja continues to show why he's one of the best in-ring workers just two days after an excellent title defence with another compelling match with superb psychology."

[7.0] "[4.0*] Two incredible wrestlers facing each other in this absurd match, it was a stiff duel with incredible slaps and punches between Dragunov and Dijak. Ilja Dragunov had a broken nose during that match and he still put on a show, Dijak used that advantage a few times. It's clear to see how Dijak and Dragunov are building one of the best in-ring chemistry in NXT. The match could have been longer and could have had a better ending (I didn't like Joe Gacy's interference here)."

[8.0] "I mostly didn't like this match as others but it was definetely good. It got very stiff and it was really enjoyable throughout but they couldn't do anything more with only 12 minutes and that shitty finish. If this match had been about 25 minutes it would have been an all timer. ****"

[7.0] "People on Cagematch are going crazy about this match, but to be honest, it's not entirely clear why. Yes, it was decent wrestling, but nothing more. These two had a much more notable fight, which was included in the list of matches of the year in my opinion. Here we just saw once again that the guys have chemistry. But they didnt try to raise the bar somehow either. It was decent, but no more."

[7.0] "Really good, hard-hitting scrap. One dimensional, but in the best of ways - they just kept beating on each other and played heavily into how battered both men were after Sunday. The convincing sense of brutality and attrition was ruined somewhat by the wacky finish ***1/4"

[6.0] "The involvement of Joe Gacy brought this down a bit for me, but still a solid TV main event featuring two stars who won hard matches on Sunday night. Looks like a three way rivalry now with Ilja Dragunov getting brought into the Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams feud."

[8.0] "Fun slugfest with simple but effective psychology and a silly hilarious finale (which they also built to, kudos to that), overall good stuff displayed"

[9.0] "Only reason this isn't a 10 is because of the distraction finish by a boxing glove of all things, LET THEM FUCKING FIGHT. Because till that point, it was almost perfect, Dragunov can have a banger with literally almost everyone, and the chemistry here was just as good as the first time they wrestled an year ago. I guess that maybe a good excuse and coping mechanism that a probable Boxing Match in wrestling would at least be good."

[9.0] "This was the best match on the card by far, and really carried this show. That strong style punch from Dragunov was insane, and not something you expect to see from a WWE match like I love me some WWE, but like strong style punches are a rarity for sure. Hopefully we'll see these two talented men wrestle together many more time in the future."