[7.0] "This is a pretty good match, a good comeback for Ilja and he deserved more but yeah he doesn't have that charisma like Gunther that's why they didn't pull the trigger on him, exceptional talent but not given enough promos or such, under utilised, it's a pity but anyways great offensive match and both performed really well, insane chemistry."
[6.0] "Pretty good match. Sami and Dragunov definitely have a great chemistry but it's not hard to tell they were holding back. Both these dudes can wrestle a much stiffer match. That torpedo moscow was really sick *** 1/2"
[7.0] "Solid match but I'm not getting why it's rated so highly. I can only judge what I see on TV but the constant ad breaks kept breaking up the momentum of the match and by the time these guys are starting to enter 3rd gear I feel like I can barely buy the exhausation of the wrestlers involved. Ending is weak as well for what was a pretty impactful title change as well."
[9.0] "Definitely one of the greatest WWE matches of the year! This is what you get when you put 2 of your greatest chefs in the kitchen, and give them all the tools and time they need to cook. This had beautiful exchanges, counters, high intensity moments, amazing nea-rfalls. EVERYTHING you could want out of a match, AND IT WAS ON FREE TV."
[9.0] "One of the stiffest matches we've seen all year, at least in WWE. Ilja Dragunov and Sami Zayn absolutely beat the piss out of each other here, and it's downright glorious. Fantastic match, fantastic winner, fantastic everything. I'm gonna miss Sami Zayn's US Open Challenge a lot though, so I hope Ilja Dragunov is a fighting champion as well."
[9.0] "I thought everyone was overating that match here, but man, this was so GOOD that I can't be the one against it. First of all, that was the first match Ilja had after being almost a year without stepping his foot in a ring. Sami Zayn's open challenge has been highly acclaimed for producing good matches during the time he was the champ. We had here a pretty brutal agressive bout, that slaps felt real man. Great moves, fluid sequence, and when I thought that Solo Sikoa interference was about to fuck the entire match, it was overall solid, made sense with the storytelling with Zayn and didn't bothered the fan who wanted to see Dragunov winning. His win was pretty unpredictable, the crowd errupted and his reaction was priceless, just like he always does when we won a belt. He is world champion material. And this...is NOT a five stars match for me just because I feel that the slow pace they had at the start didn't really had any value for what the match translated after. They should had start the match alteady on a high pace, would make much more sense with what they bought up after."
[8.0] "A very good match overall, Ilja's comeback was a good moment. They worked well with each other and both of them show good fighting spirit in front of a very crowd. The action and drama overall was exciting except for the Solo Silkoa coming out for no reasons. Ilja's winning was great for a TV show."
[10.0] "I was thinking of maybe this was okay, but this was a return more than deserve and a whole compilation of moments that turned this into a MOTY candidate I would say, Ilja returns after 384 days without appearing, and almost losing his career, he answers the open challenge of Sami, gives a great level and shows he still has the level, the match showed a great build from beginning, even with his knee still not complete, he gives his moves, match where each reversals the other's moves, the Torpedo Moscow, H Bombs , Helluva Kick, and at the end with a H Bomb Ilja Dragunov new champion and moves to SmackDown, AI or not, it was great. A close to a good reign from Sami Zayn, taking out the MFT stuff with Solo appearing, Ilja shows he didn't take time out during this year, Sami and Ilja showed a great chemistry, and gave a MOTY candidate for me. 10/10 [*****]"
[8.0] "This was similar to the AEW style movespam that Dragunov was doing on Raw before injury with Bron and others. It works better here because Sami is a popular babyface and although they are debuting Ilja as a cool babyface with banger potential, the match was built so he could heat up Sami's known offense for all the comeback material. AEW has trouble with the great movespam events having babyface vs babyface or heel vs heel for no reason and the crowd doesn't know what to do. They need to notice the difference between what they do and what this match was. This even had weird botched stuff and a dumb WWE "person looking at someone to lose" element, but I would give it a high 7 or 8."
[7.0] "Really good at times but with WWE's choppy broadcast where you never get to see anything during commercials and production missing multiple sequences, I can only look over so much. The match was grounded and physical for the most part which I loved. I wish they committed to the shoulder a bit more as some of Zayn's targeted offense was gnarly. Overall a match with better presentation we're used to on weekly TV but nothing mind blowing."
[9.0] "This was an absolute war. Sami and Ilja knocked seven bells out of each other in a stiff, brutal encounter that forced Sami to tap into a much more aggressive side. Dragunov's return performance was nothing short of fantastic, his creative sequences and sheer fire kept the crowd on the edge of their seats with some genuinely dramatic near-falls. It's the kind of high-level work that proves WWE needs to push Ilja to the moon. While the interference from Solo Sikoa felt a bit dumb and unnecessary, it thankfully didn't impact the actual in-ring action too much. Even with that distraction, the match was a masterpiece of intensity that never let up for a second. The result was absolutely perfect, and seeing a new champion crowned after a battle this physical made the whole thing feel special."
[3.0] "The match has a lot of interesting and cliché moments. I don't want to look at it from a wrestling perspective. From an entertainment perspective, this is not an average match either. I don't care about Draganov not having any blisters on his newly healed leg, is Zayn such a bad wrestler that he doesn't know how to work on his opponent's injured leg?"
[8.0] "One of the best TV matches of all time, Ilja and Sami beat the hell out of each other in this hard hitting and stiff banger, it was great seeing Ilja come back and it was even greater seeing Ilja win the title, really happy for him, can't wait to see his reign, and we all need to give Sami his flowers for elevating talent and putting on a banger each and every week."
[9.0] "MY BOY IS FUCKING BACKK LETS GOO. I've been patiently waiting for Ilja to return for over a year, as a wrestling viewer who cares more for the in-ring affairs than anything else, Dragunovs always been one of my favourites. He came back and immediately delivered a fucking bangerr, and WON. Match was hard hitting, great counters, surprises from start to finish. This is my 25th favourite match of the year. 9.25/10"
[10.0] "tv match of the year for me, ilja somehow came back and is better post injury than he was pre injury. great spots, near falls, intensity, physicality just a perfect match in my opinion."
[10.0] "What a comeback match for Ilja. He came back and delivered on such a high level in his first match... that was a war. Even the somewhat screwy finish didn't make that match any worse. It gave JUST ENOUGH protection to Sami and gave Ilja a well-deserved win."
[9.0] "Ilja Dragunov vs. Sami Zayn was not a physical clash; it was a philosophical confrontation. Two ways of surviving. Two ways of facing the world. Two models of resistance. Model one: Ilja. This man is condensed intensity. His body, his face, his eyes--they all tell the same story: life took something from him, and he chose to fight with whatever was left. Ilja's movements have a single purpose: turning pain into meaning. Every strike feels like an attempt to prove, "I'm still here, no matter how broken I am." He belongs to the Eastern European tradition, where the body has always been the final fortress of honesty. Now model two: Sami Zayn. Sami is a completely different version. His resistance comes wrapped in softness. His invincibility is born from laughter, humor, flexibility, and faith in humanity. For years, this man has saved himself from collapse through comedy--like a tragic clown whose smile isn't there because he's happy, but because crying doesn't help. When these two worlds collide, you're not just watching a match. You're witnessing two interpretations of pain crashing into each other. Ilja says: if the world wants to crush you, you must be harder than the next blow. Sami says: if the world wants to crush you, you have to find a way to laugh and slip aside. Throughout the match, these two languages are translated through the body again and again. When Sami mocks Ilja with those fluid movements, playful details, and clever counterattacks, there's a kind of astonishment in Ilja's eyes--the astonishment of a man who takes the world seriously, confronted by someone who treats it as slightly ridiculous. When Ilja applies his ruthless pressure, Sami bends but does not break; he's made of human elasticity, not steel. This tension is what keeps the match alive: intensity versus flexibility. Brutality versus humor. Persistence versus hope. And that's what turns the match into a work of art--because art happens when two worldviews collide and create a moment more logical than any argument. In the end, neither man truly won, at least not psychologically. Ilja took something from Sami: he learned that sometimes resistance means breathing through the pain, not just attacking. Sami took something from Ilja: he learned that laughter isn't always enough--you sometimes have to put the full weight of your existence on the line. This match was a dialogue. A dialogue written with flesh, bone, and breath. The audience saw bodies colliding, but beneath it all, two men were arguing about a deeper question: how should one live? That's where the art happened."
[8.0] "A real solid babyface vs babyface title match with two guys who can fucking sell and one that will hit like a truck at his own detriment. The Solo staredown added nothing besides a small inkling that Sami was off his game and a way to kill the momentum of the finishing stretch, but man did Ilja look good in victory here anyway. Loved the foot up from Sami to counter the H-Bomb. ****"
[9.0] "This match was FANTASTIC. It had a great pace to it, it was hard hitting, back and forth, top tier selling and WRESTLING. Ilya looked incredible considering he has been gone for a YEAR. Sami as always shows why he is THE most reliable wrestler in the business and seems to have great chemistry with literally EVERYONE he works with. I am still surprised Sami hasn't been World Champion yet, I really hope that comes for him (if Kofi and Jey can win World titles with crowd driven pushes, I have no idea why Sami hasn't, everyone loves him). I cannot wait to see what Ilya does as U.S Champion, we are going to see some bangers. Ilya's finishers are devastating!"
[7.0] "Highly entertaining match with an exciting comeback story and ballsy booking. Could really have done without Sikoa's involvement. I also believe the match could have benefited from a little more time (or absence of ad breaks), and perhaps more offense from Sami as well."
[9.0] "Loved the pace of the match. Not only is Ilja's first match back but he goes home with the gold. Insanely good match, Sami is such a reliable wrestler, really cool match"
[10.0] "Outstanding match we saw on tv. Ilja is the man & im so glad Sami made the US title relevant again & unlike with Cena's US title reign in 2015 this time they got the next champion right in Ilja instead of Cena giving it to Rollins who was already the wwe champ & later Del Rio. Great match"
[8.0] "Very happy Dragunov is back and this was the perfect return for him. Sami is a great opponent to have on a return and Ilja is just as good as he was before his injury. A little slow to start and the Solo interference is kind of stupid but the right winner was chosen. Welcome back Mad Dragon."
[9.0] "Incredible slugfest, the ending was a bit of a letdown but it Is always refreshing to see this kind of bout on a weekly show. If they could run it again cleanly it would be and all timer. ****1/2"
[7.0] "Of course it's a good match, but I think people are exaggerating its quality. For TV, it's great, a great defense without a doubt, but I don't think I've connected with it enough because of the commercial breaks and the pace of WWE."
[10.0] "One of the best WWE matches of the year. Dragunov's return was outstanding. He's an excellent wrestler who manages to make the entire match feel deeply emotional. Sami's reign was, and will remain, memorable, and I hope the two of them deliver another fantastic match together."
[8.0] "Ilja Dragunov's return to the ring and boy was he missed. One match back and already he is a must see act. Dragunov brought so much physicality to this match that has been severely lacking in WWE recently. Every movement he makes feel like a fight and I think it made Sami Zayn switch gears because. this is probably his best match in quite some time as well. Sami is a very reliable hand but I've felt his pace to be incredibly dull in the last couple years but here most of his offence looked clean and explosive. Zayn's big boots and Blue Thunder Bomb looked amazing to the point it almost made me forget the outcome of the match. I still think he makes it too obvious when the Helluva Kick is gonna get reversed but he was great pretty much everywhere else. Dragunov was the star here, fully dedicated to making wrestling feel real. He takes bumps in such a unique way that is safe but look ugly enough that look genuinely scary and I love that when a move is reversed he commits to his original motion instead of preemptively getting into position to sell. There are so many little details to his performance which makes him one of the best working today"
[9.0] "After one long year out of action, The Mad Dragon comes back with a BANG! If some were not familiar with him (and I guess the crowd's reception shows it), this sure served as a perfect introduction to what Ilja is about, and that's hard-hitting action from the most intense madman in professional wrestling. Now you put him against an intense gutsy veteran like Sami, and you get a certified banger! For an impromptu match with no storyline going on, this is as good as it gets, and as a matter of fact, an all-time great TV match. The action is marvelous, the wrestling is tight, it's stiff, the intensity is remarkable, they beat the crap out of each other and deliver some big bombs, their selling is excellent, the drama is there, and it's just a blast. Ilja kicking out of a mid-air Helluva Kick/Blue Thunder Bomb combo is a crazy nearfall! Solo appearing and teasing an anticlimactic finish only for Sami to seemingly overcoming the distraction before getting blasted by that Torpedo Moskau/H-Bomb fatality as Ilja gets it done is exhilarating! Way to put Ilja over and put an end to Sami's awesome title reign, going out on the greatest US title match ever. ****1/2"
[9.0] "Right yeah that was really damn good and bloody impressive you can be out for a year and come back with a match like that in your return. God i have missed Ilja so fucking much him and Gunther are so far and away the best male wrestlers in the WWE it is unreal. The intensity and the level of striking and selling he brings to his matches are off the charts levels of good also some of the bumps he was taking especially the brain buster on the apron were fucking wild. Yeah Sami another on of the best in the company delivered another great match to close out a great run with the belt some of his counters in this match were so good to see and i liked how he matched the intensity Ilja brings as it made this match so physical and they were just battering each other the whole time. The moves in the finish were great how we got there with that stupid boring samoan coming out was probably the only thing i didn't enjoy during this match but the actual in ring finishing sequence was great. Yeah this match was great newsflash WWE people want more matches like this every week or at least i do this is what wrestling should be about telling the stories through the matches not through other bollocks, (****3/4)"
[7.0] "Another great advertisement for the United States championship open challenge and a fittingly good final outing for this Zayn title run. I don't have it as highly rated as some as it didn't really feel like there was any connective tissue linking the action up at points. That being said it can be difficult to garner any real momentum and tell much of a story when a match takes place across so many ad breaks so the default to bring people in is often to go heavy on the kick outs. The highlight was an incredible strike exchange at the midpoint which felt like it would be the prelude to the finish but they kept going for a few more minutes and whilst the finish was empathic it could have been even more decisive without involvement from Solo. This was a hard hitting match, that whipped up the crowd and could have, deservedly, been 100% clean."
[9.0] "This match set the stage for several storylines to unfold. First, Miz was supposed to participate, but he was attacked by Melo. I think they're going to push Melo to the forefront. Then Ilja returned and we have a new champion. Finally, we have a new clan war brewing."
[8.0] "Very good match. Great to see Dragunov back as well, and a surprise victory makes it all better. Solid work from the two, some hard hitting stuff throughout. This should have been without interference from Solo, as Sami can afford to lose clean and a proper clean Dragunov win would improve his already great stock . 4 stars"
[10.0] "I was surprised to recall these two guys actually fought once before, but since it was a random no-contest on Raw last year let's put it out of mind. Now, with Ilja as a surprise return for Sami Zayn's US Championship Open Challenge, we get a REAL match between these two great performers. I love both these guys so I was excited to see them truly go at it, and the match did not disappoint. I find Ilja's intensity very convincing as he looked great in his return after such a long layoff, about a whole year if I recall, he came right in striking hard as hell, and Sami is a great foil for him as a guy who can absorb punishment and sell very well while retaining the ability to stage a strong comeback at any moment and stay in the fight. It ended up being a very straightforward match, no special bells, whistles, or hooks, but these guys are so good this was still a crowd pleasing banger than I ended up loving. My only real criticism is the dipsticks on commentary screaming HOW! HOW! every time someone kicked out of, like, the 6th strongest move in someone's arsenal, moves that never won a match before, like, learn how to call a match like a human being please? But that's no shade on either man, this was a super fun match and Ilja gets a very deserved win to capture the US title. My 4th favorite WWE match this year, and I think my favorite involving only male wrestlers."
[9.0] "The only thing I didn't like about this match was the random Solo Sikoa appearance. Apart from that, it was incredible. Dragunov has been gone for over a year and you would never be able to tell by watching this match without the commentary bringing it up. It's like he never left. Sami was great as well and was able to match Dragunov's intensity."
[9.0] "Goddamn a real show straler and one hell of a return for Ilja! Great to see him back, and in the ring with Sami? Couldn't ask for a better match really. Fantastic in ring and what a huge win and new champ!"
[8.0] "[4.0*] Phenomenal match. I still think the average here is a little bit crazy because for me it's a clear TV MOTYC and not a Match Of The Decade lol, but I can understand that a return of a loved wrestler after a long time + a title win may influence all these 10's. Match was indeed incredible, very hard hitting with some incredible stiff sequences. Dragunov hasn't lost a bit and Sami was perfect here, he sold everything perfectly. Even the Solo appearance wasn't bad, as it led to Ilja winning without Sami looking bad. A pretty nice surprise that makes TV more dynamic and surprising."
[9.0] "Fantastic return performance from Dragunov, him and Sami knocked seven bells out of each other. Stiff work that never let up for a second and had genuinely dramatic near falls. Not sure about the Solo interference but he didn't impact anything in ring so I didn't mind it too much. And this result is just perfect. Push Ilja to the moon!"
[8.0] "Ilja is a beast. Along with Gunther brings a very different and harder style to WWE. Great to see him back and he looked phenomenal. He really had best in the world potential. The ability to have this level of a match after his time off is huge."
[10.0] "Very strong contender for WWE TV match of the year (probably the winner, let's be honest). Welcome back Ilja Dragunov - I missed you. Every match he competes in feels real and he epitomises the concept of wrestling bigger than you are. Sami is one of the best in the world as well, and this got time. Phenomenal match. Hopefully Ilja gets a decent reign with some good defences."
[10.0] "Possibly the best TV match in WWE in years, at the very least the best this year by far. Two of the very best wrestlers left in the company in an extremely physical fight worthy of a show that has no commercials. Hopefully Dragunov carries on this level of work in his defenses, and hopefully he gets booked to defend often."
[10.0] "Best TV match for WWE so far this year. Extremely physical and Ilja is exactly what the Smackdown mens roster needs right now. I am just hoping this match is a sign for good things to come for not only Ilja but the crediblity of the US Title."
[9.0] "Awesome, awesome match. Sami looked a lot more brutal, Ilja brings that out of people. Really good nearfalls, creative moves and sequences by Ilja, lovely fire from both and a very surprised crowd. The interference was dumb, unnecessary and hurt the win of new champion. But the result kinda made up for it. 4.5*"
[7.0] "Ilja winning the title came out of the blue. Him returning too. Funny how people aren't familiar with him all of a sudden. Him winning the title against someone like Sami, clean migt I add, shows how much the company sees him as a star. Anyways, the distraction from Solo ft out of place for me."
[10.0] "Besides the tlc match at smackdown after wrestlemania this is the best tv match in all 2025 in all wwe and the maybe the best singles match besides zayn and owens , wow this match is not just tremendous it's super good really ilja needed that win and good for the mad dragon his return"
[10.0] "Perfect TV match. Not a fan of how much of Samis run was interfered with, but still an end to a brief but incredible US Title run. Really happy to see Ilja back and I hope we get to see a wider storyline off if it. They mentioned Shinsuke needs a rematch so maybe we get Ilja vs Sami vs Shinsuke soon?"
[8.0] "Very good match, but ending almost destroy it for me. I have personall issues with dragunov and his win, especially like this, is a very bad thing."
[10.0] "This is one of if not the best TV matches I have ever seen. (We are IGNORING the Solo interference) Is it better than the TLC match? Ehhhhh.... But it is most DEFINITELY Sami's best open challenge. SO great to see Ilja back. SO great to see a NEW United States Champion. And finally, SO GREAT to see an absolute BANGER."
[8.0] "[4, 5 Stars] I almost forgot to mention this banger. Honestly, it's so great to see some good wrestling around a minor title in WWE. Thank you for this quality reign, Mr. Zayn."
[8.0] "[8.5] 20 min always Ilja Dragunov vs. Sami Zayn Match are good , smart, fast , no boring , good return match for Dragunov. This was the perfect return for ilja. He hasn't missed a single step and he looked like a great beast here , and Lots of stiff looking moves was ok"
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