WWE is heading to Germany for this weekend’s Bash In Berlin PLE and former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov is quite emotional on his return to the city. Dragunov was born in Russia but raised in Berlin, where he kicked off his career.
Speaking to Metro, Ilja Dragunov said that his career is bringing him back to the city where he ‘made his beginnings in this business.’ He spoke about WWE making history in Germany where he not only grew up as a human but also as a performer. He said:
“It is such a wonderful emotional, wild time right now for me, because everything for me is like a whole circle. We’re making history in my country, where I grew up, and not only grew up as as a human, just grew up as a performer. I competed in all those cities.”
Dragunov started his training at the German Wrestling Federation (GWF) training school under veterans Axel Tischer (Alexander Wolfe in WWE) and Rick Baxxter. The 30-year-old gained popularity in wXw and PROGRESS Wrestling before signing with WWE. Now, Ilja is a part of WWE’s ongoing Road To Bash In Berlin tour and performing in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. He faced his arch-rival the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther during WWE’s stop in Oberhausen, Germany, on August 27.
During the interview, Dragunov said that it’s the beauty of pro wrestling that his career is coming full circle. He added:
“And just this comparison from back in the day, from the indie scene where I made my first touches with this business, to now where I’m at the peak of my career. It just shows me how beautiful this, this, this profession is, and how proud I am to be a part of it.”
On next week’s Raw, Ilja Dragunov will compete against Dragon Lee and Dominik Mysterio in a triple threat match in the Intercontinental Title No.1 Contenders Tournament Match. The winner will advance to join Jey Uso and Pete Dunne on their quest to capture the Intercontinental title, currently held by Bron Breakker.
