Grayson Waller gives his thoughts on Ilja Dragunov.
The 'Mad Dragon' is currently a big talking point in the world of wrestling coming out of his recent match with Carmelo Hayes, which took place at NXT's Great American Bash premium live event on July 30, 2023.
Dragunov has long been regarded as one of the best performers on the planet, specifically for the intensity that he brings to any given match.
In a new interview with WWE Die Woche, Grayson Waller spoke about Dragunov and recalled his 2022m match with him from NXT.
“Ilja’s terrifying. Ilja is actually terrifying. There’s something wrong with him. I don’t know what it is. There’s something wrong with his brain. I wrestled him last year on NXT, and I spoke to Carmelo Hayes this morning about it. When you get across from Ilja, there’s an energy that you see in his eyes, you see in his movements, that this is a different bloke. You can’t go in there and joke around with him. He’s not that kind of guy. You know you’re getting in there and you’re going into a fight, and everything’s gonna hurt. It’s not gonna be a fun experience. I don’t think anyone goes in and goes, ‘Oh, that was so fun.’ There’s nothing fun about wrestling Ilja Dragunov. I think [Carmelo Hayes] found that out. Everything he does is so intense. Even backstage, you might see him the day of your match, and five hours before the show, he is as intense as he is when he goes out there for the match. So I think Ilja is a very talented guy, but he terrifies me. He’s crazy, man. He’s legit insane. I could never have him on the talk show because I don’t think he gets joke. I don’t know if he has jokes. I don’t think even know if he laughs. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him laugh. He’s gonna have great skin for the rest of his life. He won’t have a wrinkle because that brother never laughs."
Elsewhere in the interview, Waller said that he wants Trish Stratus on a future episode of The Grayson Waller Effect. Fans can learn more by clicking here.
Fans can see the current lineup for the August 4 episode of WWE SmackDown by clicking here. Fightful will have full coverage of the event as it airs.
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