Ilja Dragunov discusses his wrestling style.
Former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov has made a name for himself with his hard-hitting style. He has continued to stand out since he moved to WWE Raw in the 2024 WWE Draft.
Speaking with Metro, Ilja Dragunov discussed his physical style and noted that he thought his family hated it.
"I think my family hates my wrestling style. Literally, until this day, my son didn’t see one match of me. He’s seven, and he’s going to turn eight this year. So, because I know what I do in that ring, and I know how I do that, it would be a bit too much for a seven-year-old to understand. He’s going to need a bit more time until we get to that point," Dragunov said.
Dragunov admitted that he couldn't let himself think too much about the way his family feels. He stated that he had to have the belief that his body could take what he expected it to. Dragunov also said that if he couldn't perform, then he had no place in the business.
"It sounds a bit ruthless, but I really can’t think about that too much, because I think as more you pay attention to something, the more you create a self-proclaimed prophecy. I just have the belief that my body is able to take what I expect from my body, to take in a certain performance that I do, because if I don’t do it like I do, then I have no place in this business, and I have no business doing anything, right? There’s a certain way to my persona to carry myself, and how I compete and how I fight and how I do the things that I do, and if I can’t do them that way anymore, where is the sense, right? I don’t do that for for just like I don’t know fame or being like a celebrity or whatever I just do. I do that because I can fully express myself in this business. That is my reason. Number one," Dragunov said.
Dragunov went on to note that, like other performers, he gets scared, but it was up to his decisions in terms of what he wanted to do about it. He stated that his will and his passion was always stronger than that fear.
During the interview, Dragunov commented on how he recently dealt with an injury. Check out his comments here.
