Why WWE Pulled Ilja Dragunov From NXT New Year’s Evil

WWE NXT New Year’s Evil was set to showcase the WWE NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov defending his title against Iron Survivor winner Trick Williams. However, the match didn’t go down as planned due to Dragunov’s injury.

The announcement revealed that Ilja Dragunov’s neck was still recovering from Ridge Holland’s attack on the December 13th episode. In its place, Grayson Waller took on Trick Williams, and then Kevin Owens showed up to help Trick win.

Haus of Wrestling reports that Ilja Dragunov is banged up from 2023. Those afflictions are taking a bit more time to heal up than they initially expected at this point.

After speaking with a tenured WWE source, Haus of Wrestling has learned that beyond his neck, Dragunov is “banged up from 2023” and is taking longer to heal his body than expected. The call to have him removed from the New Year’s Evil main event was made sometime this past weekend. As it was described to us, the time frame for Dragunov’s return to in-ring action is uncertain.

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WWE is making things work, no matter what happens. Shawn Michaels’ brand was still able to pull off a New Year’s Evil event that nobody will soon forget, even if the NXT Title couldn’t be defended.

The main event adjustment wasn’t the only last-minute change to Tuesday night’s show, as passport issues prevented Dragon Lee from participating in his scheduled match. Carlito stepped in and teamed up with The LWO’s Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro, as he helped them pick up a victory against the No Quarter Catch Crew.

We will keep a close eye on this story, and so many more, here at Ringside News. You never know what will happen next, especially with the current state of the pro wrestling landscape.

What’s your take on WWE NXT’s New Year’s Evil event? Will Trick Williams win the NXT Title from Ijla Dragunov eventually? Let us know what you think about this in the comments section!