Ilja Dragunov vs. Finn Balor

WWE Worlds Collide January 25

Balor and Dragunov exchanged holds for the first minute and a half until Dragunov hit a high cross body. With Dragunov on the outside, Balor ran the ropes and hit Ilja with a dropkick through the ropes. Moments later Ilja went for a double axe handle from the top turnbuckle to the floor, but Balor moved out of the way and Dragunov crashed and burned before being tossed back in by Finn. A low dropkick to the back of the neck earned Balor a two count before moving on to a side headlock. With Dragunov on the mat, Balor stomped and stomped until the official made him stop and Finn went back to the side headlock. The momentum switched as Ilja reversed a suplex to hit one of his own and followed up with a strong clothesline and a knee from the second rope. Balor slipped out of a fireman’s carry, grabbed Dragunov’s legs out from under him, and connected with a double stomp.

At this point in the match, both men started exchanging elbows before Balor hit a stationary sling blade and then a running sling blade. A few moments later, Dragunov hit a cross body from the post to the floor and then a coast to coast on the inside. Balor countered another top rope maneuver by Ilja, hit the shot gun dropkick, coup de gras, and the 1916 DDT for the pinfall victory. A very stiff, aggressive, and overall good match to kickoff the show.

Match Ratings

Six dimensions combine to make up the overall rating. Matches score ratings of 1-10 only if the match lasts for a minimum of 5 minutes.

1. Match Quality– Was the match well wrestled or sloppy?
2. Audience Engagement– Did the live audience care about the match?
3. Competitiveness– Was the match competitive or one-sided?
4. Stakes – Did the match matter?
5. Finish– Did the match end in a satisfying manner?
6. Performance: (1) Poor (2) Below Average (3) Average (4) Above Average (5) Excellent