Ilja Dragunov ended the December 19 episode of WWE NXT on a stretcher following a match he had with Ridge Holland.
Holland interrupted Dragunov earlier in the night on December 19. Holland said he was trying to find himself after he walked out on his tag team partner Butch on the November 24 episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown. In an effort to get back on track, he challenged the NXT Champion to a match which was accepted.
During this promo, holland referenced the fact that he needed to rewrite his history as he knows he has a reputation for injuries and accidents.
"This is the first chapter in the redemption of Ridge Holland"@RidgeWWE wants to rewrite his history and @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR is giving him a chance to start that TONIGHT!#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/Kv9fynxxNP
— WWE (@WWE) December 20, 2023
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be the first chapter of Ridge Holland's redemption arc ended in another accident. During the match, Dragunov was trying to fight his way out of the hold and Ridge ended up dropping him in what looked like Saraya's Rampaige.
Suddenly, the NXT champion was having issues with his neck, and the match was immediately stopped and Dragunov was carted out on a stretcher.
The match between between @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR and @RidgeWWE has been called off due to an injury sustained by Dragunov.
— WWE (@WWE) December 20, 2023
Sending well wishes to the #WWENXT Champion -- pic.twitter.com/Zg5BAcskXu
It was reported by Fightful's Corey Brennan that this incident was merely an angle. In the past, holland had unfortunately injured Big E, accidentally breaking his neck in March of 2022. Fans can read Big E's comments on Ridge Holland here.
Fightful will continue to update this story and report any updates regarding Dragunov.
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