Ilja Dragunov made a startling proclamation during his press conference with NXT UK Champion WALTER

Though Ilja Dragunov was traumatized for months after his first title clash against NXT UK Champion WALTER, The Mad Russian didn’t show the slightest hint of fear during a tense press conference on NXT UK.

With Sid Scala presiding, champion and challenger sat at tables in the ring and fielded question from an assembly of reporters.

Though he acknowledged Dragunov as a fantastic athlete, WALTER opined that Dragunov doesn’t have the “mental ability” to rise to his level. Dragunov admitted to enduring some dark times since his first title clash with WALTER, stating that the champion’s strikes “hurt his mind.”

Tensions increased when Dragunov accused WATLER of having a “god complex,” and the titleholder responded by rising from his chair and chewing out his nemesis.

Dragunov proclaimed that he hates WALTER for “purposely breaking something inside of me,” and the press conference ended with Dragunov promising that he would walk out with the NXT UK Title after their rematch… or he wouldn’t walk out at all.

Teoman & Rohan Raja def. Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter via submission

If his first tag team contest alongside Teoman is any indication, then Rohan Raja has indeed pledged his allegiance to the same man who badly mangled his arm several months ago. 

Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter – themselves longstanding rivals of Teoman, who has attempted to injure each of them in the past – entered the squared circle seeking payback, as Carter barked at the cryptic competitor before the match and Smith immediately began blistering his foe with right hands at the toll of the bell.

Teoman and Raja absorbed an early onslaught and claimed the win when Raja planted Carter face-first into the canvas, setting up Teoman to lock his opponent in a crossface and claim the tapout victory.

NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura def. Amale

Despite her relative inexperience compared to the legendary Meiko Satomura, Amale looked like she belonged during a fierce title bout against The Final Boss.

Satomura, who was making her first championship defense since unseating Kay Lee Ray, remained in her typical no-nonsense mindset from bell to bell, frustrating Amale with some early submission holds and landing a significant blow when she cracked the challenger with a flying forearm.

Amale, who regularly screamed at the champion throughout the match, earned a pair of two-counts with a swinging neckbreaker as well as a spinebuster.

The Best in the World nevertheless recovered in time to land a DDT and several swift kicks before blasting the challenger with Scorpio Rising to retain her title.

Tyler Bate def. Mark Coffey in a Heritage Cup Rules Match, 2-1

Tyler Bate was certain to be in for a significant challenge in his Heritage Cup defense against Mark Coffey, who figured to be right at home in the savage conditions that often accompany Heritage Cup Rules Matches.

Coffey sent a message to Bate when the bell signified the end of a scoreless Round 1, giving him a “friendly tap” that could also be interpreted as a soft strike, but Bate claimed a 1-0 lead with a crafty rollup midway through Round 2.

Coffey, however, struck back in Round 3 by blasting an airborne Bate with a kick and clobbering him with a forearm for a pinfall that evened the score at 1-1.

Bate peppered Coffey with a series of strikes when Round 4 began, but Coffey fired back with a German suplex, and neither competitor could earn the decisive fall, despite an airplane spin by Bate and a Uranage from Coffey.

In Round 5, champion and challenger each had to shake some cobwebs after bumping heads at the end of Round 4. But Bate reached down deep after being rammed shoulder-first into the ring post, landing the Tyler Driver ’97 less than a minute into the round to retain the NXT UK Heritage Cup.

Flanked by Trent Seven and Wolfgang, respectively, Bate offered Coffey a handshake after the bout, and Coffey accepted and exited the ring with his partner as NXT UK concluded.