Ilja Dragunov reflected on the toughest years of his life and how they molded him into the person he is today.
The Mad Dragon appeared on Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast to talk about his early career. Dragunov also spoke about how he put his body through grueling pain in order to succeed as a wrestler, and why he and Gunther are able to create magic every time they’re in the ring together.
Dragunov said 2017-18 were the toughest years of his life. He says he was just pushing his body too far without having the time to recover.
“I think 2018 and ‘17 were the most horrible years of my life… yes, just because physical wise. In those two years I changed my body composition. [I] did a very rough diet because I wanted to look as lean and as good as possible for the ring,” Dragunov recalled.
“I worked crazy shifts; I have a diploma as a professional trainer. And I worked after my education as the manager of a gym, which was kind of like lots of hours I needed to put into work. Then I had a very young child, a wife. [Family life] I needed, somehow, to manage. And then every other weekend, I was wrestling. So those years have no, next to none, of recovery time.”
David vs. Goliath told in a wrestling ring
Elsewhere on the show, Dragunov agreed with Satin about his quality of matches with Gunther. Dragunov said one of the reasons they have been so good is because they play into his never-give-up attitude.
“Absolutely! I mean those matches [with Gunther] sort of more than anything else. You said it right. I wouldn’t agree that he’s in pain because I think I am in pain because I’m the person who’s overcoming it every single time.”
In the eyes of pro wrestling fans, Ilja Dragunov and Gunther are no less than mortal enemies. The two have known each other since their wXw days in Germany. Their rivalry has taken them to different parts of the world. It looks like they are destined to duke it out forever.
Their matches in WWE NXT are widely considered some of the best matches, not in the brand’s history, but in WWE by a long shot. The last meeting, which transpired at NXT TakeOver: 36, saw the Czar dethrone the Ring General for the NXT UK Championship.
The brutal affair was David vs. Goliath told inside the squared circle with Dragunov using his sheer resilience and determination to overcome the man who had maintained a chokehold on the NXT UK Championship and the brand itself.
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