Last time in action: Dragunov defeated Aleister Black (SmackDown, Oct. 24), The Vision defeated Fraxion (SmackDown, Sept. 19)
Stratton came to the ring and called out Cargill for a fight, but Nick Aldis came to the ring and said the doctors haven’t cleared her yet. Cargill came out and taunted the champion a little to get under her skin while security kept them apart.
After a break and a few segments, Ilja Dragunov was set to put the U.S. title on the line in an open challenge against Nathan Frazer.
Before it could begin, Tommaso Ciampa came out and said Frazer doesn’t deserve the shot. Ilja told him to take a walk, which he did, but he did it too easily, so it felt like it would lead to something.
Frazer tried to get the advantage immediately with a running knee, but The Mad Dragon was right back to his feet and put him in the corner for some chops.
This was an interesting and exciting matchup because it felt so fresh. These two have only had two previous encounters. One took place in NXT UK in 2022, and one in NXT back in 2023, so this was their first match on the main roster together.
This was a fast-paced match that also had some stiff strikes and fun spots. They worked very well together to put on a great show. At one point, Frazer almost won with a Phoenix splash, but it wasn’t enough to keep the champion down.
Dragunov was able to retain with a clean victory, which was surprising after it looked like they were setting up for Ciampa to interfere. He showed up after the match to attack Frazer, though.
Result: Dragunov defeated Frazer
Notable Moments and Observations
