Wrestling is an art form of fine margins, and a recent spot involving Ilja Dragunov has come under the spotlight for its dangerous nature.
Dragunov has maintained Sami Zayn’s legacy and continued defending his recently won United States Title on SmackDown weekly, with a recent match against Nathan Frazer being a highlight. However, the bout apparently had several questionable moments that WWE veteran Stevie Richards broke down on his YouTube channel.
Dragunov and Frazer had a pretty hard-hitting contest, and as the action briefly spilled to the outside, the champ decided to deliver a German Suplex to the challenger. Big E infamously broke his neck while taking a belly-to-belly from Ridge Holland several years ago, and Stevie Richards was eerily reminded of the dreaded WWE moment.
Richards was not a fan of hard bumps on the floor and pointed out how Dragunov whispered something to Frazer before executing the move.
This here gives me vibes of Ridge Holland and Big E. Why are you giving any suplexes like this on the floor? Why? And he says nothing personal before he does it.”
Stevie felt the recent suplex was straight out of the late Chris Benoit’s move set and didn’t see any benefits of having a spot so risky on a WWE SmackDown episode.
He continued:
There is no protection for this. This is a Benoit German Suplex. Now, he didn’t land him on top of his head, but it’s still a no-give, German suplex. Only this side of the audience here sees it. Now, for TV, it’s whatever, but you still have a live crowd.”
While Stevie Richards Is Impressed With Nathan Frazer, He Is Concerned For WWE US Champion Ilja Dragunov
Competing for a WWE title on SmackDown would be a big deal for anyone, and it seems Nathan Frazer made the most of a rare singles opportunity. Stevie Richards was particularly impressed by the former NXT star’s development and subtle nuances in the ring, which included making every sequence look like a legitimate struggle.
As for Dragunov, Richards was pretty blunt in his assessment and believed the WWE United States Champion needed a safer in-ring style if he wished to have a longer career.
By the way, I’m really, really impressed with Nathan Frazer. I’m impressed with this kid. Dragunov to an extent, but I can’t see his style being for the long term, for his own health. He just came back from a neck injury and surgery, and he is still doing these dangerous spots.”
You can check out his comments in the video below:
As noted, the suplex wasn’t the only move Richards pointed out, as there was another spot where Frazer was dropped on his head, and it could have ended terribly for the 2-time NXT Tag Team Champion.
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