NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov returns to PROGRESS at Chapter 128

NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov made his first PROGRESS Wrestling appearance in nearly two years at today’s Chapter 128 event in Manchester, England. 

Following Cara Noir’s successful defense of the PROGRESS World title, the lights dimmed. Dragunov then appeared in the ring to confront Noir, who claimed the PROGRESS title back in January 2020 in a five-way match also involving Dragunov.

No announcements were made as to a future match, but the angle would indicate that Dragunov is next in line to challenge Noir for PROGRESS’s top title.

Dragunov had not appeared for the company since February 2020. 

Dragunov has held the NXT UK Championship since TakeOver 36 in August of 2021. He defeated Gunther, then known as WALTER, to win the title on that show and has since made successful defenses against A-Kid, Jordan Devlin, and Rampage Brown.

Video of the angle between Dragunov and Noir can be seen below.

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Ethan Renner
Ethan Renner

An F4WOnline Editor since 2019, Ethan has been covering wrestling and MMA since 2011. He has hosted The Wrestling Life Podcast since 2014, and is a former Baltimore Sun TV/Tribune Media contributor. He is also a Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles fan.