Ilja Dragunov was stretchered out during the NXT episode on December 19th, but no worries, because it’s just part of the story. Although some fans initially jumped to conclusions that Ridge Holland injured another Superstar, it seems that WWE is turning that into an angle instead.
The scene was filmed the previous week, taking inspiration from Ridge Holland’s involvement in Big E’s injury two years ago. He also recently caused Elton Prince’s injury, costing Pretty Deadly valuable time away from the ring. While some in WWE found the idea a bit controversial, they decided to go ahead with it.
Corey Brennan of Fightful reported last week that the incident was planned, and now there’s more information.
Fightful Select further noted that, according to NXT sources, everyone involved was happy with the performance and camera work, and producers were pleased with how the crowd reacted to the angle.
WWE producers knew most attendees understood it was scripted, as they quickly announced the start of the next show. Cameras even followed Dragunov to the ambulance as it drove off.
The December 19th, 2023 episode of WWE NXT drew a viewership of 641,000. The P18-49 rating for the episode stood at 0.17. That wasn’t much of a drop for a pre-taped episode, so close to Christmas.
It will be interesting to see how WWE NXT plays the rest of this angle with Ilja Dragunov and Ridge Holland. It certainly garnered a bit of attention, and a positive reception backstage.