The 5 Star Series #5: Ilja Dragunov vs. WALTER-wXw 16 Carat Gold 2017 (Night 3)

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Welcome to another edition of the 5 Star Series, the series that covers the greatest wrestling matches of all time to see what truly is the best match ever. This week, we'll be delving into a company I've never discussed on the blog, as I'll be covering a match between Ilja Dragunov and WALTER. Most people are probably familiar with the two's pair of matches in WWE's developmental systems, first in NXT UK in 2020 and then in NXT in 2021. However, their series of elite matches actually started back in 2017, when they faced off in German promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling in the finals of the 2017 16 Carat Gold tournament.

The Match Facts

The Match: Ilja Dragunov vs WALTER

The Event: Night 3 of 16 Carat Gold 2017

The Stipulation: Singles match, Finals of the 16 Carat Gold Tournament

Meltzer Rating: N/A

Cagematch.net Rating: 9.01/10

Where to Watch: wXwNow (subscription required)

How We Got Here

Ilja Dragunov debuted for wXw in 2013, under a year after beginning his wrestling career. Over the next four years, Dragunov would establish himself as a staple of wXw's midcard, winning their secondary title, the Shotgun Championship, and the company's World Tag Team Titles as part of the Cerberus stable twice each. However, there was one title that still eluded him; the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship. And the best way to get a shot at the title was to win the annual 16 Carat Gold tournament. Dragunov's debut in the tournament would see him beat his Cerberus stablemate Avalanche (better known as Robert Dreissker) in the opening round, Timothy Thatcher in the second, and John "Bad Bones" Klinger in the semifinals to advance to the finals in the main event, where he'd face his final opponent; WALTER.

WALTER joined wXw in 2007 as Big Van Walter, and by 2010, had already ascended to the top of wXw, winning the 2010 16 Carat Gold tournament on route to beating Zack Sabre Jr. for the Unified World Wrestling title. Over the next seven years (during which he would change his name to "Big Daddy Walter" and then simply "WALTER"), WALTER would cement himself as one of, if not the top name in wXw, holding the Unified World Wrestling title a record three times for a combined 662 days (another record), and the World Tag Team Championships twice before forming his own stable Ringkampf alongside Timothy Thatcher and Axel Dieter Jr. (the future Marcel Barthel/Ludwig Kaiser.) With one 16 Carat Trophy under his belt, WALTER aimed to become the third man in history to win the tournament twice. He'd defeat David Starr in the first round, Marius Al-Ani in the second, and Matt Riddle in the semifinals, leaving Dragunov as the one man left in his way of another Unified World Wrestling title shot.

The Match

The two aggressively lock up, tussling into the ropes before Dragunov forces WALTER into the corner. Dragunov presses his head into WALTER's, prompting WALTER to shove him away. WALTER forces Dragunov into the corner, where we get the first of WALTER's famous chops. Dragunov shows no fear, however, and goes head-to-head with WALTER again. WALTER scoops him up for a slam, but Dragunov slips out and chops him. WALTER tries to chop him back, but Dragunov dodges it before hitting another chop. Dragunov follows up with a headlock, which WALTER powers out of and sends Dragunov to the ropes. Dragunov bounces back with a shoulder block, but WALTER doesn't budge. Dragunov hits the ropes again, only for WALTER to floor him with a single-leg dropkick.

WALTER follows up with a club to the back, causing Dragunov to crawl to the corner. WALTER continues beating down Dragunov, hitting a forearm and another chop before whipping him to the opposite corner. WALTER follows up with a corner clothesline before going for a butterfly suplex. Dragunov blocks it, however, and fends WALTER off with a boot before hitting a clothesline. WALTER stays on his feet, so Dragunov hits another clothesline. WALTER still won't go down, so Dragunov hits the ropes for a third attempt, but WALTER counters and locks in the Gojira Clutch (a sleeper hold.) Dragunov is able to slip out of the Gojira and goes for a Saito suplex (a back suplex), but WALTER quickly reapplies a headlock to keep control. WALTER punches Dragunov in the face before reapplying the Gojira. Dragunov quickly reaches for the ropes to force a break, only for WALTER to immediately hit a big German suplex. WALTER quickly follows up with a butterfly suplex and a cover, with Dragunov kicking out at two.

WALTER chokes Dragunov with his boot against the ropes before hitting another chop, knocking him down. Dragunov springs right back up and hits a chop of his own, but WALTER quickly floors him with another big chop. WALTER drags Dragunov to the corner, setting him on the top rope before climbing up himself. WALTER repeatedly clubs Dragunov in the back before going for a butterfly superplex. Dragunov blocks it, breaking WALTER's hold before chopping him three times, knocking him down to the mat. Dragunov quickly follows up with a second rope senton, prompting WALTER to roll out onto the apron. Dragunov goes for a springboard as WALTER gets to his feet, only for WALTER to floor him with a clothesline.

WALTER crawls back in the ring, where he locks Dragunov in a kimura lock. Dragunov tries to lift him up, but WALTER dead weights him before chopping him in the chest. WALTER follows up by whipping Dragunov to the ropes, only for Dragunov to stop his momentum by grabbing the ropes. WALTER charges at him, only for Dragunov to drop down and pull the ropes down, causing WALTER to fall out of the ring. Dragunov prepares for a suicide dive, only for WALTER to climb onto the apron and catch him with a big boot through the ropes. Dragunov stays on his feet, however, and fires back with Torpedo Moscow (a jumping uppercut), knocking WALTER back down to ringside. Dragunov waits for WALTER to get to his feet before hitting the suicide dive, knocking WALTER into the first row of chairs.

Dragunov drags WALTER to his feet, chopping him twice. WALTER fires back with a nasty-sounding chop, knocking Dragunov down. The commentators call it the hardest chop they've ever heard, a statement that will age poorly in about four minutes. WALTER quickly follows up with a powerbomb into the side of the ring apron.

WALTER throws Dragunov back in the ring and makes the cover, but Draguov kicks out at two. Dragunov tells WALTER to bring it, prompting WALTER to give him another big chop. Dragunov gives him a chop back, so WALTER delivers another big chop. The two continue trading chops, with WALTER leveling Dragunov each time, but Dragunov keeps getting up. After one final chop from Dragunov, WALTER just slaps him in the face before locking in the Gorjira Clutch again.

Dragunov starts to fade, but manages to break free of the hold. Dragunov goes for the Saito suplex, but WALTER blocks it and picks Dragunov up for the powerbomb. Dragunov flips out and lands on his feet, but WALTER quickly catches him with a big boot. WALTER tries to follow up with a discus clothesline, but Dragunov ducks it before catching WALTER with a clothesline of his own. Dragunov hits the ropes for another clothesline, only for WALTER to follow right behind him. Dragunov keeps control, however, turning around and flooring WALTER with a big clothesline. Dragunov quickly follows up with the Saito suplex and makes the cover, but WALTER kicks out at two.

Dragunov climbs to the top rope as WALTER staggers to his feet, only for WALTER to run over and catch him with a big boot. WALTER climbs to the top as well and hits the butterfly superplex. WALTER makes the cover, but Dragunov kicks out at two. Dragunov tries to fight back with chops, but WALTER shuts him down with another nasty-sounding chop, which the commentators say is now the hardest chop they've ever heard. By this point, the right side of Dragunov's chest is red & bruised like crazy.

Dragunov fires back with another chop, but WALTER floors him with a big boot in response. WALTER sets up for the powerbomb, but Dragunov blocks it before lifting WALTER onto his shoulders. Dragunov places WALTER on the top rope, chopping him across the back before powerbombing him down to the mat. Dragunov makes the cover, but WALTER kicks out. Dragunov tries to follow up with a springboard out of the corner, only for WALTER to pop up and catch him with a big boot. WALTER locks in the Gojira Clutch for a fourth time, and Dragunov starts to fade again. He fights back, however, and gets to the ropes to force a break. WALTER tries to quickly hit a German suplex, but Dragunov blocks it, switches positions, and rolls WALTER up.

WALTER kicks out at two, popping right up and locking in the Gojira again. WALTER adds on the bodyscissors as Dragunov fades. The referee raises & drops his hand three times. It falls on the first two, but Dragunov keeps his hand up on the third. Dragunov fights out of the hold and to his feet, but WALTER quickly shuts him down with a lariat. WALTER quickly follows up with the powerbomb, putting all his weight on Dragunov as he makes the cover, but Dragunov kicks out at two.

Both men get to their feet, trading nasty sounding chops. They legit trade chops for a whole minute before Dragunov stumbles back, nearly buckling over...and then they trade chops for another 30 seconds. I absolutely love it.

Dragunov starts to fire up, hitting multiple chops in a row followed by a spinning chop, sending WALTER into the corner. Dragunov hits another chop before running to the opposite corner, only for WALTER to follow him there and hit a running chop. WALTER runs to the opposite corner, only for Dragunov to meet him there with a chop. Dragunov runs to the opposite corner, but WALTER meets him there again, this time with a big boot. Dragunov fires back with a spinning chop and a clothesline before calling for, and hitting, Torpedo Moscow. Dragunov makes the cover, but WALTER kicks out at two.

Dragunov calls for Torpedo Moscow again and charges in, but WALTER catches him in the Gojira Clutch once again. Dragunov fades, prompting WALTER to quickly scoop him up and hit the Fire Thunder Driver (a reverse piledriver.) WALTER makes the cover, but Dragunov kicks out at two. WALTER tees off as Dragunov gets to his feet, slapping him across the face. Dragunov falls back into the ropes, only to bounce back with a surprise Torpedo Moscow. Dragunv makes the cover, gets the three, and the win for the 16 Carat Trophy. The play-by-play commentator says the world should remember the name Ilja Dragunov...yeah, nailed it on the head.

The Verdict

It takes a minute to really get going, but once it gets going, it's phenomenal. Brutal, stiff offense with a bunch of well-done spots mixed in, this is a great, easy watch at just over 16 minutes. It might not be as good as the matches the two would go on to have together in WWE, but this is still a great match that, if you haven't, you should absolutely check out for yourself.

My Rating: 9.5/10

The Rankings (Best to Worst)

1. Mitsuharu Misawa vs Toshiaki Kawada-AJPW Super Power Series 1994 (Day 16)
2. Kazuchika Okada vs Kenny Omega-Wrestle Kingdom 11
3. Ilja Dragunov vs. WALTER-wXw 16 Carat Gold 2017 (Night 3)
4. Johnny Gargano vs Adam Cole-NXT TakeOver: New York
5. Johnny Gargano vs Adam Cole-NXT TakeOver: XXV

Thanks for reading! Be sure to share if you enjoyed and don't forget to click the link here and vote in the poll to decide the next edition of the 5 Star Series, which will be posted in two weeks. Stay tuned...

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