At NXT No Mercy 2023 premium live event held at the Mechanic Banks Arena in Bakersfield, CA, fans witnessed an epic showdown between WWE NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov.
The match began with Dragunov taking the early advantage, but Hayes quickly fought back, leading to a thrilling exchange of moves. Hayes seized the momentum, delivering a devastating head kick followed by an impressive springboard bulldog for a close two-count. However, Dragunov shifted the tide with a thunderous powerbomb.
The action intensified as Dragunov went coast-to-coast, only for Hayes to counter with a codebreaker attempt. Yet, Dragunov countered Hayes and sent him crashing into the corner. Dragunov then soared from the top rope, but Hayes managed to hit him with a well-timed strike. The two men engaged in a fierce back-and-forth, culminating in Dragunov executing a superplex off the middle rope.
THIS IS AWESOME 👏👏👏#NXTNoMercy pic.twitter.com/yBytuehDfU
— WWE (@WWE) October 1, 2023
At the end of the match, Dragunov delivered his signature move, the H-bomb, for a two-count. Not content with one, Dragunov hit a second H-bomb for another near fall. Hayes, showing his resilience, retaliated with a thunderous superkick, but it was still not enough.
The tension escalated as the two battled on the apron, culminating in Hayes executing a cutter off the apron onto the hard floor. Just as Hayes attempted to leap from the top rope, Dragunov intercepted him mid-air with a devastating clothesline.
Dragunov went to the top and hit a super H-Bomb for the pinfall win and became the new NXT Champion.
Welcome to a new era of #WWENXT!@UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR #NXTNoMercy pic.twitter.com/QYmilqScE7
— WWE (@WWE) October 1, 2023