Ilja Dragunov Defeats Carmelo Hayes To Become New NXT Champion At No Mercy

A major title change took place last night at the NXT No Mercy premium live event, as Ilja Dragunov finally got his hands on the NXT Championship, dethroning Carmelo Hayes in one of the two "main events" of the evening.

After several failed attempts, Dragunov finally managed to win the belt and defeat Hayes, after previously being thwarted by Hayes’ ally Trick Williams. With no one ringside to cause any sort of shenanigans this time around, the pair were left to have a fair, intense, and hard-hitting battle for the coveted prize, with the challenger becoming the champion and proving himself to be the better man on the night. He would deliver a huge top rope H-bomb from the top rope to score the win.

Following the match, both men showed respect and embraced, with Hayes endorsing the new titleholder. Hayes’ reign comes to an end after 182 days, defeating the likes of Bron Breakker, Grayson Waller, Noam Dar, Wes Lee, and Baron Corbun during his time with the gold.