Ilja Dragunov vs. WALTER / Gunther for the WWE NXT United Kingdom Championship, from WWE NXT TakeOver: 36

Probably the best match that’s going to take place in North America all year. A few rough and revealing spots and aimless technical exchanges render this inferior to the classic they had last October, but I’d have to be out of my mind to argue this wasn’t engaging, arresting, and entertaining. It wasn’t just that they hit each other harder in this fake fight than you’ll see in many MMA matches, no, they spun a logical narrative around the brutality that anyone can follow. The second-best thing to happen in wrestling this weekend, and better than the entirety of Summerslam.

9