Dragunov and Axiom wasted no time warming up as the opening bell rang. The men showed a masterclass in all types of wrestling, from electrifying sprints and jumps to deliberate and intense wrestling work. Both men pushed each other to the absolute limit, with one counterattack after another keeping them in the title fight. Axiom nearly took home his first WWE singles title after defeating Dragunov with a magnificent Springboard Moonsault DDT and a perfect Spanish Fly, but his next Golden Ratio attempt led directly to a Torpedo Moscow from the champion. From there, an exhausted Dragunov finally landed an H-bomb for the pinfall. Both men could barely stand, but managed to hug each other in a show of respect after the match.
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With this victory, Dragunov is ready to continue his reign at the United States Championship, which is currently 29 days old and counting. Since winning the title against Sami Zayn, Dragunov has defended his title against the likes of Aleister Black, Nathan Frazer and Johnny Gargano.
While Dragunov and Ciampa had a tense confrontation backstage earlier in the night, Axiom was the one on the receiving end of Ciampa’s wrath. While “SmackDown” was on commercial break, Ciampa attacked the departing Axiom. Frazer ran into the ring to help his teammate, but Ciampa managed to escape. Dragunov did not comment on the post-match attack.
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Read the original article on Wrestling Inc.