Cutting the engine in flight

With the advent of off-boresight missiles capable of up to 90 degrees lock-on combined with advanced helmets, WVR fights have become extremely dangerous. In some cases the 2 opponents would probably shoot almost simultaneously at each other.

Now let’s say one of the 2 pilots would cut his engine or set it at minimum setting right before the merge. He would effectively deny its opponents his off boresight shot, yet he would probably be able to take his own shot. Obviously his plane would slow down very quickly but he would decelerate for only about 10-20 seconds and he would reengage the engine at full thrust with afterburner right after the enemy plane has been shot down.

I guess the effectiveness of that maneuver would depend on the probability of achieving a lock directly at the merge. That probability may be high, especially if the position of the target is displayed on the visor, like on the F-35 for instance ( or other planes maybe ).

So what would happen if the engine was cut off or reduced at minimum at high speed/high altitude?