Ilja Dragunov’s time with WWE is reportedly coming to an end after more than seven years with the company. The former NXT Champion, NXT UK Champion and United States Champion is said to be leaving WWE after his contract expired, bringing an end to a run that started with NXT UK in 2019.
On August 20, 2026, Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that Dragunov’s WWE deal had expired and that he was exiting the company. F4WOnline later covered the report, while Fightful also reported the departure. Dragunov has also been moved to the Alumni section of WWE’s website, another indication that his run with the promotion is over.
There is also some information about how the two sides reached this point. False Finish reported that WWE wanted Dragunov to remain with the company, but the wrestler decided to allow his contract to expire. No announcement has been made regarding where Dragunov could wrestle next.
Dragunov officially joined WWE in February 2019, when the company announced him as one of five new additions to the NXT UK roster. He quickly became one of the brand’s featured wrestlers and eventually developed a memorable rivalry with WALTER, now known as Gunther.
Their rivalry produced one of Dragunov’s biggest WWE moments at NXT TakeOver 36 in August 2021, where he defeated WALTER to end his 870-day reign and become NXT United Kingdom Champion. Dragunov held the championship for 346 days before relinquishing it in August 2022 because of an ankle injury.
Dragunov later moved to NXT and became NXT Champion, before reaching WWE’s main roster in 2024. His first run on Raw was interrupted when he suffered a torn ACL, keeping him away from competition for roughly a year.
He returned on the October 17, 2025 episode of SmackDown, answering Sami Zayn’s United States Championship Open Challenge. Dragunov defeated Zayn that night to capture the United States Championship, giving him another title during his WWE career. WWE’s title history lists his reign at 70 days, ending when Carmelo Hayes took the championship on December 26, 2025.
Wrestling
