Ilja Dragunov's WWE career takes a surprising turn after his dream comeback

Ilja Dragunov's WWE career takes a surprising turn after his dream comeback Ilja Dragunov's WWE career has taken a surprising turn less than a year after one of the most memorable comebacks of his career, with the former United States Champion now leaving the company after his contract expired. The 32-year-old wrestler had spent more than a year out of action after suffering a torn ACL. He finally returned to SmackDown in October 2025 and immediately shocked fans by answering Sami Zayn's United States Championship open challenge. Dragunov defeated Zayn to win the title in his first match back. The comeback initially appeared to be the beginning of a major new chapter for the Russian-born star. Dragunov went on to defend the United States Championship through a series of open challenges before eventually losing the title to Carmelo Hayes in December. However, his WWE career took an unexpected turn after that. Dragunov continued making appearances but became increasingly absent from WWE television. His final match reportedly came in April and he then went around four months without wrestling before reports emerged that his WWE contract had expired. PWInsider reported that Dragunov's contract had expired, while his profile was subsequently moved to WWE's alumni section, effectively confirming his departure from the company. The exact reason behind his exit remains unclear. There has been speculation about WWE's plans for the former NXT and NXT UK Champion, but no definitive explanation has been publicly established. Dragunov leaves WWE after winning three major championships during his run with the company, including the NXT UK Championship, NXT Championship and United States Championship.