Ilja Dragunov Reportedly Leaving WWE As Contract Expires

Former United States and NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov is reportedly leaving WWE. According to PWInsider on Thursday, a report which Fightful Select has confirmed, Dragunov's deal expired with the company, though the exact date it ended was not provided.

PWI also reported "The Mad Dragon" was removed from WWE's internal roster this week. WWE has moved Dragunov to the alumni section of its website. He had been performing on "WWE SmackDown" since returning to the company following a long layoff due to an ACL sprain. Dragunov dethroned Sami Zayn and captured the United States title in his first match back from injury in October 2025.

As of this writing, it is not known if Dragunov has any clause in his expiring deal that would put him on ice for the standard 90 days. AEW will host its biggest pay-per-view of the year, AEW All In: London coming up on August 30, but it's not clear if Dragunov would be available for the event if the company has interest in him.

Dragunov's last WWE match was the 2026 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the episode of "SmackDown" ahead of WrestleMania 42. The match was ultimately won by Royce Keys. His last singles match in the company came on March 30 in a loss to then-US Champion Carmelo Hayes.

The star joined "WWE NXT UK" in February 2019 and made his on-screen debut that May. He was best known for his intense rivalry with GUNTHER on the brand. He made the jump to "WWE NXT" in Orlando in September 2022, where he notably feuded with Carmelo Hayes over the NXT Championship. He was called up to the main roster in the 2024 WWE Draft.

I am usually not one to jump aboard the "he's going to AEW!" train, and I don't recall ever having much of an opinion on a talent going there. If someone, or someones, show up, like the Motor City Machine Guns or Andrade, or Kofi and Austin Creed, potentially soon, I'm happy for them, but Dragunov is honestly the first person I feel like I really want and need to see in AEW.

I think his style would fit right in. There's the joke online that Dragunov wrestles like no one has ever told him that professional wrestling isn't real, and that's honestly the first way I'd describe him to anyone who isn't aware of his work. This guy hits so damn hard, he'd be an absolute menace in AEW, and I could list off so many guys I'd love to see him in the ring with, from Jon Moxley, to Kenny Omega, Darby Allin, MJF, I could go on.

I became familiar with him during his run at the Performance Center, and liked him immediately. For whatever reason, he didn't find his footing on the main roster, and was on ice for the last five months. After forever with no news, I'm glad he's able to finally move on. As I look at it now, I see no downside to Dragunov in AEW, whenever he's available to make the jump.