Ilja Dragunov is leaving WWE, according to PWInsider, which reports that his contract has expired. WWE has not announced anything, Dragunov has not commented publicly. His profile has also been moved to the alumni section on WWE.com.
Dragunov has not been on television since April. His last match was the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the April 17 SmackDown, during WrestleMania 42 weekend. His most recent win in a WWE ring came on the January 30 SmackDown, against The Miz.
The absence has been the subject of speculation for months. In July, Bryan Alvarez reported that Dragunov was expected back sooner rather than later, without giving a direction or a storyline for him. He has been training at the Hart Dungeon in Canada during the layoff.
Anyone following this over the past two weeks will have seen a version of this story before, and the difference between the two is worth setting out.
On August 14, an account on X claimed that Dragunov had been offered a contract extension, had refused it, had been pulled from television as a result, and would be free before the Royal Rumble. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful dismissed it publicly and asked why the claim was being made without evidence. The account behind it acknowledged it had no sourcing and described the post as an opinion.
Dragunov signed with WWE in 2019 and spent his first years in NXT UK, where he held the NXT United Kingdom Championship. He moved to NXT in the United States and won the NXT Championship twice, including a series of matches with Bron Breakker that were among the most praised the brand produced in that period.
He was called up to the main roster after WrestleMania 40 in 2024 and beat Sami Zayn for the United States Championship in October 2025. His run since has been interrupted by injury and by long stretches off television.
The style is what he is best known for and will fit a number of different promotions. Dragunov works a stiff and physical style for his matches built around forearms and dropped bombs, and it has drawn both praise and questions about how sustainable it is. He has been open in the past about the toll it takes.
He was born in Russia and moved to Germany as a child. He came up through the German independent scene, principally in wXw, where he was a three-time Unified World Wrestling Champion before WWE signed him.
His departure would come during a year in which WWE has moved on a substantial number of contracted wrestlers, through both releases and expirations. Sheamus has said he turned down a restructured deal on reduced terms. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods also departed, and Jeff Cobb was let go in the spring after a run of less than a year.
Nothing has been said publicly by WWE or by Dragunov. Where he lands next is what will be interesting. He could go join AEW if he still wants to work for a major promotion in the US or go to NJPW should he want to work overseas. TNA and MLW are also options for him.
