Ilja Dragunov reportedly leaving WWE

Ilja Dragunov enters the ring during SmackDown at OVO Arena Wembley on January 16, 2026 in London, England. | Photo by Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images Fans have been puzzled by WWE’s use of Ilja Dragunov this year. He lost the United States title to Carmelo Hayes at the end of last year, and worked his first Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia. But the only thing the 32-year old Russian star’s Rumble run led to was denials he’d been “buried” by Brock Lesnar. He picked up a couple losses on SmackDown, worked the pre-WrestleMania Andre the Giant Battle Royal, and disappeared completely. Eventually, we’ll learn more about what happened to derail the former WWE United Kingdom and NXT champion’s WWE career. We’ll probably hear a version of it in about 90 days, because PWInsider is reporting that Dragunov’s contract has expired and he’s leaving the company. No other details were provided. This is purely this writer’s speculation, but if Dragunov’s contract was set to expire in August, WW