Ilja Dragunov Leaves WWE After Seven Years

Ilja Dragunov, known as Ilia Rukober, has left WWE following a seven-year tenure, with the announcement made on Thursday. His departure raised questions regarding the reasons behind it, which have now been clarified.

Dragunov's last appearance was on April 17 during the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on WWE SmackDown. While there was speculation about an injury, WWE confirmed that he was not injured but had no creative plans for him. Initially, there were intentions to bring Dragunov back after SummerSlam, but those plans have changed.

During his time in WWE, Dragunov made history by defeating GUNTHER to become the NXT United Kingdom Champion and later captured the NXT Championship. He also had a successful run as the Men's United States Champion on WWE Raw and SmackDown, defending the title seven times from October to December 2025. With various wrestling promotions active, there is interest in where Dragunov will appear next, especially with events like TNA's Lockdown and AEW's All In approaching.