Ilja Dragunov Moved to WWE Alumni Page as Contract Reportedly Expires

It appears that Ilja Dragunov has departed WWE.

The former Men's United States Champion had not been seen on WWE programming since he competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the episode of SmackDown ahead of WrestleMania 42, and now the next time fans see him will be with another promotion.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider was the first report that Dragunov's deal with WWE has now expired and he is officially a free agent. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select has since confirmed the news, and Dragunov has also been moved to the alumni section of WWE's official roster page, which is strong indicator that their reporting is accurate.

The guys over at False Finish are reporting that WWE would have liked to hang on to Dragunov, but he chose to let his contract expire.

Ilja Dragunov is gone from WWE after his contract reportedly expires

Dragunov now leaves WWE after a rather successful seven-year run with the company that saw him capture the NXT UK, NXT and Men's United States Championships. He was also named the NXT Male Superstar of the Year back in 2023.

The Mad Dragon debuted on the main roster on the episode of Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia. He defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in his first match and was then thrust right into the 2024 King of the Ring tournament.

He spent much of that summer competing with Sami Zayn and Bron Breakker for the Men's Intercontinental Championship before he suffered a torn ACL that cost him over a year of his career. The injury happened while he was wrestling his greatest rival, former World Heavyweight Champion Gunther, during a live event.

Ilja returned to action last October and defeated Sami Zayn in his first match back to win the Men's United States Title. He would then carry on the tradition of the United States Open Challenge, and his matches with the likes of Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa and Carmelo Hayes became must-see television.

After Dragunov dropped the title to Carmelo Hayes, he slowly started to fade into the background. He did compete in the Men's Royal Rumble Match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but only wrestled four more times afterward, including one more rematch with Hayes for the Men's U.S. Title.

The Moscow native is widely considered to be one of the best bell-to-bell performers in pro wrestling today. It wouldn't be surprising at all if he gets several inquiries on the open market. Draganov joins a list of high-profile WWE free agents, which includes Aleister Black, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Sheamus.

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