WWE star Ilja Dragunov departs company after being out of action for 4 months

Ilja Dragunov, a one-time WWE United States champion, NXT champion and NXT UK champion, has departed the company.

WWE moved Dragunov’s profile to the alumni section on Thursday.

COMPLETE PRO WRESTLING COVERAGE ON OUTKICK Dragunov’s deal with WWE expired, PW Insider reported.

The 32-year-old, who is arguably one of the best pro wrestlers in the industry right now, signed with WWE in February 2019 after years with Progress Wrestling and other European promotions.

He immediately became one of the toughest and most fearsome competitors in the ring, rising through the ranks to become the NXT UK champion.

Dragunov suffered a leg injury during his final moments with NXT UK and reappeared on the brand in September 2022, making his way overseas to NXT.

He made his presence felt immediately with championship matches against Bron Breakker , JD McDonagh, Wes Lee, Carmelo Hayes and others but failed to attain gold during that time.

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DOWNLOAD NOW! He defeated Hayes to win the NXT Championship in September 2023, becoming the first person in WWE to have won both the NXT and NXT UK Championships.

His run in NXT would end in April 2024 after he dropped the NXT Championship to Trick Williams .

He was promoted to the Raw brand after WrestleMania 40 but a torn ACL injury kept him on the shelf for a year.

When Dragunov returned, he was inserted into the WWE United States Championship picture and defeated Sami Zayn to win the title in October 2025.