Ilja Dragunov has left WWE after seven years with the company. The 32-year-old wrestler, known as the Mad Dragon, was moved to the alumni section of WWE.com on Thursday alongside other former roster members. A report from PWInsider confirmed that his contract has expired, leading to his departure.
Born in Russia and raised in Berlin, Dragunov made his name across the UK and Europe before signing with WWE in 2019. During his tenure, he won the United States, NXT and United Kingdom Championships. In 2023, he was named Male Superstar of the Year at the NXT Year-End Awards, and he and Carmelo Hayes won Match of the Year for their bout at NXT No Mercy.
Fans react to Dragunov's departure
Despite his achievements, fans feel WWE could have done more with Dragunov, who has been hailed as 'genuinely one of the best wrestlers' in the world. 'Bro how did WWE fumble this badly. I have mad respect for Ilja, I hope he finds MAJOR success wherever he ends up. Sad that his talent was wasted,' wrote BrBl112. 'Imagine fumbling a talent like Ilja Dragunov,' agreed X user @undeniableheel, while other fans said they were 'speechless' over his shock departure.
Some fans criticised WWE for never running a feud between Ilja and GUNTHER on the main roster, despite their epic battles on the independent scene and NXT UK. @WrasslinDragons ranted: 'It is an absolute, utter, unforgivable, inexcusable shame that we never got Gunther vs Ilja Dragunov on the main roster. What a fumble.'
Final matches and title reign
His final WWE match was part of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the eve of WrestleMania 42 in April. Late last year, Ilja had a notable run on SmackDown, beating Sami Zayn for the United States Title on October 17 in his first match back after over a year out due to injury. He held the gold until losing it to Carmelo Hayes on December 19, after eight successful title defences in a series of match of the year contenders.
Ilja had previously told Metro he feels a responsibility to maintain his signature brutal in-ring style. 'There's a certain way to my persona to carry myself, and how I compete and how I fight and how I do the things that I do, and if I can't do them that way anymore, where is the sense, right?' he said. 'I don't do that for just like, I don't know, fame or being like a celebrity or whatever, I just do that because I can fully express myself in this business. That is my reason. Number one.'
