Ilja Dragunov

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Former NXT United Kingdom and NXT Champion, “The Mad Dragon” built his reputation on a foundation of suffocating intensity — most notably through two Wrestling Observer Newsletter five-plus-star matches against WALTER for the NXT UK Championship, the second of which Dragunov won at NXT TakeOver 36. He also won the 2017 16 Carat Gold tournament and the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship against WALTER, cementing a transatlantic legacy built on stiff strikes, unyielding resilience, and elite storytelling.

After a torn ACL kept him out for a year, Dragunov returned on the October 17, 2025 episode of SmackDown, defeating Sami Zayn to capture the United States Championship. He lost the title to Carmelo Hayes on December 26, 2025, ending a 63-day reign. He entered the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2026 as the 17th entrant before being eliminated by Brock Lesnar. Since then, Dragunov has been absent from WWE television, reportedly training at Nattie Neidhart and TJ Wilson’s Dungeon, with things described as “quiet” regarding his future creative direction.