You never know when you’re going to see a big return as names like The Rock, John Cena, AJ Lee, Nikki Bella, Rusev and Goldberg have all returned to WWE this year. Now it seems that another big return is on the horizon.
Bodyslam.net is reporting that there has been internal discussion regarding Rusev feuding with Ilja Dragunov in the near future. It’s being said that nothing has been finalized at this point, but the idea is to use the feud to reintroduce Ilja Dragunov on television.
Dragunov’s name has been mentioned backstage and the expectation is that he’s currently on standby and waiting to be integrated into WWE storylines.
The former NXT Champion has been out of action for almost a year as he tore his ACL during a match with Gunther during a WWE live event on September 30th, 2024. Dragunov has been training at the WWE Performance Center during his absence and has been and was recently spotted working without knee support.
Ilja Dragunov first signed with WWE in 2019 and he went on to join the NXT brand. He is a one time NXT United Kingdom Champion and one time NXT Champion. Dragunov entered the King of the Ring tournament last year and made it to the quarter-finals before he was eliminated by Jey Uso.
Stay tuned for more updates as they become available.