WWE superstar Ilja Dragunov has left the company after seven years.
The so-called Mad Dragon, who was also known as Unbesiegbar and The Czar, was born in Russia and raised in Berlin, and made his name across the UK and Europe before signing with WWE in 2019.
On Thursday, he was suddenly moved to the alumni section of WWE.com along with other former members of the roster.
A report has since emerged from PWInsider confirming that the 32-year-old wrestler’s contract has expired, and he’s leaving the company.
During his time with WWE, Dragunov won the United States, NXT and United Kingdom Championships.
In 2023, he won Male Superstar of the Year in the official NXT Year-End Awards, while he and Carmelo Hayes won Match of the Year for their bout at NXT No Mercy.
Despite capturing gold and delivering every time he was between the ropes, fans feel like WWE could have done more with Dragunov, who has been hailed by people 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.
Others called out the fact that WWE never ran Ilja versus GUNTHER on the main roster, despite their epic battles across 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.’
His final WWE match came as part of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the eve of WrestleMania 42 in April.
Late last year, Ilja had an incredible run on SmackDown, beating Sami Zayn for the United States Title on October 17 in his first match back after over a year of action due to injury.
He went onto hold 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.
He said: ‘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?
‘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.’
Ilja Dragunov could have been legit main eventer in WWE
Metro’s WWE expert Alistair McGeorge breaks down Ilja’s exit.
News Ilja Dragunov has left WWE comes as a shock, but there’s a lot we still don’t know.
His contract reportedly expired, but it’s not clear whether that was a decision made by him or the company, which could change things.
I’ve seen Ilja wrestle live numerous times, from the Ritz in Manchester to Wembley Stadium, and had the pleasure of interviewing him a few times.
He had all the potential and talent to be a major player in the company, and his run as United States Champion was a highlight of SmackDown in 2025.
If WWE had pulled the trigger on a main roster feud with GUNTHER, they would have had a ready made headliner for any of the various European PLEs between two stars guaranteed to get people invested.
It remains to be seen where he’ll go from here, but if Tony Khan was smart, he’d already be trying to tempt him to AEW in time for All In London at Wembley Stadium on August 31.
Let’s wait and see.
