Why Has Ilja Dragunov Been Absent From the WWE?
Fans who have been keeping up with WWE programming may have realized a familiar name has not been seen on Raw or SmackDown in months. Former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov has not been on television since September 9th and had his last match on September 28th. With multiple mass releases happening since his absence, some were concerned that Dragunov was among the names that were future endeavored. Fortunately, that is not the case, and ‘The Mad Dragon’ could be back sooner than expected.
During a match against long-time rival Gunther at a WWE Live Event, Ilja Dragunov suffered a torn ACL. The injury occurred when Dragunov landed awkwardly following a German suplex. This has kept him out of action for nearly eight months, and he has not been seen since. Fans have been waiting for Dragunov and Gunther to finally face off on the WWE main roster, and given that the real-life injury happened during this match, that feud could finally get reignited.
It was originally reported that Ilja Dragunov should be expected back in six to nine months. Dragunov was seen at the WWE Performance Center in January 2025, though the reason is unknown. New reports have indicated that the Russian is now targeting a return for September 2025, a year following his injury. Despite that, Sean Ross Sapp stated that Dragunov is recovering much quicker than expected, so a return this summer could be possible.
It’s clear that before his injury, Ilja Dragunov was not treated as big of a star on WWE Raw as he was on NXT. On the developmental brand, Dragunov was an NXT and NXT UK Champion, with both of his reigns totaling over 500 days. Unfortunately, that same success has not been seen on the main roster, as The Mad Dragon became lost in the shuffle before he was taken out of action. Ever since he was called up to the main roster in May 2025, Dragunov has not been involved in a single high-profile feud, lost in the King of the Ring Quarterfinals, and does not have a singles title to his name. Fans are hoping that when Dragunov makes his long-awaited return, he gets treated like a much bigger deal than he has been.
