Ilja Dragunov is officially done with WWE and is free to negotiate with any promotion without a non-compete window.
As previously reported, Dragunov’s contract expired naturally, meaning he was not released. Because the deal simply ran its course, he is free to sign elsewhere immediately.
WWE has already removed Dragunov from its active roster page and moved his profile to the Alumni section of its official website. Behind the scenes, the company was reportedly interested in keeping him. According to False Finish, Dragunov chose to let his contract expire rather than re-sign.
The departure stands out even more because there had been conversations about bringing him back to television. Bryan Alvarez reported that discussions involving Dragunov were still taking place as recently as June, and WWE had even explored the possibility of returning him to TV after SummerSlam. Those plans never materialized.
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3:01 PM · Aug 21, 2026Dragunov had not competed since the April 17 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, where he was part of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. His last singles match came against Carmelo Hayes in March.
Dragunov departs after a WWE run that began in 2019 and included reigns as NXT UK Champion, NXT Champion, and United States Champion.
With Dragunov now a free agent, promotions such as AEW, NJPW, TNA, and others can negotiate with him immediately.