Ilja Dragunov revealed that he started thinking about leaving WWE months before his contract expired.
The decision began to take shape after he lost the United States Championship, when he grew unhappy with the creative direction of his character.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Dragunov said he was already thinking about leaving the company around March or April. He said he would have liked more opportunities to develop a storyline that didn’t depend on winning a title.
“After I tore my ACL, I was fortunate to win a championship straight back on my comeback, which was an amazing moment for me that I still cherish,” Dragunov said. “After I dropped the belt, things went into directions where I feel like it could’ve been better and more time to go into a story or something outside of holding a championship.”
Dragunov said:
“Around April, maybe even a month before that, I was already just thinking about it. It never changed anything about my work because I love what I do and I make every minute count, but we all have feelings and we all want to devote ourselves to this, but I know it’s part of the business. I wouldn’t change that.”
Dragunov defeated Sami Zayn for the United States title on October 17, 2025, in his return from a serious knee injury. His reign ended on December 26, 2025, with a loss to Carmelo Hayes on SmackDown.
In the same interview, Dragunov said he did not know the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on April 17 would be his final match for WWE. At the time, he was still waiting for more chances to compete.
Dragunov also confirmed that WWE tried to re-sign him. He said both financial and creative issues played a part in his decision, but he declined to say how much the company offered him. None of the terms WWE presented convinced him to stay.
Dragunov said a lack of TV time was another factor. He said new talent was joining the roster and the participants in several storylines were already set. He kept waiting for an opening until his contract expired.
Questions about whether Dragunov would stay with WWE started before the final round of contract talks. Bryan Alvarez previously reported that WWE was discussing a possible TV return for him as recently as June, two months before he left the company.