Ilja Dragunov has officially departed WWE following the expiration of his contract on August 20, and new details have emerged about the central issue that kept the two sides from reaching a new deal. Dragunov was not released, meaning he is immediately free to sign and compete with any promotion without a non-compete clause.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE viewed Dragunov as an excellent in-ring performer but did not believe he was a big enough name to move the needle financially at the contract level he commanded.
Dragunov had been working under what was described as a very lucrative deal and was looking for comparable money in renewal talks. The gap between what he was seeking and what WWE felt he was worth commercially ultimately proved too wide to bridge.
Wrestle Ops @WrestleOps Follow As such he needed to be a numbers mover for the level of money he was asking and making.
(@WONF4W)
2:37 PM · Aug 21, 2026Meltzer added that by April, the two sides were far enough apart that WWE decided to pull Dragunov from television.
That did not mark the end of negotiations, however. Bryan Alvarez reported that the two sides were still in discussions as late as June, with a possible return to TV after SummerSlam on the table. That plan never came together.
Dragunov’s final match took place on the April 17 SmackDown in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Prior to being taken off TV, he had captured the United States Championship by defeating Sami Zayn on October 17, 2025 and held the title until dropping it to Carmelo Hayes in December.