Ilja Dragunov left WWE after his contract expired on August 20, but even with the possibility of a return down the road, the company does not expect that to happen anytime soon.
According to WrestleVotes Radio, via Fightful Select, several people backstage see Dragunov’s exit differently from situations like Bronson Reed and Baron Corbin, who eventually came back to the company after time away. The report stated:
“Additionally, we’ve been told that many within WWE don’t view this as a short-term departure, similar to what we’ve seen with Bronson Reed or Baron Corbin. Rather, the feeling internally is that Dragunov is done with the company for the time being.”
PW Chronicle @_PWChronicle Follow The feeling internally is that Dragunov is done with WWE for the time being.
– per @WrestleVotes Radio (@FightfulSelect)
8:49 PM · Aug 27, 2026The departure reportedly came from Dragunov’s side. WWE wanted to keep him and put a renewal offer on the table, but the two sides could not come to terms. Earlier reports indicated that talks about bringing him back to SmackDown were still going on in June before negotiations fell apart for good.
Dragunov is now an unrestricted free agent, as a standard contract expiration does not trigger a non-compete period. His profile has also been moved to the Alumni section on WWE.com. His last match came on the April 17 edition of SmackDown, in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
AEW now looms as a potential landing spot. A source within the company believes Tony Khan will reach out to Dragunov soon, if he hasn’t already.