Last week, reports indicated that former United States Champion Ilja Dragunov had departed from WWE after his contract with the company expired. WWE itself later confirmed it by moving Dragunov to the alumni section of its official website.
Understandably, the news has left WWE fans and pundits with mixed emotions. In his particular case, WWE Hall of Famer AJ Styles remains deeply saddened by it.
I don’t know anything about it. I know that I’m very sad about this situation,” Styles said when asked about Dragunov’s exit on The AJ Styles Show . “I enjoy his work, very much. So I don’t know what’s going on. I can’t say much about it. You’d think I know, I work for the company, but my place is in the coaching, the talent, and little things to hopefully help make WWE better and build that foundation for them with the younger talent and stuff like that. I don’t know what’s going on. I just know, holy crap. That’s about all I know.
A follow-up report from False Finish noted that Dragunov opted to let his contract expire, despite WWE officials wanting to keep him in the company. Now as a free agent, Dragunov has full rein to explore his potential next moves in the pro wrestling industry.
Dragunov leaves WWE as a former NXT, NXT UK, and United States Champion. He and Styles never had the opportunity to wrestle one another as they found themselves on opposite main roster brands. Styles then retired from in-ring competition in January 2026.
