Former WWE NXT and WWE NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov made his highly anticipated return to the company after a lengthy injury absence during last Friday night’s episode of SmackDown. In a surprising upset, he defeated Sami Zayn in an open challenge to become the new United States Champion.
WWE.com is now officially listing Dragunov as part of the SmackDown roster (according to Fightful.com). He was previously drafted to the RAW roster in April 2024 during that year’s WWE Draft but was sidelined in September 2024 due to a torn ACL. His victory on last Friday night’s show marks his first singles title on the WWE main roster.
Ilja Dragunov has been officially moved to Friday Night SmackDown's roster following his return from injury! pic.twitter.com/bZ2K4uwmJH
— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) October 18, 2025
