The immediate future of Ilja Dragunov in WWE has been revealed.
Closing in on 200 days as NXT Champion, Dragunov is preparing for his latest title defence at NXT Stand & Deliver 2024, which will see The Mad Dragon face Tony D’Angelo over WrestleMania weekend. Like many stars on the developmental roster, many feel that Dragunov’s time on NXT may be reaching its end and he could be the latest name to be called up to the main roster, possibly on the Raw or SmackDown after WrestleMania. While Dragunov’s time on the main roster is expected to be soon, it might not be as soon as many expect.
As reported by Corey Brennan of Fightful Select, there are no plans at this time to call up the NXT Champion to the main roster. However, when Dragunov is dethroned as champion, he is expected to be appearing on one of the top brands for WWE. The report continues, noting that some fans were under the belief that Dragunov may not want to compete on the main roster due to Dragunov’s frequent trips home. However, this has been debunked by Fightful as there is the belief that there is no such issue.
With Dragunov being one of the few Superstars able to defeat Gunther on top of his well-received battles with the likes of Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes and Bron Breakker, many believe that the main roster call-up is a long time coming, much like a lot of the top stars currently competing on NXT.
Ilja Dragunov’s WWE Main Roster Plans
Also included in the Fightful report is what fans can expect from The Mad Dragon when he is inevitably a part of the main roster. Much like Gunther, Dragunov is set to be pushed to a similar level to The Ring General. With their previous battles in NXT UK and NXT receiving extremely high praise, fans will be hoping that the rivalry resumes shortly. Ilja Dragunov has previously stated that another match with Gunther is his destiny.
The report concludes by describing the high level of praise Dragunov has been receiving from those within the company, with one source describing the NXT Champion as a “wonderful person to be around”.
In recent news, WWE was forced to make changes to NXT following an injury scare.
During the Spring Breakin’ special, Trick Williams became the new NXT Champion.