Report: Injured wrestler seen backstage ahead of WWE SmackDown

A wrestler that has been out of action for quite a while has been seen backstage ahead of SmackDown.

PWInsider reported on Friday that Ilja Dragunov is backstage at tonight’s show in San Jose, California. It was said that he was working out in the ring and was wearing a knee brace. He has been out of action since September of 2024, last wrestling Gunther for the World Heavyweight title at a house show in Columbus, Georgia. During that match, Dragunov tore his ACL, requiring surgery. Footage of the match was shown on the following Raw, with Joe Tessitore at the time saying he would be out of action for 6-9 months.

Dragunov was signed to WWE in 2019 and after a stint in NXT UK, made his mark on the main NXT brand, winning the NXT Championship. After losing the title to Trick Williams, he was called up to Raw during the 2024 WWE Draft. Prior to his injury, he had been involved in a feud with Bron Breakker over the Intercontinental title, a championship that Breakker held at the time.