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During the latest weekend of WWE live events, Ilja Dragunov suffered a leg injury in matches against the World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther. The company announced that he would be out for a lengthy period.
As Gunther made his way to the ring on the September 30, 2024, episode of Monday Night RAW, the WWE showed footage of Dragunov facing the Ring General at the September 28 live event in Columbus, Georgia. Announcer Joe Tessitore said that the prognosis is that Dragunov suffered a torn ACL and will be out six to nine months.
BREAKING: @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR sustained an injury during a match with @Gunther_AUT this past weekend. He is expected to be out 6-9 months. We wish Dragunov a speedy recovery. #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/vAfNCzd6KK
— WWE (@WWE) October 1, 2024
It is not entirely clear when the injury occurred. However, Dragunov was put in a Boston Crab submission submission by Gunther, which places a lot of pressure on the opponent's legs. He also took a variety of other moves from the World Heavyweight Champion, including various suplexes.
After the match, Dragunov was filmed limping to the back. He is one of the WWE's most physical performers, constantly putting his body on the line. Hopefully, he will be back in time for WrestleMania season.
If he recovers in six months, he will be back a month before WrestleMania 41. However, if he takes a full nine months or longer, he will not be returning until at least the summer of 2025.
His matchup at the WWE live event against Gunther is hopefully a sign of what is to come. The two have a longstanding rivalry that dates back to their time in NXT UK.
Gunther even responded to the video in a quote post on X, formerly Twitter. He wrote, “Weak things break,” in reference to Dragunov's injury. Perhaps their program will resume once Dragunov is back off the shelf.
Ilja Dragunov's WWE career
Unfortunately for Ilja Dragunov, his ACL injury comes as his WWE career is starting to take off. After starting his career in NXT, he finally made his way to the main roster in 2024.
During his time in NXT, Dragunov won the NXT Championship and NXT UK Championship. Dragunov had several matches with Gunther, who was called Walter at that point. He ended the Ring General's long reign as NXT UK Champion at NXT TakeOver 36 in 2021.
At No Mercy in September 2023, Dragunov won his first NXT Championship from Carmelo Hayes. He held the title for over 200 days, losing it to Trick Williams at Spring Breakin' and marking the end of his run in the developmental brand.
Monday Night RAW drafted Dragunov to their brand during the 2024 WWE Draft. He immediately entered the King of the Ring tournament, defeating current AEW superstar Ricochet in the first round.
However, Dragunov would lose to Jey Uso in the quarterfinals of the tournament. Ultimately, Uso would go on to face the eventual winner, Gunther, who defeated Randy Orton in the finals.
Soon after, Dragunov faced then-Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn for the title on the July 15 episode of RAW. The match ended in a no-contest after Bron Breakker interfered.
His injury comes at an inopportune time. Luckily, he has shown his worth in his short time on the main roster. Whenever he does come back, expect a more fiery Dragunov than ever.
