Ilja Dragunov Officially Joins WWE SmackDown Roster Following Return & US Title Win

Newly crowned WWE United States Champion Ilja Dragunov is now officially part of the SmackDown roster. During last night’s edition of WWE SmackDown, Dragunov answered Sami Zayn’s US Title Open Challenge, beating Zayn and winning the title in a huge upset.

Now, WWE.com is officially listing Dragunov as part of the SmackDown roster (see below, h/t Fightful). Dragunov was previously drafted to the Raw roster in April 2024 during that year’s WWE Draft.

Dragunov was sidelined earlier in September 2024 with a torn ACL. The Mad Dragon finally made his in-ring return on last night’s show, picking up a huge win and his first WWE main roster singles title.

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

What’s Next for Ilja Dragunov on WWE SmackDown?

With his WWE US Title victory, Dragunov has quickly cemented himself as one of the top Superstars of the SmackDown brand. Dragunov previously had a dominant run as NXT Champion, holding the title for 205 days, winning it from Carmelo Hayes in September 2023 at NXT No Mercy. He later lost the title to Trick Williams at NXT: Spring Breakin’ Night 1 in April the following year.

Interestingly enough, The Miz initially came out to answer Zayn’s open challenge last night before being attacked and taken out by Carmelo Hayes. That then allowed Dragunov to answer Zayn’s open challenge instead. Dragunov made good use of the opportunity, scoring the victory and a major title belt for his collection.