 Dragunov in 2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ilja Rukober (1993-10-10)10 October 1993 (age 32)[2][3] Moscow, Russia |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Ilja Dragunov |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 210 lb (95 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | The Soviet Union Moscow, Russia Dresden, Germany |
| Trained by | Axel Tischer Rick Baxxter The Hart Dungeon 2.0 |
| Debut | 21 April 2012 |
Ilja Rukober (Russian:Илья́ Руко́бер,romanized: Ilʹya Rukober; born 10 October 1993), known by hisring nameIlja Dragunov (Илья Драгунов,Ilʹya Dragunov) is a Russian and Germanprofessional wrestler.[4] He is signed toWWE, where he performs on theSmackDownbrand and is the currentWWE United States Champion in hisfirst reign. He formerly competed on theNXT UK andNXT brands, where he won each brand's main title: theNXT United Kingdom Championship and theNXT Championship. He is the first non-kayfabe Russian-born male wrestler to compete and win a championship in the WWE.[5]
Before signing with WWE, Rukober competed on the Europeanindependent circuit and is also known for his time withWestside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), where he is a formerUnified World Wrestling Champion, three-timewXw World Tag Team Champion and two-timewXw Shotgun Champion.[6] He is also best known for his inter-promotional rivalry withWalter,[7] which spans from wXw, when, notably, Dragunov won the2017 16 Carat Gold tournament and theUnified World Wrestling Championship against himthe next year,[7][8] to the NXT UK and NXT brands, when Dragunov and Walter had twoWrestling Observer Newsletter ratedfive-plus-star matches for theNXT United Kingdom Championship,[9][10][11] the second of which Dragunov won atNXT TakeOver 36.[12]
Ilya Rukober was born inMoscow,Russia, and migrated toBerlin,Germany with his mother when he was five years old. During this move, neither he nor his mother could speak theGerman language.[4][13] He is a naturalizedGerman citizen.[4] Prior to entering wrestling, Rukober worked various jobs from a young age to help provide for his family, including working at a pizza parlor and a gas station.[13]
Rukober started his professional wrestling training at theGerman Wrestling Federation (GWF) training school under veteransAxel Tischer (who wrestled for WWE under the ring name Alexander Wolfe) and Rick Baxxter. He made his in-ring debut in 2012. A year later, he became a regular with wXw and would remain there until signing with WWE.[13]
On 14 May 2018 at Super Strong Style 16, wXw general manager Christian Michael Jakobi arrived inProgress Wrestling, and challengedPete Dunne to a match with Dragunov at an undetermined date.[14] AtChapter 69, Dragunov appeared in the promotion for the first time, squaring off with Dunne, much to Jakobi's delight.[15] AtChapter 72, Dunne accepted the challenge and the match would be set at Progress' upcoming event atWembley Arena.[16] AtChapter 75, Jakobi continued to insult Dunne, to which he would drag Jakobi to the ring to attack him, before Dragunov made the save and the two faced off again.[17] During Progress' tour of Germany, at theOberhausen show, Dunne called out Dragunov, followingBritish Strong Style's win over Rise (Ivan Kiev, Lucky Kid and Pete Bouncer). Once again, the two had a scuffle which had to be broken up by the officials.[18] On 1 October, Dragunov's debut match for Progress ended in defeat, when Dunne trapped Dragunov's arm and then manipulated his hand to force the submission.[19]
Dragunov began 2019 with a win overTimothy Thatcher atChapter 83,[20] but did not appear for the promotion until Super Strong Style 16. On night one, Dragunov defeatedChris Brookes in the first round.[21] On night two, he quickly defeatedTrevor Lee in the quarter-final,[22] and on night three, he was in a three-way elimination match in the semi-final withDavid Starr andTravis Banks. Dragunov was the first wrestler to be eliminated when Banks defeated him by pinfall.[23] AtChapter 91, he defeatedJordan Devlin in a number one contender match for theUnified World Championship,[24] but the following day, atChapter 92, he was defeated byWalter.[25]
AtChapter 95, Dragunov took part in a rumble match for theProteus Championship, which replaced theAtlas Championship. Dragunov entered in at number two in the match, and eliminated Niwa, TK Cooper and Chuck Mambo, before he and William Eaver simultaneously eliminated each other.[26][27] From October to December, he was involved in a series of matches withCara Noir. Having traded wins over each other atChapter 96 andChapter 97,[28][29] the feud was ended atChapter 99 in a two out of three falls match, in which Dragunov lost.[30]
During January 2019, it was reported that Rukober would be signing withWWE, with the intention of performing for the promotion'sNXT UKbrand.[31] He previously had a tryout for the promotion in November 2013, but suffered a skull injury which kept him out for almost a year.[32] He had a second tryout inCologne during WWE's European tour in November 2018, where he was said to have "turned heads".[33] On 27 February 2019, WWE officially announced his signing.[33] On the 15 May episode ofNXT UK (taped 19 April), Dragunov made his debut for the brand as aface, defeating Jack Starz.[32] He then began a short undefeated streak, defeatingJoseph Conners on the 12 June episode (taped 20 April),[34] andAshton Smith on 10 July episode (taped 16 June).[35] However, this ended on 15 August episode (taped 19 July), when Dragunov was defeated byKassius Ohno.[36] On 31 August, atNXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff, Dragunov answeredCesaro's open challenge in a losing effort.[37]
On 17 October episode ofNXT UK (taped 4 October), Dragunov defeatedSaxon Huxley under the watchful eye ofAlexander Wolfe. Following the win, Wolfe applauded Dragunov, which turned into a brief staredown with the Russian whenMarcel Barthel andFabian Aichner joined him. However, it did not turn into a fight, as Barthel and Aichner walked past Dragunov for their match against The Hunt (Primate andWild Boar), while Wolfe took him to the back, presumably to convince him to join Imperium.[38] On 11 November episode ofNXT UK (taped 5 October), Dragunov seemingly joined Imperium in their ongoing feud withGallus (Joe Coffey,Mark Coffey andWolfgang), before allying himself with the Scotsmen, who then proceeded to have a brawl in the ring as the show went off the air.[39] On 21 November episode ofNXT UK (taped 15 November), Dragunov was defeated by Wolfe, and after the match, was beaten down by the other members of Imperium before Gallus made the save.[40] On 28 November episode ofNXT UK (taped 15 November), Dragunov alongside Gallus, fought Imperium to a double countout. Although he got some offence in on Wolfe, he was mostly overpowered by the other members of Imperium, including a call back to the 2017 wXw 16 Carat Gold final with its leaderWalter.[41] On 5 December episode ofNXT UK (taped 15 November), Dragunov appeared during the main event negotiation segment between Walter and Joe Coffey, for their title match atNXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II. Walter wanted Dragunov to face Wolfe in a no disqualification match at a future date, but Coffey refused, since Dragunov was not a member of Gallus. Walter then said "No Ilja, no deal", to which Dragunov came out from the back and told Coffey to make the agreement. Following the negotiations, Walter told Dragunov that he had made a really bad decision, and the Russian was ambushed by the other members of Imperium before being powerbombed by Wolfe through a table.[42] On 2 January 2020, episode ofNXT UK (taped 16 November 2019), Dragunov defeated Wolfe in the no disqualification match. In retaliation, he was beaten down by Barthel and Aichner after the match.[43]
On 12 January, during the main event title match between Walter and Coffey, Wolfe interfered in the match attacking the latter, leading to Dragunov coming out and hitting theTorpedo Moscow on Wolfe, which caused him to accidentally fall on Coffey's left knee, exacerbating the injury.[44] On 13 February episode ofNXT UK (taped 18 January), after Gallus had retained theNXT UK Tag Team Championship overOney Lorcan andDanny Burch, Dragunov came out to confront Gallus, but was outnumbered and suffered a beat down.[45] This was due to Coffey earlier stating that Dragunov owed "the Gallus firm" a debt, and it led to a match between the two men on 20 February episode ofNXT UK (taped 18 January), resulting in Dragunov defeating Coffey. After the match, the other two members of Gallus appeared in order to commit a post-match assault on the Russian, but Coffey stopped them and informed Dragunov that he had paid his debt and that matters were now settled.[46] Parallel to the Coffey storyline onNXT UK, Dragunov also appeared onNXT programming in promos withFinn Bálor.[47][48] He accepted Balor's challenge to a singles match atWorlds Collide on 25 January, where he was defeated.[49]
On 2 April episode ofNXT UK (taped 7 March), Dragunov won a 20-man battle royal to become the #1 contender for theNXT United Kingdom Championship, last eliminatingTyler Bate.[50] Due to theUnited Kingdom's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, NXT UK was put on hold and was relaunched in September, being filmedbehind closed doors atHere East. On 17 September episode ofNXT UK, after Dragunov defeatedNoam Dar, he was confronted by Walter and their feud was reignited.[51] On 1 October episode ofNXT UK, Dragunov made the save on guest refereePete Dunne, who was being beat down by Walter and Wolfe, following the latter's loss to Dar in theNXT UK Heritage Cup first round.[52] This led to a tag team match between the four men on 15 October episode ofNXT UK, in which Dragunov and Dunne were victorious.[53] On 22 October episode ofNXT UK, during the contract signing segment, Dragunov was stopped from finishing his catchphrase as he was struck in the face by Walter, who then tore his shirt off and started chopping him. He escaped but withstood more damage as Walter chopped him in mid-air, hit a powerbomb to him on the ring apron, followed by more chops. However, it was not enough to put him down, as he ran at Walter through the railings.[54] On 29 October episode ofNXT UK, he was defeated by Walter by referee stoppage, due to him passing out after being put in a rear naked choke.[55]
Dragunov returned to the brand in January 2021. Haunted by the loss to Walter, he struggled to keep his emotions in check, resulting in his matches ending by referee stoppage.[56][57] He then had a short feud with Sam Gradwell, who kept trash talking him throughout his match with Tyson T-Bone. On 4 March episode ofNXT UK, their first match initially ended by referee stoppage and was changed to a win for Gradwell by disqualification, as Dragunov kept attacking him after the bell.[58] On 25 March episode ofNXT UK, the second match (a no disqualification match) ended by referee's decision, after Dragunov forced Gradwell to tap out following several ground-and-pound strikes to the Englishman.[59] On 6 May episode ofNXT UK, Dragunov facedDave Mastiff, who had offered to fight him the previous week. The bout was cut short due to referee stoppage, but this waslegitimate instead of scripted, as Mastiff actually had his nose broken, and the storyline of Dragunov's matches ending in this way was scrapped.[60]
On 3 June episode ofNXT UK, Dragunov defeated Dar in a singles match, following an altercation the two had on "Supernova Sessions". He later appeared after the main event, staring down Joe Coffey andRampage Brown.[61] On 24 June episode ofNXT UK, Dragunov defeated Coffey and Brown in a triple threat match to again become the #1 contender for the NXT United Kingdom Championship. Afterwards, Walter held Dragunov in a sleeper hold until he passed out.[62] On 15 July episode ofNXT UK, during the in-ring press conference segment, Walter berated and belittled Dragunov. In turn, he told Walter that while he once respected him, he no longer did and all that is left is hate.[63] It was revealed that Walter had an injured hand and was unable to defend the title on 22 July.[64]Triple H, Michaels and Regal announced that the match would happen a month later, atNXT TakeOver 36.[65] Dragunov made his debut forNXT on 10 August episode ofNXT, where he addressed the crowd but was interrupted by Dunne (who, by this point, had turned heel since their brief alliance inNXT UK). In the main event, Dragunov was distracted by Walter turning up, leading to him being defeated by Dunne, who countered theTorpedo Moscow with a forearm, followed byThe Bitter End.[66] On 17 August episode ofNXT, Dragunov answeredRoderick Strong's open challenge in a winning effort.[67] On 22 August, at NXT TakeOver 36, Dragunov defeated Walter by submission, ending the Austrian's two-year hold on the NXT United Kingdom Championship.[68] On an episode ofNXT UK, Dragunov defeatedA-Kid to retain hisNXT UK Championship.[69] On 27 January 2022 episode ofNXT UK Dragunov made another successful title defense againstJordan Devlin in an empty arena match. On another episode ofNXT UK, Dragunov would successfully defend the NXT United Kingdom Championship against Roderick Strong. After back and forth verbal shots with Jordan Devlin, another match for Dragunov's NXT UK championship was made, under the stipulation that theloser leaves NXT UK. The match would take place on the 200th episode ofNXT UK where Dragunov retained his title, and Devlin had to leave (kayfabe) NXT UK.[70] He was forced to vacate the title on 7 July 2022 after having suffered a leg injury, ending his title reign at 319 days, although WWE recognizes the reign as lasting for 346 days due to the episode airing on tape delay.[71]
On the 20 September 2022 episode ofNXT, Dragunov made his return from injury, interrupting a segment betweenNXT ChampionBron Breakker and number one contenderJD McDonagh.[72] On 22 October, Dragunov fought Breakker and McDonagh in a triple threat for the NXT Championship atHalloween Havoc, but was unsuccessful. AtStand & Deliver on 1 April 2023, he would take part in a fatal five-way match for theNXT North American Championship, but was pinned by reigning championWes Lee in a match that also featured JD McDonagh,Axiom, andDragon Lee.[73] AtNXT Battleground on 28 May, he defeatedDijak in aLast Man Standing match.[74] On the 14 July episode ofNXT, Dragunov defeated Breakker to earn an NXT Championship match againstCarmelo Hayes atNXT The Great American Bash, but failed to win the title.
On the 12 September episode ofNXT, Dragunov defeated Wes Lee to earn another shot at Hayes' NXT Championship. On 30 September, Dragunov defeated Hayes atNXT No Mercy to win the NXT Championship for the first time in his career, becoming the first person to have won the NXT and NXT United Kingdom Championships.[a][75] On Night 2 ofNXT: Halloween Havoc on 31 October, Dragunov defeated Hayes in a rematch to retain his title, but was attacked byBaron Corbin after the match.[76] AtNXT Deadline, Dragunov successfully defended his title against Corbin.[77] On 19 December episode ofNXT, Dragunov was challenged to a title match by a returningRidge Holland, who was trying to find himself after leaving his tag team partnerButch and to re-write his history, which Dragunov accepted. During the match, Holland dropped Dragunov on his head, where Dragunovkayfabe injured his neck and had to be stretchered off.[78] Despite Dragunov signing the title match contract to faceTrick Williams, who had won theMen's Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline for an NXT Championship match atNXT: New Year's Evil on 2 January 2024, it was later announced that Dragunov was not medically cleared to wrestle and the title match was rescheduled toNXT Vengeance Day, where Dragunov defeated Williams to retain the title.[79][80]
On the following episode ofNXT, Dragunov called out Carmelo Hayes for attacking Williams after their match at NXT Vengeance Day, only to haveDijak come out, leading to a brawl between the two. The two would have a match later that night, in which Dragunov defeated Dijak after interference fromJoe Gacy. After the match, Hayes came out and attacked Dragunov. AtNXT: Roadblock, it was made official that Dragunov was going to defend the NXT Championship against D’Angelo atNXT Stand & Deliver on 6 April 2024, where Dragunov successfully defended the title.[81] On the April 9 episode ofNXT, Dragunov was called out by Williams for a title shot. Dragunov agreed to a title match atSpring Breakin' on the condition that Williamsleave NXT if he loses, which Williams accepted.[82] At Week 1 ofSpring Breakin' on 23 April, Dragunov lost the title to Williams, ending his reign at 206 days in what would be his final match in NXT.[83]
Dragunov got drafted to theRaw brand.[84] He participated in theKing of the Ring tournament[85][86] and wrestledSami Zayn for theIntercontinental Championship.[87] However, he suffered atorn ACL during alive event, keeping him out of action for a year.[88] Dragunov returned on the 17 October 2025 episode ofSmackDown, answering Sami Zayn's open challenge for theUnited States Championship and subsequently defeated Zayn to win the title, officially becoming a member of the SmackDown brand.[89] In the following episodes ofSmackDown, Dragunov continued the United States Championship Open Challenge, recording successful title defences againstAleister Black,[90]Nathan Frazer,[91]Johnny Gargano.[92]
Rukober made hisvideo game debut in theMost Wanted PackDLC forWWE 2K22. He is also a playable character inWWE 2K23,[93][94]WWE 2K24,WWE 2K25.[95]
,Cagematch,Wrestlingdata,Internet Wrestling Database
