There truly is nothing like professional wrestling.
Whether you prefer a high-flying luchador or a hard-hitting powerhouse, there’s no doubt that the wrestlers in the ring are incredible athletes.
Unfortunately, committing such feats can result in injury, especially when you keep a year-long schedule like with WWE.
Such is the case with a current up-and-coming and fan-favorite WWE Superstar.
According to an announcement by WWE on its X account, WWE Superstar Ilja Dragunov is out with an injury after wrestling a house match against World Heavyweight Champion Gunther.
“[Ilja Dragunov] sustained an injury during a match with [Gunther] this past weekend,” WWE said. “He is expected to be out 6-9 months. We wish Dragunov a speedy recovery.”
It has been confirmed by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful that Dragunov suffered a torn ACL.
Also known as the Mad Dragon, Dragunov has been a popular fixture on Monday Night Raw due to his explosive style and commitment he shows in every match.
Dragunov began training with the German Wrestling Federation (GWF) and made his in-ring debut in 2012. A year later, he began wrestling with World Extreme Wrestling (wXw).
Dragunov also spent time with Progress Wrestling, where he would have his first match against Walter, now known in WWE as Gunther.
In 2019, Dragunov signed with WWE as part of the NXT UK Brand. He quickly became a fan-favorite due to matches with Jack Starz, Joseph Conners, and Cesaro (now Claudio Castagnoli in AEW).
While he would go on to have many exciting matches in NXT UK, his breakthrough match came against Walter for the NXT United Kingdom Championship on Oct. 29, 2020. Despite losing, the match drew critical acclaim and put both wrestlers on the map.
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Eventually, Dragunov became the No. 1 Contender for the title again. This time, he would defeat the Ring General on Aug. 22, 2001, in yet another critically-acclaimed match. He would go on to hold the title for 346 days after being forced to vacate it due to injury.
After NXT UK was disbanded, Dragunov found his way to NXT proper and quickly became a title contender.
On Sept. 30, 2022, Dragunov defeated Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Championship. He would hold onto the title for 206 days until he was called up to Monday Night Raw on the main roster.
Since then, Dragunov has remained in the WWE Intercontinental Championship picture, wrestling fantastic matches with the likes of Sami Zayn, Bron Breakker, Ricochet, Jey Uso, and Hayes.
Hopefully, Dragunov will be able to make a recovery soon and continue his upward trajectory within WWE.
For more WWE and professional wrestling news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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