Ilja Dragunov&#8217;s WWE contract has expired and he has left the company. False Finish noted that WWE officials wanted Dragunov to re-sign and stay with the company, but Dragunov opted to let his deal run out.
In an update from Bryan Alvarez, Ilja was in discussions with WWE officials regarding his return to SmackDown in June:
&#8220;Not sure what ended up happening but Ilja and WWE were said to be strongly negotiating a return as recently as June.&#8221;
Ilja last competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal during WrestleMania 42 weekend.

Backstage News On Ilja Dragunov’s WWE Departure

As previously reported, Ilja Dragunov&#8217;s WWE contract has expired and he is leaving the company.
It looks like more WWE departures are coming as Bryan Alvarez reported the following:
&#8220;There are a few other main roster contracts of people who haven&#8217;t been on TV much coming due in October.&#8221;

More WWE Departures Expected In The Coming Months

TKO is using high-profile combat sports traffic in Las Vegas to pitch AAA to major television networks, which is the main reason Triplemanía 34 grew into a two-night event, according to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select.
AAA’s flagship show was originally set for just one night on Saturday, September 12. However, after a Zuffa Boxing card (featuring Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn for the WBC Welterweight Title) was scheduled for that same Saturday, executives decided to expand the event and run in Vegas across the weekend.
While TKO is happy with how AAA has performed over the past year, company leaders want to secure a permanent cable or broadcast home instead of relying on YouTube, and having the show in town while top TV executives are visiting for the boxing fight gives them the perfect sales pitch.
That ambitious plan comes at a heavy cost for the crew and wrestlers behind the scenes. WWE and AAA production teams are facing an exhausting run of back-to-back shows across the second weekend of September, starting with SmackDown in Mexico City on Friday, continuing with AAA, Zuffa Boxing on Saturday, more AAA action on Sunday, and wrapping up with a massive Monday Night RAW.
On top of the travel crunch, several wrestlers have been asked to perform on both nights of Triplemanía, breaking away from the usual WWE style of splitting rosters across two-day premium live events.

Real Reason WWE Turned AAA Triplemanía 34 Into A 2-Night Event

WWE is refreshing its tag team picture across both main roster shows, pushing new pairings into the spotlight while dealing with roster absences, according to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select.
Over on SmackDown, creative plans are quickly moving forward, with the newly formed duo of Shinsuke Nakamura and Hiromu Takahashi (who will debut soon) positioned for an immediate WWE Tag Team Title chase, alongside extra TV time planned for Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer and Axiom).
Things are a bit more complicated on RAW, where finding viable opponents for the reigning World Tag Team Champions, The Vision (Bron Breakker and Austin Theory), has sparked backstage debate.
With The Street Profits away while Montez Ford spends time with his newborn baby and Los Americanos sidelined until after Triplemania 34, WWE has looked at giving more focus to Ethan Page and Rusev. However, officials are still hesitating because they don&#8217;t want either star getting stuck strictly in the tag division, while other teams like The Creed Brothers remain off the radar as serious championship contenders despite recent appearances on WWE Main Event.

WWE Is Planning A Push For 3 Tag Teams

WWE has shifted its creative plans for the upcoming Sunday Night’s Main Event by dropping a scheduled musical concert featuring rapper Lil Yachty, according to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select.
WWE officials originally planned to make a full-blown live performance by Yachty one of the show&#8217;s biggest attractions. However, the idea was pulled after management reviewed viewer feedback from the previous Saturday Night’s Main Event (Jalen Brunson&#8217;s segment with Roman Reigns), choosing instead to keep the broadcast focused on heavy in-ring action rather than long entertainment segments. Celebrity appearances have caused a lot of controversy in WWE this year and this planned segment would&#8217;ve received similar negative feedback.
Even with the concert off the table, Yachty and Trick Williams will still have a major presence on the show, which remains heavily highlighted across the event&#8217;s promotional material.

WWE Cancels Concert Plan For Sunday Night’s Main Event

WWE is laying the groundwork for Bronson Reed&#8217;s return, with creative plans positioning him directly as a top-tier main event heel.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, merchandising sources indicate that internal activity around Reed has picked up noticeably in recent weeks, signaling that the company is actively preparing for his comeback.
While his return may not be happening within the next few days, management has had this moment planned out for several months. WWE aims to keep pushing him further up the card the moment he walks back through the curtain, with behind-the-scenes discussions already pointing toward a potential marquee storyline with Oba Femi later this year.
Bronson&#8217;s fellow Vision member Bron Breakker is currently in a feud with The Ruler. Bron vs. Oba will take place on Sunday Night&#8217;s Main Event on September 6.
Bronson looks to be in the best shape of his life right now:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="525" data-dnt="true">
I&#39;m a problem.<a href="https://x.com/WWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WWE</a> <a href="https://t.co/iJtJszSvYz">pic.twitter.com/iJtJszSvYz</a>
&mdash; BRONSON REED (@BRONSONISHERE) <a href="https://x.com/BRONSONISHERE/status/2089152788139794848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Spoiler On Return & Possible Feud With Oba Femi

According to PWInisder, Ilja Dragunov&#8217;s WWE contract has expired and he has left the company.
In an update from False Finish, WWE officials wanted Dragunov to re-sign and stay with the company, but Dragunov opted to let his deal run out.
He last competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal during WrestleMania 42 weekend.
As previously reported during a Q&amp;A, JoeyVotes and TC from WrestleVotes Live on Fightful Select explained that WWE has adopted a strict &#8220;Moneyball&#8221; strategy, relying heavily on viewership analytics, online clicks, and audience behavior to decide who gets on screen. If the numbers show that viewers change the channel or do not search for a wrestler, management pulls back on using them.
Dragunov was hit hard by this data-first system, and weak merchandise offerings have only made things harder. With just a couple of T-Shirts produced for him, he has had very few chances to show executives that he can move products and generate money.

Backstage News On Ilja Dragunov’s WWE Departure

More WWE Departures Expected In The Coming Months

Real Reason WWE Turned AAA Triplemanía 34 Into A 2-Night Event

WWE Is Planning A Push For 3 Tag Teams

WWE Cancels Concert Plan For Sunday Night’s Main Event

Spoiler On Return & Possible Feud With Oba Femi

More On Ilja Dragunov Leaving WWE