Former WWE NXT and NXT UK Champion Ilja Dragunov made his highly anticipated return to the company last Friday night on SmackDown, where he defeated Sami Zayn in an open challenge to become the new United States Champion.
According to BodySlam+, Dragunov’s return was initially scheduled for September but was delayed for a few weeks. He returned to the ring after being out of action for 382 days due to a torn ACL injury sustained last year. Originally, it was believed that Dragunov would return to the RAW roster; however, he was moved to SmackDown because the brand needed “a bit of a shakeup.” He is now officially part of the SmackDown roster following his title victory over Zayn.
Additionally, sources have indicated that Zayn personally requested that Dragunov unseat him for the U.S. Title, resulting in a surprising moment for Dragunov upon his return. Dragunov ended Zayn’s reign, which lasted about seven weeks, as Zayn had won the title from Solo Sikoa on SmackDown in late August.
