Current Champion apologizes for losing to Ilja Dragunov on RAW despite having 0 singles TV losses in 2024

Ilja Dragunov made the best impact possible in his second match on RAW and first since being drafted to the red brand. The Champion who he beat apologized despite not having lost a televised singles match in 2024. The star who lost the match is WWE Speed Champion Ricochet.

This week on RAW, the King & Queen of the Ring tournament began. It was also the first night the new roster officially took effect, and as a result, some of the new names, including Ilja Dragunov, took the opportunity to make an impact.

Dragunov took on the inaugural WWE Speed Champion Ricochet, whom he defeated in an absolute classic of an opening round match. After the loss, Ricochet apologized for losing "again" despite this being his first televised singles loss of the year.

Weirdly enough, his only singles losses came in live events. He lost once to JD McDonagh, once to Jinder Mahal, and once to Drew McIntyre in a dark match.

McDonagh and Mahal both have only one win over him, while Ricochet has numerous wins over them. It's actually a bit surprising that he hasn't lost a single televised singles match up until now.

Either way, Ilja Dragunov showed his respect to Ricochet, whom he will likely meet again on RAW at some point in the future.