There are many great professional wrestlers in the entire industry, but there are only a handful who are known for their brutal wrestling style. When we think of the names of such professional wrestlers, the name Ilja Dragunov certainly does ring a bell.
Ilja Dragunov’s real name is Ilya Rukober. As of now, he is signed with the WWE and is a very big part of NXT. Ilja is a former NXT United Kingdom Champion. He is known and widely appreciated for his gritty wrestling style. As of Sep 2023, Ilja is in a feud with the current NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes.
Ilja Dragunov’s Age
Ilja Dragunov is 30 years old. He was born in Moscow, Russia on 10 October 1993. Before Ilja Dragunov joined the WWE, he was a part of many independent wrestling promotions. In 2018, Ilja joined a wrestling promotion named Progress Wrestling. He made his debut in a match against Pete Dunne (who now is known as Butch). Ilja became the number-one contender for the Unified World Championship by defeating Jordan Devlin at Chapter 91. He then faced the champion Walter (who now is known as Gunther), where Walter defeated Ilja. The feud between Ilja and Walter to this day is still considered one of the best feuds in the entire wrestling industry.
Ilja Dragunov’s WWE Career
Ilja Dragunov joined the WWE in 2019 and was initially placed on the NXT UK roster. He made his in-ring debut in a match against Jack Starz. In 2012, Ilja defeated Coffey and Brown in a triple-threat match to become the number-one contender for the NXT United Kingdom Championship. Then he was put in a feud with his old rival Walter. Walter at that time was the longest reigning NXT UK Champion. Ilja defeated Gunther to become the new NXT United Kingdom Championship. In July 2022, Ilja was forced to relinquish the championship because of an injury. During his time off WWE had closed the NXT UK branch and the NXT UK championship was unified with the NXT Championship. He made his return in September 2022, interrupting a segment between the NXT Champion Bron Breakker and number one contender JD McDonagh.
At NXT No Mercy in October 2023, Dragunov defeated Carmelo Hayes to win the NXT Championship for the first time in his career.
Championships and Accomplishments
| Championship | Number of Times |
| NSW European Championship | 2 |
| wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship | 1 |
| wXw World Tag Team Championship | 3 |
| wXw Shotgun Championship | 2 |
| NXT United Kingdom Championship | 1 |
| NXT Championship | 1 |
FAQs
A: Ilja Dragunov is a Russian-born German wrestler, who was born in Moscow, Russia.
A: Ilja Dragunov defeated Walter (Gunther) in a hard-hitting battle to become the new NXT UK Championship. The match was given 5 stars by Dave Meltzer
A: The height of Ilja Dragunov is 5 feet 10 inches or 1.78 meters, and he weighs around 95 kg.
A: Ilja Dragunov was born on 10 October 1993 in Moscow, Russia. As of now, he is 30 years old.
A: Ilja Dragunov's finishing move is the Torpedo Moskau, a high-flying headbutt.
A: Ilja Dragunov joined WWE in 2019 and was put on the roster of NXT UK, where he defeated Jack Starz in his first match.
