WWE Has BRUTAL Plans For Much-Missed Star's Imminent Return (WWE News)

Rusev vs. Ilja Dragunov? Yes, please!

by Andrew Pollard
Ilja Dragunov WWE
WWE.com

Fresh off some heavy-hitting wars against Sheamus, it looks as if WWE is planning for Rusev to soon lock horns with another nice 'n' snug warrior.

Per BodySlam.net, the soon-to-be-returning Ilja Dragunov could be up next for Rusev, with there talks of working a TV feud between the two in the near future.

The Mad Dragon has been on the sidelines for a year now, having suffered an ACL tear during a house show match against Gunther in September 2024. That injury was initially said to have an expected recovery time of six to nine months, but Dragunov's rehab took a little longer than that.

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In some positive news, this report notes that Ilja is either close to returning or has already been cleared for a return to the ring, and he's recently been seen working at the WWE Performance Center without any knee support, which is obviously an incredibly positive sign.

As for Rusev, after beating Sheamus in a Good Ol' Fashioned Donnybrook battle at WWE Clash in Paris, this past Monday night saw the Bulgarian Brute make mention of wanting to be in the Intercontinental Championship mix. That would certainly make sense for an Ilja Dragunov rivalry, as the former NXT Champion was very much in the Intercontinental Title picture prior to his injury, when that championship was held by Sami Zayn and then Bron Breakker.

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Of course, the Intercontinental Championship is currently held by Dominik Mysterio, who's embroiled in his own issues with AJ Styles. Rusev and Dragunov competing for a shot at that prize could certainly make for some fun TV, not to mention it could be a great way to reintroduce Ilja back into the fold.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.