403 days later, popular star officially moves to WWE SmackDown

After 403 days since his last appearance on RAW, a popular WWE star has officially moved to SmackDown. This week's edition of SmackDown was a night full of surprises, and one result shocked many.

Former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov made his return to WWE after being out for over a year due to injury. Dragunov answered Sami Zayn's U.S. Title Open Challenge and came out victorious after a Torpedo Moscow and then an H-Bomb.

This marked the Russian star's first title win on the main roster. Now, WWE has officially listed the new United States champion as a member of SmackDown on its website.

Dragunov was called up to Monday Night RAW in April 2024. He reached the quarter-final of the King of the Ring tournament before eventually losing to Jey Uso.

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He continued to compete on RAW and wrestled his last match on the brand on 9 September last year, before suffering a torn ACL in a match with Gunther a few days later.

However, Dragunov has now returned with the blue brand and will look to continue his title reign.

Ilja Dragunov and Sami Zayn were attacked by MFT on WWE SmackDown

It was Solo Sikoa who briefly distracted Sami Zayn during his U.S. title defense against Ilja Dragunov. The Russian brawler capitalized on the chance and picked up the win to secure the Championship.

After the match, as Zayn and Dragunov stood in the ring, they were attacked by MFT. The faction led by Sikoa beat down both stars, with JC Mateo hitting the newly crowned U.S. champion with The Tour Of Islands, a spinning scoop powerslam.

While Rey Fenix tried to help them out, he too was taken out by MFT. However, they were soon interrupted by The Wyatt Sicks, who stood across the ring from them and forced them to retreat.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik