WWE United States Champion Ilja Dragunov and his real-life partner, Leigh Laurel, have a reason to celebrate today. The SmackDown star's girlfriend recently took to social media to send a wholesome message on their special day.Leigh Laurel was better known as Jin Tala during her time in World Wrestling Entertainment as part of Evolve and LFG. The star was released from the company in October 2025. Laurel caught the WWE Universe's attention after she posted a photo with Ilja Dragunov following his electrifying return to TV on the October 17 edition of SmackDown, where he defeated Sami Zayn to become the new United States Champion. Leigh's post sparked rumors of their relationship, and they confirmed these speculations in a post on Instagram.Congratulations are in order, as the former Jin Tala has now taken to her X/Twitter to announce her one-year anniversary with Ilja Dragunov. She posted photos with the star and highlighted in the post's caption that it had been a year since they started dating each other."1 year @UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR," she wrote.Leigh Laurel also took to Instagram to send an emotional message to her real-life partner. She wrote that she has already had many beautiful experiences in a year with Dragunov and was excited for their relationship's future."1 chapter into our life story & I’m already hooked 📖 so many beautiful experiences made with you, excited for so many more 🥰," she wrote.Check out her Instagram post below: View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIlja Dragunov has been defending the WWE United States Championship every week on SmackDownSince he dethroned Sami Zayn as the WWE United States Champion, Ilja Dragunov has been putting his title on the line every week on Friday Night SmackDown. The star has retained the gold against five different opponents till now.He has faced some of the most popular names in the company, including Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black, Nathan Frazer, Axiom, and JD McDonagh. It will be interesting to see what the Triple H-led creative team has planned for Dragunov on the upcoming edition of the blue brand's show.