32-Year-Old WWE Star Breaks Silence After Title Win On SmackDown
A WWE star has finally spoken after winning a championship on SmackDown.
Ilja Dragunov made a triumphant return to the promotion after being on the sidelines for more than a year due to a torn ACL.
The match in question is Sami Zayn’s United States Championship open challenge, which was initially answered by The Miz.
However, the former champion was taken out by Carmelo Hayes in retaliation for his attack on him a few weeks ago.
As Zayn stood in the ring, watching the incident unfold, Dragunov’s music hit, much to everyone’s surprise at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
The Champion congratulated Dragunov on his return, with the fans also chanting “Welcome back.”
Just like earlier US Championship matches, the bout witnessed tremendous back-and-forth action, as both wrestlers hit each other with heavy moves.
Having regained the upper hand, Sami Zayn went for the Helluva Kick, but got taken out with the Torpedo Moscow headbutt. Ilja Dragunov immediately followed it up with the H-Bomb for the upset.
As the men shook hands after the match, they were attacked by Solo Sikoa’s MFT. While Rey Fenix attempted to make the save, he was chokeslammed by Talla Tonga.
Ilja Dragunov Breaks Silence After WWE Championship Win
Ilja Dragunov is known to be one of the toughest wrestlers on the WWE roster.
Despite the beatdown at the hands of MFT, the newly-crowned United States Champion made an official statement following his victory.
The 32-year-old took to X to share a picture of himself with the gold, accompanied by a concise caption.
Pain shall entertain you.
Pain shall entertain you. pic.twitter.com/V7KReMIN6l
β ππ‘ππ πΏπ§πππͺπ£π€π« (@UNBESIEGBAR_ZAR) October 18, 2025
It remains to be seen whether WWE will continue with the United States open challenge now that a new champion has been crowned.
Also read: Why Ilja Dragunov-Sami Zayn SmackDown Classic Made WWE Hall Of Famer Happy
Make TJR Wrestling your choice for news by clicking here.