Popular WWE Star Nearing Return After A Year Out Of Action

One popular WWE star could be nearing their return to the ring after almost a year out of action with a serious injury.

Former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov has made a name for himself in WWE since joining the main roster in the spring of 2024. Dragunov has shared the ring with the likes of Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, and Shinsuke Nakamura on Raw, but it’s his matches with Gunther from NXT that still stand out from his WWE career.

Dragunov has faced World Heavyweight Champion Gunther in several live events and dark matches in recent months, and it was no different when an increasingly rare WWE house show took place on September 28 2024, in Columbus, Georgia.

Gunther won, but that was the least of Dragunov’s problems by the time the match was over. On Raw in Evansville, Indiana, Joe Tessitore revealed that Ilja Dragunov suffered a torn ACL during that match, and he has been out of action ever since.

Ilja Dragunov Nearing WWE Return?

But now could he be on his way back to the ring?

Cory Hays of BodySlam.net took to social media to note “The time draws near,” accompanied by a GIF of Ilja Dragunov, indicating that his return to WWE is imminent.

The time draws near pic.twitter.com/mRniceCTkg

— Cory (@Cory_Hays407) August 10, 2025