
Ilja Rukober
Acting
Biography
Ilja Rukober is a Russian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ilja Dragunov. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he performs on the NXT UK brand. Prior to signing with WWE, Dragunov competed on the European independent circuit and is also known for his time with Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), where he is a former one-time wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion, three-time wXw World Tag Team Champion and two-time wXw Shotgun Champion. Rukober is also the first Russian-born male wrestler to have ever competed in the WWE.
Known For

A regularly scheduled, live, year-round program featuring some of the biggest WWE Superstars.
Raw

Wrestlers will portray heroes or villains as they follow a series of events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.
WWE NXT

The superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment's "SmackDown" brand collide each and every Friday on WWE Friday Night SmackDown.
WWE Friday Night SmackDown

WWE Main Event is a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that airs on Peacock and streams on Hulu Plus in the United States. The show features WWE wrestlers and complements WWE's primary programs Raw and SmackDown.
WWE Main Event

The American professional wrestling promotion WWE has been broadcasting PPV events since the 1980s, when its classic "Big Four" events (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series) were first established with the company's very first PPV being WrestleMania in 1985. The company's PPV lineup expanded to a monthly basis in the mid-1990s following the introduction of the In Your House series of pay-per views before expanding even further in the mid-2000s during the first WWE brand extension. Following WWE's original brand extension in 2002, the company promoted two touring rosters, Raw and SmackDown, representing its television programs, Raw and SmackDown. The traditional "Big Four" continued to showcase the entire roster, while the remaining PPV events alternated between Raw and SmackDown cards. In March 2007, WWE announced that all subsequent PPV events would feature performers from all brands. In 2008, all WWE PPV events began broadcasting in high-definition.
WWE Pay Per View

Kick into overdrive with WWE Speed, a unique squared circle competition airing exclusively on X. Premiering as part of WrestleMania Week, the fast-paced show will begin with a tournament to crown the inaugural WWE Speed Champion.
WWE Speed

The Road to WrestleMania begins at Royal Rumble, and the top Superstars in WWE are set to compete for a championship bout at WrestleMania. The matches will begin with two superstars in the ring. At equally timed intervals, a new superstar enters the fray. Elimination only occurs when a superstar has gone over the top rope and both feet have touched the floor. This continues until there is just one superstar left standing as the winner of the Royal Rumble Match. Also, AJ Styles will put his incredible career on the line against Gunther and Drew McIntyre will defend his WWE championship against Sami Zayn.
Royal Rumble 2026

In a year of uncertainty and change, WWE once again delivered a bevy of unforgettable showdowns. These matches are the best of the best from 2020, from a groundbreaking and innovative cinematic match to classic old-school battles decided inside the squared circle.
The Best of WWE: 10 Best Matches of 2020

The 2024 NXT Vengeance Day takes place on February 4, 2024, at the F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tennessee, marking the first NXT livestreaming event to be held in Tennessee.
NXT Vengeance Day 2024

The 2023 NXT: The Great American Bash is the upcoming 11th Great American Bash professional wrestling event produced by WWE, and 25th Great American Bash event overall. It will be held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. Unlike the previous three years, which aired as television specials, the 2023 event will air as a livestreaming event, marking the first Great American Bash to air on both Peacock and the WWE Network. The event will take place on July 30, 2023, at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park in Cedar Park, Texas.
NXT The Great American Bash 2023

For the first time in NXT history, the black and gold brand caps off SummerSlam weekend as Karrion Kross defends his NXT Championship against Samoa Joe, NXT UK Champion Walter defends his title against Ilja Dragunov, Dakota Kai looks to take the NXT Women's Championship from Raquel González, and "The Undisputed Finale" gets underway as Adam Cole takes on Kyle O'Reilly in a 2 Out of 3 Falls match.
NXT TakeOver 36

Raw plays host to in-ring classics, jaw-dropping confrontations and shocking twists in this best of 2024 recap.
WWE Best of Raw 2024 Special

NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff is a professional wrestling show and WWE Network event produced by WWE for their NXT UK brand. It took place on August 31, 2019, at Motorpoint Arena Cardiff in Cardiff, Wales and was streamed live on the WWE Network. It is the second event promoted under the NXT UK TakeOver chronology, after NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.
NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff

The 2024 NXT Stand & Deliver was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE for its developmental brand NXT. It was the fourth annual NXT Stand & Deliver event and took place on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event aired via WWE's livestreaming platforms and was held as a part of WrestleMania Weekend, taking place the same day as Night 1 of WrestleMania XL with a special start time of 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Meta-Four (Noam Dar, Oro Mensah, Lash Legend, and Jakara Jackson) served as the hosts of the event.
WWE NXT Stand & Deliver 2024

NXT Halloween Havoc 2023 – Night 2 was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE for its NXT brand. It took place on October 31, 2023, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, and served as the second night of the two-part Halloween Havoc special. The main event was Ilja Dragunov (c) vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT Championship.
NXT Halloween Havoc 2023 – Night 2

Fresh off the biggest independent wrestling show of the last 30 years at Wembley Arena, PROGRESS returns to Sheffield with its unique brand of strong-style, punk rock pro wrestling.
PROGRESS Chapter 81: Pour Some PROGRESS On Me

The 2024 Spring Breakin' is an ongoing professional wrestling television special produced by WWE for its developmental brand NXT. It is the third annual Spring Breakin' for the brand and is airing as a two-part special episode of NXT on the USA Network. The event is taking place on April 23 and April 30, 2024, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
WWE NXT Spring Breakin' 2024 - Week 1

The 2023 NXT Stand & Deliver was the third annual Stand & Deliver professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The event took place on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California as part of WrestleMania Weekend, being held the same day as WrestleMania 39 Night 1 with a special start time of 1 p.m. Eastern Time 10 a.m. Pacific Time. WWE wrestlers Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) served as the hosts of the event.
WWE NXT Stand & Deliver 2023

WWE Worlds Collide is a professional wrestling show and WWE Network event featuring the NXT superstars facing off against NXT UK superstars. Taking place during Royal Rumble 2020 weekend, this event features the NXT UK stable Imperium taking on the NXT stable Undisputed Era. This is the second event under the Worlds Collide chronology.
WWE Worlds Collide

Much like the infamous match between Bret Hart and Tom Magee, a piece of PROGRESS history has recently been uncovered. The former Progress announcer, Jimmy Barnett, has been sharing his memories of a show from May 26th, 1988. Last year he was kind enough to offer his recollections of a very early PROGRESS from way back in May of 1978 (PROGRESS even found the footage in their vault), and it's a rare treat to get details of another historical show from a man on the inside.