Current Champion Teases Shaving Head For Ilja Dragunov Match Outside WWE

WWE

A current champion has teased shaving their head for a match with Ilja Dragunov outside WWE.

Yesterday (August 20) saw news break regarding Ilja Dragunov’s WWE departure, with the former United States Champion exiting the company following the expiration of his contract.

With Dragunov being moved to the alumni section of WWE’s website, speculation and anticipation is rife among fans regarding where ‘The Mad Dragon’ may end up next as he enters free agency.

While most eyes are pointed towards All Elite Wrestling, and Tony Khan potentially acting fast to sign Dragunov to a contract, a top champion in another notable promotion has thrown his name into the ring.

In response to a tweet from The Mark Hoke Show, who indicated that they’d prefer to see Dragunov move to MLW rather than AEW, current MLW World Heavyweight Champion Killer Kross responded by teasing a return to his past shaved head look should a match between he and Ilja materialize.

Kross wrote:

If this match happens anywhere,

I might have to shave my head for this one.

#UltraViolenceMode

Despite both men working together in WWE for several years, Kross and Dragunov have never faced off inside a wrestling ring.

Both men are former NXT Champions, and both departed WWE in August after their contracts expired, albeit a year apart.

Killer Kross (fka Karrion Kross in WWE) exited the company at the height of his popularity one year ago, with he and his former employer unable to agree terms on a new deal.

Since leaving WWE, Kross has picked up where he left off on the independent scene, and currently holds five championships across five different promotions.

It’s not yet known where Dragunov will move to post-WWE, but given that his contract expired rather than being released, he should be free and available to make his next move immediately, much like Kross did a year ago.

It was reported after Dragunov’s WWE departure that more main roster talents could potentially be set to see their contracts expire in October, click here for full details.

A Whole Host Of Ilja Dragunov First-Time Matches Await Following His WWE Exit

Since his time in NXT UK began in 2019, Ilja Dragunov has been one of WWE’s absolute best in-ring workers and someone that many felt would continue his upwards trajectory once he arrived on the main roster.

While his stint on Raw was cut short by injury, Dragunov’s return to SmackDown began with much promise but quickly fizzled out, as he spent early 2026 doing little of note amid growing fan frustration.

There will be disappointment regarding how WWE used Ilja, but their loss will be the wider wrestling world’s gain as he now has an exciting future ahead potentially wrestling for AEW, NJPW and CMLL, as well as prominent indie promotions like MLW, GCW and Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

With first-time encounters with the likes of Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, Jon Moxley, Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita and many more, it’s an exciting time to be an Ilja Dragunov fan.

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• Killer Kross
• Ilja Dragunov
• wwe
• mlw

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