Published: May 3, 2026 by Sanchez Taylor | Last Updated: May 4, 2026 by Sanchez Taylor
Sanchez has over six years of pro-wrestling news writing experience, covering the biggest news stories in WWE, NXT, AEW, TNA Wrestling and more. He has personally interviewed a number of top stars, producing exclusive content with the likes of AEW's Swerve Strickland and WWE's Nick Aldis.
WWE
Former WWE US Champion Ilja Dragunov has revealed how he first got started training with Nattie and TJ Wilson at their Dungeon training facility.
Dragunov made a huge return on the October 17, 2025 SmackDown episode, after over a year out of action due to an ACL injury.
The Russian star answered Sami Zayn’s open challenge and left the arena as US Champion following his first match back.
With Dragunov remaining a mainstay in the US Title picture long after losing the gold, the Mad Dragon has revealed that he trained for his in-ring return at the Dungeon.
Explaining why the Dungeon holds a special place in his heart in a video shared by Nattie herself, Ilja Dragunov said:
“First of all, the Dungeon has a very big place in my heart, because after my ACL tear, I definitely was looking out for a place where I could prepare myself for my comeback.
“I picked the Dungeon for it, because I have a lot of respect for what TJ and Nattie are putting into the business.”
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Ilja Dragunov’s last wrestled in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal which took place on the April 17 SmackDown episode, which was ultimately won by Royce Keys.
His most recent one-on-one match saw him unsuccessfully challenge for the US Championship on the March 20 show, losing to Carmelo Hayes ahead of Hays dropping the gold to Sami Zayn, and Zayn losing the title to Trick Williams at WrestleMania 42.
With Trick Williams and Ilja Dragunov’s history in NXT, it would be fun to revisit this rivalry on the main roster, with the US Championship on the line instead of the NXT Title.
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