Ilja Dragunov’s WWE absence reportedly had little to do with a lack of available storylines and much more to do with the status of his contract.
According to a report from Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE made the decision to stop using Dragunov back in April after negotiations over a new contract left the two sides too far apart. His existing deal officially expired on August 20, making the former NXT Champion a free agent without a non-compete clause. Meltzer wrote,
“Ilja Dragunov’s (Ilia Rukober, 32) contract expired on 8/20 and is now a free agent.”
“We had over the months since his disappearances asked about him and the only answer we had gotten was that he wasn’t injured but creative was not using him. One version was that they had nothing for him but another was that they were specifically told he was unavailable to be used.”
“Essentially, he signed what was termed a very good contract and it was coming due. In talks over a new deal, the sides were far enough apart that the decision was made in April not to use him anymore.”
“It was essentially conceded he was a great worker but not a numbers mover and evidently for the level of money he was asking and getting, you needed to be a numbers mover.”
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