Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson wasn’t the only surprise on WWE RAW after WrestleMania XL. The first match of the night featured Shinsuke Nakamura taking on the current NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov. Dragunov has been earning a ton of attention with his work on NXT, and his debut on WWE RAW left many fans wondering if he has joined the roster or not. Here is everything you need to know.

WWE Stars like Ilja Dragunov and Jade Cargill tease upcoming WWE Draft

Michael Cole announced after the match that Dragunov was not part of the roster. He will be part of the draft, ultimately deciding which brand he will end up with. The current NXT Champion could be part of WWE RAW or SmackDown. Ilja Dragunov is currently enjoying his first reign as the NXT Champion and won his first match on the main roster against Shinsuke Nakamura on WWE RAW.

Dragunov is a rising star in NXT who may soon join the main roster on come April 26 or 29. He recently defended his title against Tony D’Angelo at NXT’s Stand and Deliver 2024. Dragunov became famous in NXT UK when he defeated Gunther.

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This ended his 869-day reign as the NXT UK Champion. However, Dragunov wasn’t the only non-RAW star on the show tonight.

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NXT’s Women’s Champ, Roxanne Perez, faced Indi Hartwell in a singles match. The NXT champion made quick work of Hartwell, much to Candice LeRae’s disappointment. The next was SmackDown’s Jade Cargill, who faced Chelsea Green. Much like Perez, Cargill made quick work of Green for the win. Nevertheless, the future of WWE looks bright, especially when the new crop of superstars is led by Ilja Dragunov.

Ilja Dragunov could be the next game-changer

With the WWE Draft, many new faces will be seen on RAW and SmackDown. Some promising names include Dragunov, Trick Williams, Bron Breakker, Baron Corbin and more, who could get their call-up. It will be interesting to see who gets moved to which brand. Corbin and Breakker could continue being a force to be reckoned with in the main roster’s tag division.

The Draft could also see factions breaking up and new ones forming. This could emerge as brilliant move by the WWE after WrestleMania to keep things fresh in the company. What are your thoughts on the WWE Draft and Dragunov? Were you impressed by his win tonight? Tell us in the comments.

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