An injured superstar has been spotted backstage ahead of this week’s WWE SmackDown broadcast.
The October 17 episode of Friday Night SmackDown will air live from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, Randy Orton, Jacob Fatu, Jade Cargill, and Sami Zayn are all scheduled to appear.
It appears a former champion may join these superstars on the show. According to PWInsider, former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov has been spotted backstage at SmackDown in San Jose.
“Ilja Dragonuv is backstage at Smackdown in San Jose, PWInsider.com can confirm. He is currently working out in the ring and is wearing a knee brace,” per the report.
It is worth noting that Dragunov is reportedly working out in the ring, but this report does not confirm he will be used on the show.
Update: Fightful (via Fightful Select) is backing up a report from Bodyslam.net that Dragunov could appear on the show. It was noted that sources at the show claim Dragunov was “absolutely jacked with a neck tattoo,” and it was expected that he will have a match.
Ilja Dragunov has yet to make his WWE SmackDown TV debut
Ilja Dragunov has been out of action since September 2024, when he suffered a torn ACL during a house show match with longtime rival Gunther. Prior to tonight, the last update on his injury came in January and noted that he was back at the Performance Center training.
The Russian superstar was assigned to the RAW brand during the 2024 WWE Draft. He made his main roster debut on the April 8, 2024, episode of the red brand, where he picked up a win against Shinsuke Nakamura. He faced Gunther in a dark match on WWE SmackDown in August 2024.
The advertised card for tonight’s SmackDown is as follows:
- Cody Rhodes to kick off SmackDown
- Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu
- Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair (c) vs. ZARIA & Sol Ruca – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
WrestleZone will have full coverage of WWE SmackDown as it airs later tonight.
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