Ilja Dragunov
Ilya Rukober (Russian: Илья́ Руко́бер, romanized: Ilʹya Rukober; born 10 October 1993) is a Russian-German professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Ilja Dragunov (Russian: Илья Драгунов, romanized: Ilʹya Dragunov) and is the current NXT Champion in his first reign. He is a former one-time NXT United Kingdom Champion.
| Ilja Dragunov | |
|---|---|
Dragunov in 2020 | |
| Birth name | Ilya Rukober |
| Born | 10 October 1993 Moscow, Russia |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Davey American Ilja Dragunov |
| Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Billed weight | 227 lb (103 kg) |
| Trained by | Axel Tischer Rick Baxxter |
| Debut | 21 April 2012 |
Prior to signing with WWE, Dragunov competed on the European independent circuit and is also known for his time with Westside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw), where he is a former one-time wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion, three-time wXw World Tag Team Champion and two-time wXw Shotgun Champion. Rukober is the first non-kayfabe Russian male wrestler to compete in the WWE, and is also the first Russian-born champion in the company's history.