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Ilja Dragunov returned on the post-Crown Jewel edition of WWE SmackDown, answering Sami Zayn's United States Championship open challenge and ended up dethroning the former OG Bloodline member.
Fans are still in shock and excited about how Dragunov would pursue the United States Title on the blue brand. Surprisingly, a former female WWE star penned down an emotional post for Ilja, which has now left fans buzzing about the newly crowned US champion dating the released star.
The female star in question is NXT's Jin Tala, aka Leigh Laurel, who was recently released from the company. The 29-year-old star took to her official X (fka Twitter) account to express that she has witnessed Ilja's low-key recovery journey, where he kept working in silence, and after seeing him win a major title, everything seems perfect, and she is proud of him. Below is what she wrote:
"Honored & upheld your decision to stay radio silent on socials til this day came, and man, it was 100% worth it. Watched you do everything in your power to stay ready while you recovered. Polished prowess, I’m so proud of you," Tala wrote.Following her emotional tweet, fans started buzzing in the comment section, speculating on the relationship between the two stars. Here are some fans' comments:
@leighlaurel He just winning at everything..👀
@leighlaurel wait wait wait you're "Mrs." Dragunov and they LET YOU GO?????????????! right when they're starting to put couples together on tv? ugh. Great match. Congrats to him (and you) on this hard launch.
@leighlaurel Goat levels rose again, my boy wife’d a baddie
What's next for Sami Zayn and Ilja Dragunov after WWE SmackDown?
The Honorary Uce lost the United States Championship on the latest episode of WWE SmackDown after Crown Jewel: Perth to Ilja Dragunov. Following his loss, the former member of the OG Bloodline could walk away from the Friday Night show and join Monday Night RAW.
On the red brand show, Sami could join the Bloodline saga, and this could lead to WarGames at WWE Survivor Series 2025. On the other hand, Ilja Dragunov could continue the weekly United States open challenge that Sami Zayn started.
It will be interesting to see what plans the Stamford-based promotion has in store for Zayn and Dragunov in the coming weeks.
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Edited by Sanchari Bhattacharya
English (US)