Ilja Dragunov is heading into yet another title defense of the NXT Championship at NXT Stand And Deliver on WrestleMania weekend, but many questions surround his future in WWE.
Fightful Select's Corey Brennan has been told that Dragunov is not planned for a callup at this time, but is expected to make his way to the main roster upon losing the NXT Championship, with some in NXT feeling he is beyond the brand at this stage of his career.
Some fans have questioned if Dragunov was willing to make the move to the main roster and cite his trips home as a reason why. At this time, Fightful has not been told of any such issue, with WWE being more than happy to accommodate Dragunov's schedule.
With regard to NXT Europe, one NXT source told Fightful that Dragunov has not been considered for the expansion since making his way over on a regular basis to NXT programming.
In the broader scheme of WWE, the belief of several in NXT is that WWE see Dragunov in the same vein as Gunther and have pans to push him in a similar capacity to the current Intercontinental Champion once he makes his way to the main roster.
While in NXT, Dragunov has been a constant source of praise with NXT producers needing to give him very little direction, something that is unique to Ilja with the current NXT roster.
One NXT talent noted to Fightful their belief that Dragunov elevates anyone he steps in the ring with and that he has an incredible mind for the business. Dragunov is also said to be incredibly easy to work with, with one source also noting he is a "wonderful person to be around".
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