• Injured WWE Star Expected To Return Soon
Former NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov has been working his way back from a knee injury for much of 2024, and it now looks like his comeback is on the horizon.
Dragunov has spent significant time rehabbing at the WWE Performance Center, where he’s been training multiple times a day to accelerate his recovery. He was first spotted there in January, with reports in the spring suggesting September as a tentative goal for his in-ring return. As recently as six weeks ago, WrestleVotes noted that he was still putting in work at the facility, though it wasn’t clear if he had resumed full wrestling activity.
Now, a new update from PWInsider indicates that Dragunov may either be close to fully recovered or has already been medically cleared. While WWE has not confirmed an exact date for his return, the belief is that fans should expect to see him back very soon.
After months of uncertainty, all signs point to Dragunov’s intense rehab paying off – setting the stage for his long-awaited return to the squared circle.
• Main Event For Today’s Clash In Paris PLE Revealed
According to Bodyslam, the Fatal 4-Way match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Seth Rollins, CM Punk, LA Knight, and Jey Uso is going to be the main event of today’s Clash In Paris PLE, which will begin at 2 PM EST. As previously reported, Roman Reigns vs. “Big” Bronson Reed is going to be the opening bout.
Below is the complete match order:
1. Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed
2. WWE Tag Team Championship: Wyatt Sicks (Dexter Lumis & Joe Gacy) (c) vs. The Street Profits
3. Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch (c) vs. Nikki Bella
4. Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook Match: Sheamus vs. Rusev
5. John Cena vs. Logan Paul
6. World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. CM Punk vs. LA Knight vs. Jey Uso
• ESPN Is Not Happy With Stephanie McMahon
With WWE programming now scattered across platforms, Stephanie McMahon offered an unconventional workaround. On a recent episode of her “What’s Your Story?” podcast, she casually promoted the use of a VPN to access WWE content on Netflix – even in regions where it’s restricted.
Stephanie telling everyone to use a VPN for WWE on Netflix😭😭😭
She’s telling you guys not to pay $30 pic.twitter.com/305VJHDBxf
— Zashy 🇵🇸 (@Zashy120) August 28, 2025
The suggestion comes as wrestling viewers grapple with multiple subscriptions. While international fans can enjoy all WWE shows and premium live events on Netflix, U.S. viewers now must pay for ESPN to watch PLEs, beginning with Wrestlepalooza on September 20.
According to Fightful Select, one source noted that ESPN wasn’t thrilled with Stephanie’s VPN promotion, as they thought it wouldn’t be a major issue.
• Jack Swagger Reveals Why The Undertaker Stopped Working With Him
During an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Jake Hager aka Jack Swagger revealed why The Undertaker stopped working with him in WWE:
“I remember working with Taker in Mexico City in front of 19,000 people and I f**ked up. He called his signature flying clothesline as the comeback and I thought he meant for me to clothesline. So we kind of double clothesline each other and we’re both laying there. He’s like, ‘you gotta know my sh*t, brother.’
So that’s kind of what started the me working with Rey (Mysterio) is Taker stopped working with me. He was like, ‘okay, you go work with Rey on this tour.'”
Also during this interview, Hager was asked if the rumors of John Cena refusing to put him over in WWE are true. Hager replied: “Oh yeah, he absolutely refused to do it.”
When asked if Cena himself told him so, Hager replied:
“I was told that was what happened. Because the original plan was I was gonna beat him Monday night on RAW and not do the tease. But I’m a young guy. I’ve been there for a cup of coffee, so what are you gonna do?
But I’m not the only guy he’s done that to, he did that throughout his career. I was surprised to see what happened with him and [R-Truth] lately, because usually he tried to take that glory. But I feel like this time, he’s the one who said we better go with Truth and get him back here.”
During his time in WWE, Jack Swagger held the World Heavyweight Championship and the ECW World Championship.
• “I’m not here to take spots” – Hall of Famer on Current WWE Run
At today’s Clash In Paris PLE, WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella will challenge Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. During an interview with Rick Ucchino of Sports Illustrated, Nikki talked about double standards in wrestling for men and women:
“Why can’t women my age do it too? Why does it always have to be for one big PLE? We come in for a few weeks and then we’re gone. Why can’t we come in for a while and see how I can hang with the younger era? I’m not here to take spots, I’m here for anything to help the people that we need to make.
What I love about [the story with] Becky is it just happened organically. It just became very natural, and I love when stories are that way, when they’re not forced. It’s like, we’ve never done this before.
You’ve taken time off. This is now the Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY era. My era was before yours, so where do you fit in, when you’re saying I don’t fit in?”
Nikki promoted her match against Becky by posting the following on Instagram yesterday:
“Tomorrow isn’t just a title match. It’s two eras colliding. Two legacies with unfinished business. Not only is it about winning that championship — it’s about legacy, about impact, about every woman who fought before me, and every woman who will come after. Tomorrow Bella Army, WE RISE!”
• Lilian Garcia Has Found “The One”
Veteran WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia finalized her divorce in 2022, and now she’s back in the dating world. Lilian posted a photo of her holding hands with a mystery man on her Instagram story and wrote:
“Grateful for the nearly 4 years of my singleness season which has ultimately led me to the one.”
Last year, Lilian revealed that she stopped recording her “Chasing Glory” podcast because of multiple personal reasons, including her marriage falling apart. Here’s what she said during an interview with Wrestling Life:
“Putting the show on hold was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. In 2021, my mother passed away. I had already been through so much – taking care of my dad until he passed, taking care of my mom until she passed, and dealing with a marriage that was falling apart. I realized I couldn’t give the show the time and energy it deserved because I was a shell of myself.
It’s important to know when it’s okay to step back and take care of yourself. If I had kept going, I think I would have had a nervous breakdown. It was just too much to handle. As I prayed about it, I felt like God was telling me, ‘I’m just asking you to put it on hold – it doesn’t mean you can never bring it back.’ So, I said, ‘Okay.’”
