Ilja Dragunov Keeps Sami Zayn's U.S. Title Open Challenge Tradition Alive

The dapper Dragunov took to X on Friday, October 31, afternoon ahead of SmackDown to call out anyone interested in facing him for the U.S. Title. Dragunov called the open challenge “duty.” He wrote:

“This title is a legacy and the open challenge is my duty. Who wants to step up tonight?”

The U.S. Title is the first main roster championship that Ilja Dragunov has earned since he made his main roster debut on the April 8, 2024, episode of WWE's Monday Night Raw. Sadly, his career was put on hold for more than a year due to a torn ACL during a match against Gunther in September 2024. The match happened during a WWE Supershow.

Ilja Dragunov Returns For Gold

Dragunov would surprise the WWE universe on the October 17 episode of SmackDown, where he would answer Zayn’s open challenge. He went on to win the title. Before losing the title, Zayn had been the champion since defeating Solo Sikoa on the August 29 episode of SmackDown.

The week after Dragunov won the title, he held his first U.S. Title Open Challenge on the October 24 episode. His first title defense was against Aleister Black. When Zayn was champion, he also faced Black, just a few weeks before he lost the title to Dragunov.

Anyway, what else is scheduled for the 2025 Halloween edition of SmackDown? Ahead of their November 1 match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre will have a face-to-face.

Also, Jade Cargill is scheduled to speak after she turned heel on the October 24 episode. After Women’s World Champion Tiffany Stratton defeated Kiana James, Jade came out and attacked her. Wrestling fans who watched AEW know how ruthless heel Cargill can be. The two confirmed matches for tonight’s show include Carmelo Hayes versus Kit Wilson and one-half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, Alexa Bliss, will face Nia Jax.

So, who will Dragunov be facing on the latest episode of SmackDown? Some challenger ideas include Nathan Frazer, Axiom, Joe Hendry, or someone from WWE NXT, wanting to make a statement on the main roster. Another possibility is that Gunther finally returns? Anything is possible.