3 reasons why Ilja Dragunov failed to qualify for his first WWE King of the Ring semi-finals
WWE Monday Night RAW aired last night on the USA Network and it continued the theme from last week in building up towards the 2024 King and Queen of the Ring Premium Live Event. This included four big matches for both tournaments.
In Queen of the Ring Tournament action, IYO SKY defeated Shayna Baszler to advance to the semi-finals. Additionally, Lyra Valkyria defeated Zoey Stark. Then on the men's end of things, Gunther defeated Kofi Kingston to advance in the King of the Ring Tournament.
The second King of the Ring quarter-final match saw Ilja Dragunov clash with Main Event Jey Uso. Not only was this a first-time-ever match, but this bout was the main event of the evening. This helped Jey live up to his name, but it also showed the trust Triple H and company have for the Mad Dragon given it is just his second match as a main roster star.
The two men delivered a high-quality match, but the outcome has left fans divided. Jey Uso defeated Ilja Dragunov clean in the ring and some fans weren't happy about it, while others were ecstatic. There is likely a sound excuse for this move, however. This article will take a look at a handful of reasons why Dragunov likely failed to advance to the semi-finals.
Below are three possible reasons why Ilja Dragunov failed to qualify in his first WWE King of the Ring Tournament.
#3. Jey Uso is a proven commodity in WWE
First and foremost, Jey Uso is a star in WWE. This wasn't always the case, he has had a long evolution in the Sports Entertainment juggernaut. He started off alongside Jimmy Uso and Tamina, before The Usos began to take over the tag division over time.
Then in 2023, Jey broke out as a singles star after leaving The Bloodline and going on to wrestle Roman Reigns at WWE SummerSlam. Shortly thereafter, Jey moved to Monday Night RAW. While he's still dabbled in tag team action, he has mostly been a singles star and he has taken off since going solo.
Jey is almost always leading or near the top of merchandise sales. Plus, he is extremely over with fans going crazy for him every time Jey enters the arena. World Wrestling Entertainment officials surely see this and will feel it is important to keep Uso strong.
This is especially true since he has had some struggles as a solo name. He has failed to dethrone Roman Reigns, Gunther, and Damian Priest in the last nine-to-ten months. For Jey to be a top star, he needs big wins and has to be kept strong. Ilja was just a casualty in keeping Uso on top.
#2. Ilja Dragunov's next move may have been revealed already
There were a few reasons why passionate WWE fans wanted to see Ilja Dragunov move forward in the 2024 King of the Ring Tournament. First and foremost, he is an incredible in-ring competitor and fans want to see him pushed.
The other key reason is that had Ilja won the RAW bout, he would have moved on to face Gunther in the semi-finals of the 2024 WWE King of the Ring Tournament. The two have been rivals on NXT UK and NXT in the past and put on classics, so naturally, fans wanted to see them fight on the big stage.
With that being said, it is clear Triple H and company officials are aware of this since they teased the two clashing anyway. Their history was brought up on commentary before Ilja mentioned The Ring General in a promo. After that, Gunther showed up and the two had an intense staredown.
It is clear that they are teasing an eventual collision between the two incredible European wrestlers. While WWE may not be giving it away on free TV next week as some had hoped, Ilja could afford to lose to Jey because their goal of Dragunov is still the Gunther feud either way.
#1. Jey Uso winning could lead to him and Tama Tonga locking horns
The final potential reason why Ilja Dragunov lost on WWE RAW and failed to advance in the King of the Ring Tournament is loosely related to the previous entry. It is clear that he has an angle set up for him in the future and the King of the Ring wasn't necessary for him to eventually reach that goal.
The same may not be true for Jey Uso. There is a very real chance that the former WWE Tag Team Champion will defeat Gunther and move on to the finals. This is so he can face off against an unexpected opponent: SmackDown's Tama Tonga.
Tama Tonga joined The Bloodline and is part of the King of the Ring Tournament on the SmackDown side of things. After a brief but intense staredown between the new Bloodline and Jey Uso at Backlash France, it seems inevitable that Jey will clash with this crew.
The seeds could be planted already and the bout could come in the finals of the King of the Ring Tournament. If this is indeed the case, Ilja likely lost to Jey to help Uso's story with Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa.