Ilja Dragunov isn’t exactly haunted by the way Brock Lesnar steamrolled him at the Royal Rumble. Months after that quick elimination left fans frustrated and even got some eye-rolls backstage, Dragunov says he barely gave the whole thing another thought.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Dragunov was asked about his brief showdown with Lesnar at the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble. For Dragunov, getting in the face of someone like Lesnar was exactly what his character was supposed to do.
“I said it before, honestly, if you really understand the persona that I have been in the ring for the most part of the time, I’ve been facing monsters. And at the end of the day, you can’t change certain things.”
The moment itself was pretty brutal. Dragunov stepped up to Lesnar and started throwing his trademark chops, only for Brock to basically brush them off, scream in his face and dump him over the top rope. Dragunov knows most people probably wouldn’t be lining up to pick a fight with Lesnar. That’s also exactly why he believes backing down would’ve made no sense for him.
“You have a person like Brock Lesnar standing in front of you. Most people would run away as soon as that happens. But me as a persona, me as Ilja Dragunov, who’s tough mentally and physically. I think for what I was given and how this whole situation occurred, I did the best what I could do about it.”
The spot definitely didn’t go over well with everyone. Fightful Select reported at the time that several wrestlers backstage responded with eye-rolling emojis when they saw fans praising Lesnar completely brushing off Dragunov’s offense. Dragunov doesn’t seem to share that frustration, though. In his mind, looking vulnerable has actually been a huge part of what made his character work throughout his career.
“I can’t change anything about it, but my best career moments were made by my vulnerability. I wasn’t becoming a name by being the person who dominates at all times.”
That’s really the whole Dragunov formula. He gets absolutely destroyed, somehow keeps coming and makes people care about whether he can fight his way back.
“I became a name on moments where I’ve gotten beaten down… it’s always the way how I fought back and how I recovered after those moments because these moments make great stories.”
Dragunov also isn’t mad that people were upset for him. He admitted the whole thing possibly could’ve been handled differently, but he’s definitely not sitting around replaying that Lesnar elimination in his head.
“I don’t see it as a defeat. I’m glad that people are upset for me, and maybe it could’ve worked out a different way. I don’t know it today, but I can tell you so much that I didn’t spare a second or third thought about it.”
So while plenty of people saw the Royal Rumble spot as Dragunov getting completely brushed aside, he clearly doesn’t look at it that way. If anything, fans getting angry on his behalf fits perfectly with a career that’s largely been built around watching Dragunov take a beating and desperately wanting to see him fight back.
What do you think about Ilja Dragunov barely giving the controversial Brock Lesnar Royal Rumble spot another thought despite the backlash? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
