Felix Upton on October 18, 2025
Ilja Dragunov shocked fans with his SmackDown return on October 17th—and by the end of the night, he was holding the WWE United States Title. But it’s not just his in-ring comeback that has fans talking. Dating rumors have now exploded online after Jin Tala shared a personal message and photo with Dragunov that has everyone raising eyebrows.
Tala took to Twitter shortly after SmackDown aired, posting a heartfelt message praising Dragunov for his discipline during recovery. She also revealed that he chose to stay completely silent on social media until his return and that she fully supported him during that time.
“Honored & upheld your decision to stay radio silent on socials til this day came, and man, it was 100% worth it. Watched you do everything in your power to stay ready while you recovered. Polished prowess, I’m so proud of you 🥹”
That single post sparked a flood of speculation. Fans began combing through her feed, where they noticed she started tweeting about Dragunov only after his return—and with affectionate emojis and proud declarations that had many convinced something was going on.
Meanwhile, Dragunov made some very noticeable changes to his own social media. All traces of his wife—including their December 2021 wedding post—have been wiped clean from Instagram. Fans wasted no time reacting. One shocked user tweeted:
“wait wait wait you’re ‘Mrs.’ Dragunov and they LET YOU GO?????????????! right when they’re starting to put couples together on tv? ugh. Great match. Congrats to him (and you) on this hard launch.”
Another fan flat-out asked, “Wait, are you and Ilja an item??? Serious note, wish him congratulations and welcome back from one of his fans.” And of course, someone summed it up with, “Goat levels rose again, my boy wife’d a baddie.”
Whether it’s just close support between friends or the start of something more, neither Jin Tala nor Ilja Dragunov have officially confirmed any relationship. But between the tweets, the deleted posts, and the timing, fans think this might be more than just a coincidence.
Do you think Ilja and Jin Tala are quietly going public with their relationship? Or is this all just fan speculation running wild? Share your take in the comments.
October 18, 2025 7:45 am
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