Over the last several years, Ilja Dragunov has made a name for himself as one of WWE’s hardest-hitting performers. During an interview with “Ringer Wrestling,” Dragunov revealed that he’s taken a lot of cues from WWE legend Shawn Michaels, specifically on how to pace himself in the ring. 

“A lesson that I learned very quick from him, I think it was around NXT UK days where Shawn was around a couple of times – it was basically that if you’re not exhausted by your own performing, selling, whatever – you’re not doing [it] right,” he explained.

Dragunov further noted that this ties directly into passion, and whenever he steps into the ring, he feels like he almost dies from how hard he pushes himself. “Even when you look at NXT and the time I worked there, and talked to Shawn a lot of times, he always gave me a beautiful approval of, like, the way that I work and the person that I am,” he claimed. “I never needed to change anything, because it worked out for me.”

At the same time, Dragunov claims he loves a good fight, and admitted that he might sometimes take things too far. “I’m more of a danger to myself in the ring [than] I’m a danger to somebody else sometimes, you know?” he gleefully pointed out. “I don’t think there’s anything that I do like that is not as least as painful for me that it is for the other person.”

Last year, Dragunov had a memorable run with the WWE United States Championship, and made an appearance in the Men’s Royal Rumble this past January. He also took part in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale before WWE WrestleMania 42 but fell short.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Ringer Wrestling” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Following the shocking release of the entire Wyatt Sicks during last Friday’s post WWE WrestleMania 42 talent cuts, one of the stable’s biggest supporters, Alexa Bliss, spoke out on social media to thank the stars. Bliss took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment about the departures of Uncle Howdy, also known as Bo Dallas, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan, and her former tag team partner, Nikki Cross.

“Thank you Wyatt Sicks,” Bliss posted, alongside the red circle and black heart emoji. Bliss, who worked with the late Bray Wyatt, whom her current character still takes influence from, including her ring gear style and use of the Sister Abigail finisher, was once rumored to be the sixth person of the “sicks” in the group. The addition of Bliss to the Wyatt Sicks never transpired following her return at the 2025 Royal Rumble.

Bliss has a special bond with Cross from before her time working with Wyatt in 2020. The pair started teaming together in 2019. They would become the first women to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships twice. The team first won the gold from The IIconics in August 2019, and again from the Kabuki Warriors at WrestleMania 36.

“Thank you @WWENikkiCross for all of the amazing times, fun car rides, laughs & for being Hendrix’s backstage bestie. love you Nikki – can’t wait to see what’s next,” Bliss posted.

Bliss cross forever 🖤 thank you @WWENikkiCross for all of the amazing times, fun car rides, laughs & for being Hendrix’s backstage bestie 🖤 love you Nikki – can’t wait to see what’s next

— Lexi (Kaufman) Cabrera (@AlexaBliss_WWE) April 25, 2026

Cross responded in thanks, and said she cherished their friendship and was proud of the memories they built together. She said getting to see Bliss with her daughter, Hendrix, and hang out with them had been a wonderful gift.

MMA broadcast journalist Ariel Helwani gave his take on UFC President Dana White’s reaction to the shooting that occurred at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday. 

White was at the dinner alongside President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and several other high-ranking cabinet officials when an armed man entered the outer lobby area and discharged his weapon. He struck an officer in his vest, injuring them but doing no further harm as Secret Service apprehended him. 

While others were alarmed and panicked by the situation, White had given an entirely different assessment. He found it to “f***ing awesome” and said that he had been told to get down, but opted instead to remain upright and taking everything in. 

Helwani assessed White’s reaction during “MMA Hour” and compared it to when he went to a water park with his kids, reasoning that he responds in such a way after being on a ride as opposed to a would-be political assassination.

“Is it possible that he is that void of any sort of human emotion or excitement in his life at this point, it’s something like that that gets that type of reaction out of him? I was blown away,” he said. “The word psychotic came to mind. Because I can’t imagine having that type of reaction to a potential assassination. Now anyone out there is going to listen to this and say, ‘You’re a snowflake.’ A: That’s his friend. B: You’re saying, ‘Hey they told us to get down, I was like I’m not getting down, I was watching with popcorn.'”

Helwani said that there were different ways of communicating support for the agents and officers responsible for protection and apprehending the suspect. But he was taken aback by how excited White was especially when comparing the reaction to others at the event such as Stephen A. Smith. 

Luca Crusifino, former member of the D’Angelo Family on “WWE NXT,” was one of the many departures from the both developmental brand and main roster on Friday as cuts were made following WWE WrestleMania 42. Crusifino, whose real name is Roman Macek, revealed in a post to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday that he plans to retire from the professional wrestling business overall following his WWE exit.

“After much reflection, I’ve decided it’s time to close this chapter of my life,” Crusifino penned in a post. “Being a part of the WWE has been a dream ever since I was a child. Getting the chance to live out my dream in front of the world is something I’ll never take for granted. To the fans … thank you for every cheer, every boo, every moment of support. You made this journey unforgettable.”

He wrote that he was forever grateful for the friends he made along the way, as well as coaches at WWE Performance Center and the “NXT” creative team. Crusifino went on to specifically say that he is “officially stepping away and retiring from professional wrestling.” He said the decision wasn’t easy, but it was right for him. Crusifino also said that he wouldn’t be joining OnlyFans, something he joked in another post after the world learned of his release on Friday.

After much reflection, I’ve decided it’s time to close this chapter of my life.

Being a part of the WWE has been a dream ever since I was a child. Getting the chance to live out my dream in front of the world is something I’ll never take for granted. To the fans … thank you for… pic.twitter.com/RI5i8fpftV

— mace . (@realromanmacek) April 27, 2026

Crusifino first signed a WWE deal in early 2022 and made his in-ring debut in February 2023. The following year, he joined Tony D’Angelo’s faction as the now-NXT Champion’s consigliere. In 2025 following the breakup of the family, he squared off in a triple threat with D’Angelo and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo, before moving to work on “WWE EVOLVE.”