Chad Gable Talks 'Freak' Injury, Latest WWE Rumors on Ilja Dragunov's Push & Mike Santana's Contract

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Chad Gable Opens Up About Injury, Recovery

Five months after returning to the ring and in the aftermath of his instant-classic mask vs. mask match at the May 30 Noche de Los Grandes event, Chad Gable opened up about the shoulder injury that took him out of action last year.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel (starts at 2:10 mark), Gable explained the "freak" injury occurred during a match with Gunther last October.

Gable explained it wasn't anyone's fault and nothing went wrong in the match, but he could feel something in his bicep:

"My bicep was feeling very funky, and I looked down at it, and it was also looking very funky. I got it checked out. It turned out I had a slight tear in my right bicep tendon — the one that attaches at the shoulder — but nothing serious enough that required surgery or whatever. ... But progressively, the right side—specifically my arm — was giving me more and more trouble. Sometimes I couldn't extend my elbow all the way. Sometimes it hurt too. Sometimes I started having pain down here in the lower part of the bicep.

Eventually, Gable explained, doctors discovered his right arm was "a mess" with tendinitis in the distal bicep, loose bodies that were causing the arm to lock up, a bicep tear and partially torn rotator cuff.

The injury required surgery that resulted in Gable being out of action until he returned at the Royal Rumble. His gimmick as the El Grande Americano character was also taken up by Ludwig Kaiser.

WWE established a feud between the two at the Rumble by having Gable as "The Original" El Grande Americano eliminate Kaiser as El Grande Americano from the match.

The feud culminated with the mask vs. mask match on May 30 that Kaiser won, resulting in Gable unmasking, in one of the most celebrated bouts of the year so far.

Given how much attention has been given to the match and Gable's performance, in particular, WWE has an opportunity to make him into a top-level star if they want to run with the positive momentum.

Ilja Dragunov Unlikely to Receive Major Push

Amid calls from fans for new stars to receive a proper push, one person unlikely to get an opportunity in the top-tier spotlight is Ilja Dragunov.

Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestle Features), WWE higher-ups consider Dragunov as part of the "interchangeable midcard" group rather than a "top guy."

It has been apparent for some time that WWE officials have put a ceiling on Dragunov. He has been used sparingly on television this year, with his most recent match being the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the final SmackDown prior to WrestleMania.

The Mad Dragon's most recent television victory was over The Miz on Jan. 30. His biggest push came at the end of 2025 when he defeated Sami Zayn for the United States title and made a series of successful defenses before dropping the belt to Carmelo Hayes on Dec. 26.

There's nothing wrong with having a strong collection of midcard performers, but it would be nice to see WWE try with someone if they gain a lot of positive momentum.

Dragunov doesn't have much of that right now because his push was halted after his loss to Hayes, but he has proven to be very good in the ring that it shouldn't be hard to feature him on television more than he has been.

WWE Interested in Mike Santana

Having already taken many of TNA's top stars in recent years, WWE would reportedly like to add another one in the near-future.

Per WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select (h/t Wrestle Purists), WWE has interest in Mike Santana and would "like" to add him to the main roster by the end of the year if he signs.

Santana's current deal with TNA is reportedly set to expire in July. He has said that he's open to working anywhere, whether it's making the jump to WWE or even potentially returning to AEW.

The 35-year-old left AEW when his deal expired in 2024. He debuted with Ortiz on the inaugural All Out pay-per-view in 2019, attacking the Lucha Brothers and Young Bucks.

After receiving his release from AEW in 2024, Santana returned to TNA and has established himself as one of the top singles stars in the promotion. He is the current TNA world champion and will defend the title against a still-to-be-announced opponent at Slammiversary on June 28.

Santana has also worked some NXT shows as part of the partnership between WWE and TNA. That does give him some familiarity with WWE officials if he wants to make the move.

Given Santana's high-profile status as a top star in TNA, he would make for a nice addition to the WWE roster if he does end up signing there.