A late creative adjustment was made ahead of the February 6 edition of WWE SmackDown. Although the broadcast featured The Miz squaring off against Carmelo Hayes, a planned post match development involving Ilja Dragunov never made it to air.

According to WrestleVotes Radio, the working script initially called for Dragunov to get physically involved during the contest. The spot reportedly remained in multiple late drafts before being pulled shortly before the live broadcast began.

“Another little one that we’ve learned for you guys is that we’ve learned that a segment was scrapped very late [on] last Friday night’s SmackDown that would have seen Ilja Dragunov attack The Miz during his match with Carmelo Hayes, continuing a path towards [a] potential Miz vs. Ilja matchup. We’re told the angle was included in the final draft of the show and ultimately pulled late into the live broadcast,” the report stated.

The direction behind the idea was said to be setting the stage for a future showdown between The Miz and Dragunov. Whether that confrontation has been postponed or quietly dropped remains to be seen.

At present, The Miz continues portraying a character obsessed with reclaiming the spotlight and the status he feels is owed to him, which has caused friction across the roster. Dragunov, meanwhile, has been rebuilding momentum on SmackDown following his return from injury, positioning himself as a dangerous presence on the blue brand.

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