Former WWE superstar Ilja Dragunov appears AEW bound after a report confirmed the two sides are talking. Top wrestling insider Sean Ross Sapp reveals that Dragunov is fully expected to sign a contract and join the roster quite soon. Dragunov was released from WWE due to the company viewing him as someone who will never be a numbers mover and wanting to cut salary for even higher profits.
Sapp reported the following on his popular Fightful Patreon page:
“Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp has learned that the plan as of now is for Ilja Dragunov to land in All Elite Wrestling. We’re told that this has been the plan for some time, but some final details are getting nailed down to make it a reality.
Those we spoke to said a number of the recent WWE departures from out of the United States were facing visa expirations or visa hurdles that was affecting their free agent process, and Ilja was among them. We have not confirmed that Ilja has put pen to paper, but he is set to join AEW barring unforeseen circumstance.”
AEW President and owner Tony Khan revealed that he considers Dragunov to be an incredible talent when asked about the release by WWE. While Khan did not and does not comment on signing names released by the competition, the praise made it clear that loves Dragunov as a performer. Most fans and pundits believed Dragunov was AEW bound from that day.
Does Ilja Dragunov Have To Change Name?
The first question for a WWE released talent is typically fans wondering if they’ll be able to join AEW as the first major rival promotion since WCW. Most then next go towards questioning whether the former WWE talent can still use the name in a new promotion.
Sapp revealed the following news about Ilja’s ring name in AEW:
“Ilja will be able to continue to use the Ilja name, as it is his given name. We aren’t sure about Dragunov, which he did use prior to WWE. He left the company last month after his WWE deal expired and he chose to move on. He’s been contractually able to sign elsewhere for a number of weeks.”
Unless Dragunov or AEW wants a major change to his presentation, the Ilja name will still be used at the very least. Sapp cited that Dragunov was used before his WWE career, but it is unknown if WWE used copyright laws to own that name.
How Ilja Dragunov Can Help AEW
AEW clearly has a lot of momentum with television viewership and PPV numbers near the best its been in recent memory. All In 2026 was considered to be a smash hit that has a chance to be the most purchased AEW PPV ever once official numbers are reported.
Dragunov would not be a game changing superstar attraction, but his in-ring style perfectly fits into AEW. The match quality of Dragunov is his biggest skill, and AEW separates themselves from WWE by having the best matches.
Expect Dragunov to fit into the mid-card picture for one of the many middle of the pack AEW titles. However, the chance to move into the main event picture is there if he gets over with fans and gains momentum quickly into his AEW debut.
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