Ilja Dragunov Reportedly Expected To Land In AEW
Industry sources expected Ilja Dragunov to be AEW-bound after departing WWE.
On August 20, PWInsider reported that Ilja Dragunov had departed WWE following the expiration of his contract, with subsequent reports stating that WWE had hoped to retain him, but Dragunov opted not to re-sign.
Following news of his departure, speculation began to build that Dragunov could be AEW-bound. Fightful Select has now provided an update, reporting that while AEW sources have not heard anything concrete, some industry sources expect him to eventually land with the promotion.
“Upon hearing the news, AEW sources we spoke to had not yet heard about him coming to the company. However, he is now a free agent and could appear as soon as they wanted. Sources in the industry did expect him to land in All Elite Wrestling, but that was considered a hunch as opposed to firm.”
-Fightful Select
As Dragunov departed WWE due to his contract expiring rather than being released, he is a free agent and can sign with another promotion immediately. There may be a short delay while he secures the necessary visa, as is often the case in similar situations, but he is expected to have no trouble finding work in the United States.
Fightful also noted that several wrestlers reached out to Dragunov over the summer to clarify his WWE status. While he trained with some of those wrestlers, they had not been aware of his situation at the time.
The report additionally reveals that Dragunov’s departure came as a surprise to those within wXw in Germany, with many having expected more from his WWE main roster run given his ability to connect with fans.
However, despite attending a wXw event in Hamburg in May and several European talents expressing interest in facing him, Dragunov is not expected to return to the independent scene following his WWE exit. The expectation remains that he will soon be ‘All Elite’.
“However, one wXw source we spoke with noted that they would be surprised to see Dragunov return to the independent scene, while a UK promoter noted that while they’d love to book him, they would be surprised to see Ilja return to the indies with a bookable rate for most promotions on the continent. Another European promoter expects that Dragunov will sign with AEW, while also predicting that Dragunov could end up back in PROGRESS.”
-Fightful Select
Having signed with WWE in February 2019, Dragunov spent his first three years with NXT UK, where he captured the NXT United Kingdom Championship. He moved to NXT in the United States in 2022.
Dragunov captured more singles gold in September 2023 when he became NXT Champion. The 2024 WWE Draft then saw the Russian move to Monday Night RAW, though he suffered a torn ACL during a live event that sidelined him for a year.
He returned in October 2025, answering Sami Zayn’s open challenge for the United States Championship on SmackDown and capturing the title. His final appearance came on the April 17, 2026, episode of SmackDown, with WWE reportedly opting not to use him amid contract negotiations. You can read more about that here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Ilja Dragunov’s future following his WWE departure as soon as we hear more
