AEW's Kyle Fletcher Posts Pic From 2019 Match With Exiting WWE Star Ilja Dragunov

By Samantha Schipman
Ilja Dragunov holding the Men's US title in the air WWE

On Thursday, wrestling fans were taken by surprise when word circulated that Ilja Dragunov was leaving WWE. Dragunov was said to have let his contract lapse, with the latest reports indicating that he is now an available free agent.

As word was spreading, Kyle Fletcher fueled speculation that Dragunov could possibly be bound for AEW. He simply posted a black and white photo with the caption "2019" — the year of their only singles match. 

Dragunov defeated the AEW International Champion at PROGRESS Chapter 100: Unboxing Live IV – A New Hope. They faced each other five other times in multi-man and tag matches across three promotions. 

AEW's biggest pay-per-view of the year, ALL IN is August 30 at Wembley Stadium. The day after, PROGRESS has a show featuring ROH Men's TV Champion Lio Rush, former WWE Superstar Nikki Storm, and a meet-and-greet with former WWE Superstar Dijak.

According to reports, WWE was originally planning to bring Dragunov back to TV after SummerSlam, but that never came to fruition. Dragunov last wrestled when he was part of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on "WWE SmackDown" prior to WrestleMania 42 weekend. In 2025, he defeated Sami Zayn for the Men's United States title in his return match after being sidelined with an ACL sprain. He held the title for 63 days. In 2024, he held the NXT Championship for over 200 days.

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