Ilja Dragunov Has Reportedly Signed With AEW, Will Debut 'Very Soon'

Following his departure from WWE earlier this Summer, Ilja Dragunov has been a name on everyone's lips as speculation about his future has been rampant. A recent report from Fightful Select claimed that barring any unforeseen circumstances, Dragunov will be heading to AEW in the near future, and in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has reported that might already be the case.

Meltzer claims that Dragunov has actually already signed a deal with All Elite Wrestling and should be starting with the company "very soon." He believes that this was always going to end up happening due to AEW President Tony Khan openly praising the "Mad Dragon" when he became a free agent. However, a large number of fans had expected Dragunov to make his debut at AEW All In London 2026, the same show where The New Level made their AEW debuts, but according to Meltzer, much like Austin Creed and Kofi's respective deals, ironing out all of the details in contracts can sometimes take a number of weeks and that's why Dragunov wasn't at Wembley Stadium.

As for where the "Mad Dragon" could debut, AEW All Out 2026 is just over one week away at the time of writing and is not only AEW's next big event, but is already sold out which would make that an ideal place for Dragunov to show up. The company will also be traveling to Paris for the first time shortly after for AEW Grand Slam France in October, a country Dragunov has wrestled in a number of times throughout his time on the European independent scene. When it comes to where he will fit into the AEW roster, Meltzer stated that while he is capable of having incredible matches, AEW might need to start thinking about getting more TV hours due to the size of its roster as Dragunov will naturally take a spot away from someone who already works there.