Ilja Dragunov To Make AEW In-Ring Debut On Wednesday's Dynamite

Ilja Dragunov is officially "All Elite," and he's wasting little time to make his presence felt.

Following Dragunov's formal introduction at WrestleDream, AEW CEO Tony Khan confirmed that "The Mad Dragon" will mark his AEW in-ring next, with Wednesday's episode of "AEW Dynamite" in Coral Gables, Florida set as the stage.

"I'm so honored to have you here because I believe you are one of the greatest wrestlers in the world," Khan told Dragunov at the WrestleDream post-show media scrum. "You've said you want to get started. You want to get started fighting. We're here in the great state of Florida. We've got the great Florida wrestling media members here. How about this Wednesday night, based on what we said backstage, you've said you're ready to start fighting this Wednesday night on Dynamite. Let's do it. I'm excited for that. We'll have your in-ring debut."

As of this writing, Dragunov's AEW debut opponent has yet to be named. The former WWE star already has some potential ones in mind, though, as he pointed to AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley, former AEW World Champion Samoa Joe, and former AEW TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher as some of his dream in-ring adversaries from his new home.

"I'm starving for competition," he said. "I know that whoever I will step up against has a serious problem because now I am here. Now I am here and this is going to be a serious problem for so many people."

Dragunov departed from WWE over the summer after opting not to renew his contract. His last WWE match pitted him against several others in the 2026 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal in April 2026.