Ilja Dragunov Expected To Start With AEW Imminently (AEW News)
Ilja Dragunov expected to land in AEW "barring unforeseen circumstances".
With Ilja Dragunov having departed WWE last month, all signs continue to point towards the Mad Dragon landing in AEW sooner rather than later.
Per Fightful Select, Dragunov to AEW is the plan "barring unforeseen circumstances," and this has been the plan "for some time", though this report reiterates that the former WWE United States Champion has not signed with AEW as of yet. The outlet also adds that they've spoken to several recent non-American WWE departures who were facing visa expirations or wider visa issues that were impacting their free agency, and Ilja is believed to be among them.
As for what ring name Ilja Dragunov will use in the future, the Ilja element will be fine to use, as his real name is Ilja Rukober. While the 32-year-old has used the Dragunov last name since making his in-ring debut back in 2012, it remains to be seen whether he'll be able to use that away from WWE.
In terms of his current status, Dragunov has been contractually free to sign anywhere for a number of weeks by this point. When Ilja left WWE last month, he did so as a complete free agent after the natural expiration of his previous WWE contract. While WWE was keen to re-sign the intense grappler, even with reported plans to bring him back into the fold after SummerSlam, an agreement couldn't be reached for the Russian to remain with the market leader.
Dragunov last wrestled for WWE as part of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the SmackDown before WrestleMania 42, and he only had eight main TV matches for the company in 2026.