Ilja Dragunov's AEW Signing ALMOST Fell Apart - Backstage Details Revealed (AEW News)

Ilja Dragunov is now #AllElite... though he very nearly wasn't.

by Andrew Pollard
Ilja Dragunov
AEW

With Ilja Dragunov now finally #AllElite after months of speculation, the Mad Dragon's arrival in AEW nearly didn't happen.

For those yet to catch up with AEW WrestleDream from this past weekend, Dragunov made his company debut there, introduced by Renee Paquette as the promotion's latest signee.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that Ilja's AEW debut nearly fell apart due to a visa issue connected to the 33-year-old's previous spell under contract with WWE. AEW had already prepared Dragunov's debut vignette, as ultimately aired on last week's Collision, but held off on airing it until there was confirmation that Ilja would be able to appear at WrestleDream.

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Whatever visa issues had threatened Ilja Dragunov's AEW arrival have now been sorted, and the former NXT Champion and WWE United States Champion used the post-WrestleDream press conference to talk about who he's looking forward to facing in Tony Khan's outfit. On that front, Ilja essentially said he's looking forward to facing the entire roster, though Jon Moxley, Samoa Joe, and Kyle Fletcher were three particular talents that he outright named.

As for Ilja Dragunov's WWE exit, the market leader was keen to keep him, though Ilja opted to let his existing deal expire so that he could explore his options elsewhere. That resulted in WWE keeping him off TV, scrapping a planned post-SummerSlam return for the hugely talented Russian. And so, after months of speculation of a move to AEW, Dragunov has now been confirmed to make his AEW in-ring debut on this week's Dynamite.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.