Ilja Dragunov has signed with AEW and is expected to debut soon, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Dave Meltzer wrote in the new issue that Dragunov “has signed and should be starting very soon.” The report follows Fightful Select’s report on Sunday that AEW had been the plan for some time and that the remaining hold-up was administrative, with Sean Ross Sapp noting nothing had been signed at that point.
From the Observer: “As has been expected, Ilja Dragunov (Ilja Rukober, who turns 33 in a few weeks), has signed and should be starting very soon. This was pretty apparent in August the way Tony Khan was talking about him but as he noted with the New Level, these deals often take weeks to finalize. Obviously he’s a guy who can have great matches. But at this point they almost need more TV to facilitate such a large roster and keep people in the public eye.”
Fightful’s report said Dragunov, like some other recent WWE departures, faced visa expirations or visa hurdles that affected the timeline for his next move.
Dragunov left WWE when his contract expired rather than taking a release, which meant no 90-day non-compete. That is why Tony Khan has been able to discuss him publicly in a way he normally would not with a wrestler under a clause. Khan has not confirmed the signing, but at the Death Before Dishonor media scrum he spoke about how highly he regards Dragunov as a wrestler.
Dragunov, 32, competed for WWE from 2019 to 2026 across NXT UK, NXT and the main roster. He held the NXT UK Championship for 351 days after beating WALTER in August 2021, ending WALTER’s 870-day reign, and won the NXT Championship from Carmelo Hayes at No Mercy in September 2023. On the main roster he held the United States Championship once during his time on SmackDown.
Before WWE, Dragunov was a two-time wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion in Germany, where he was raised after his family moved from Russia
