Ilja Dragunov is on the open market, and speculation about an AEW move has been rampant. His WWE contract expired on August 20, with Dragunov opting not to re-sign and already appearing in the Alumni section of the company’s official website.
Because of how the separation played out, Dragunov became an immediate free agent. He can sign and appear with another promotion without any waiting period, bypassing the traditional 90-day non-compete clause.
No deal with AEW has been announced as of this writing. However, sources within the company believe that could be the former WWE star’s next destination. Tony Khan stopped short of confirming any negotiations, only calling Dragunov a great wrestler during the ROH Death Before Dishonor media scrum.
With that in mind, the list below operates on the assumption that Dragunov ends up in AEW. Should that path materialize, WWE will have five major reasons to regret not getting a new deal done.
Dragunov vs. Gunther Would Be Historic
Few wrestlers share as deep a history with Gunther as Ilja Dragunov. Their story began long before WWE, when both were top names in wXw in Germany.
In March 2017, Dragunov defeated WALTER in the 16 Carat Gold tournament final in front of 850 fans at a sold-out Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen. Four years later at NXT TakeOver 36, he topped the Austrian again, this time by submission, ending Gunther’s historic 870-day reign as NXT UK Champion.
Between those two victories, WALTER defeated Dragunov in a title match in 2020. WWE wove the loss into the character’s emotional downfall and built toward a rematch over the course of nearly a year. Their history proved they could sustain a long-term rivalry on minimal interaction, delivering intense matches and connected chapters stretching back to the European circuit.
The main roster showdown, however, never made it to television. Dragunov suffered a serious knee injury during a match against Gunther at a live event in September 2024. WWE announced a suspected torn ACL at the time and projected a minimum six-month absence.
The company missed its window to tell this story for the RAW or SmackDown audience, and a move to AEW would shelve the possibility of another chapter between them indefinitely.
Dragunov Already Proved He Can Carry a Brand
After NXT UK folded, Dragunov had to rebuild his career on the American version of NXT. He reached the top in September 2023, beating Carmelo Hayes at No Mercy to capture the NXT Championship.
The reign lasted 205 days. Over that stretch, Dragunov rematched Hayes, defeated Baron Corbin, Trick Williams, and Tony D’Angelo before finally dropping the title to Trick at Spring Breakin in April 2024. The title change capped Dragunov’s NXT run, with him serving as the credible opponent that allowed Williams to flourish.
Dragunov also worked high-profile matches against Bron Breakker, JD McDonagh, and Dijak. WWE had a guy who could chase the title, carry the title, and then elevate the next champion on his way out. That kind of performer has value anywhere on the card, especially when a company is trying to build new stars.
The Main Roster Only Got a Small Sample
Dragunov’s call-up to RAW came in 2024, but the torn ACL cut short his first shot at establishing himself. He missed over a year of programming and returned on October 17, 2025, defeating Sami Zayn that same night to win the United States Championship.
Over the weeks that followed, the new champion brought back the open challenge format and defended against Aleister Black, Nathan Frazer, Johnny Gargano, Axiom, JD McDonagh, Carmelo Hayes, and Tommaso Ciampa. The reign ended when Hayes beat him on December 26, lasting 70 days.
The bottom line is that WWE never gave Dragunov a meaningful feud built around a main roster PLE. His role shrank in 2026, and his final match was the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on April 17. According to the Wrestling Observer at the time, the company pulled him from programming during contract negotiations because the two sides were far apart on money.
The same report noted that Dragunov was regarded as a great wrestler, though WWE saw him as someone who couldn’t move the needle enough to justify his asking price.
AEW Already Has Ready-Made Feuds
Kyle Fletcher reacted to Dragunov’s departure by posting a throwback photo of the two together. The nod tracks: Dragunov defeated Fletcher at PROGRESS Chapter 100 in December 2019, but their connection goes back even further.
In August of that year, Dragunov and WALTER defeated Aussie Open (Fletcher and Mark Davis) to win the wXw World Tag Team Championship. Fletcher and Davis regained the titles a month later and won a subsequent rematch as well. All told, Fletcher and Dragunov shared the ring on five occasions. Fletcher currently holds the AEW International Championship, giving the company a built-in story for a first feud.
Claudio Castagnoli could also enter the picture. Still working as Cesaro at the time, he defeated Dragunov at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff in August 2019 in a match that ended with a handshake and an embrace. A rematch with Claudio, along with first-time matchups against Will Ospreay, Konosuke Takeshita, and Jon Moxley, would put Dragunov across the ring from styles that suit his intensity.
On top of that, AEW added wXw itself to the MyAEW streaming catalog in July and will hold All In at Wembley Stadium on August 30. Dragunov’s background on the European circuit would allow AEW to showcase his history without leaning on anything he did in WWE.
AEW’s crowded roster remains the biggest risk of this potential signing, but the Casino Gauntlet and AEW International Championship offer solid paths to feature him.
WWE Itself Was Planning to Bring Him Back, and That Says Everything
WWE’s biggest potential regret comes down to a plan the company itself had in place. Bryan Alvarez reported that WWE and Dragunov were deep in negotiations over a return to programming as recently as June. A separate report indicated the goal was to bring him back after SummerSlam. The deal never came together, and Dragunov ultimately let his contract run out.
Dragunov is 32 years old, fully recovered from his injury, and free to keep using the name he built before arriving in WWE. Sports Illustrated noted that he had been working as “Ilja Dragunov” since 2012, meaning he owns the rights to the name.
If AEW locks him down, they immediately add a former NXT UK Champion, former NXT Champion, and former United States Champion with ready-made feuds and the bulk of his physical prime still ahead of him.
An All In debut remains pure speculation at this point. But if AEW unveils Dragunov at Wembley or in the weeks that follow, WWE will be watching the wrestler they had earmarked for a SmackDown return start a new run with the competition.