Kyle Fletcher has made no secret of his interest in a rematch with Ilja Dragunov, who hit the open market after his WWE run came to an end.
The two share a history in the ring. Dragunov defeated Fletcher at PROGRESS Chapter 100 on December 30, 2019, at the Electric Ballroom in London, England. That remains their only singles match, though they crossed paths five additional times in tag and multi-man bouts.
Shortly after news broke of Dragunov’s WWE departure, Fletcher fueled speculation by posting a photo from their 2019 match on X with the simple caption “2019.”
Speaking with Adam Barnard of The Sportster, the reigning AEW International Champion directly addressed the possibility of a rematch.
“It feels way too early to speculate. For me, I think Ilja is incredible. He brings this raw passion that you don’t get very often in pro wrestling. It’s something that I feel I have now gotten to a point where when I’m in the ring, I feel that passion, and when I get in there with someone else who has that same passion for pro wrestling, that’s where magic happens. There’s been many people I’ve gotten in the ring that I have that feeling, and I know that Ilja is one of those people, and the thought of another match between us after everything that’s happened excites me very much.”
The timing only adds fuel to the speculation. Dragunov’s WWE contract expired this month, bringing an end to a run that began in 2019. His final match with the company came on April 17 in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on Friday Night SmackDown.
Tony Khan has also been asked about Dragunov, calling the former NXT Champion a “tremendous professional wrestler,” but he gave no indication of any negotiations to sign him.
In the meantime, Fletcher is set to defend the AEW International Championship against Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita at All In on August 30 at Wembley Stadium.