Ilja Dragunov is getting closer and closer to making his AEW debut. During Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite and Collision, AEW aired a mysterious vignette that did not officially identify Dragunov, but it is indeed him.
The video, about 22 seconds long, showed a man dressed as a conductor leading an orchestra, accompanied by the sound of a metronome and by footage of someone training in a ring. The main confirmation that it is Dragunov is in the soundtrack, where a choir repeats the word Unbesiegbar, a nickname Dragunov used during his time in WWE.
The connection is reinforced by Dragunov’s own official WWE profile, which lists Unbesiegbar as one of the main traits of his character. The vignette also recreated the conducting motions associated with his past entrances.
As previously reported, Dave Meltzer revealed in September that Dragunov had signed with AEW and was expected to debut soon. At the time, it was also reported that he was dealing with work visa issues, which delayed his debut.
Another detail involves the name Dragunov will use in AEW. In September, it was reported that he could go by just Ilja, his real first name, but that there were questions about the rights to the Dragunov name.
AEW will hold its next pay-per-view, WrestleDream, on Saturday at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida. Dragunov’s debut could take place at that show.