Ilja Dragunov is expected to make his debut in AEW at Saturday’s WrestleDream in Orlando, Florida. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the expectation is that he will appear on tonight’s pay-per-view.
The journalist published the following information a few hours before the event.
“Former WWE star Ilja Dragunov is expected to debut at AEW WrestleDream tonight after several vignettes teasing him aired on AEW programming.”
The information reinforces what AEW itself began to indicate on Friday, when it posted a second mysterious vignette on its social media. Unlike the first video, the new post included a direct reference to the event, with the following caption.
“#AEWWrestleDream TOMORROW!”
Fightful Select had already identified Dragunov as the character in the vignettes and reported that he signed a contract with AEW, while the company was working to resolve his visa situation.
As previously reported by Wrestling Noticias, the possibility of a debut at WrestleDream had existed since the first vignette, which aired on Wednesday. Saturday’s update turns that possibility into a behind-the-scenes expectation for the pay-per-view itself.
WrestleDream will have its pre-show, Tailgate Brawl, starting at 7 p.m. ET, airing on TNT and HBO Max. The main card will begin at 8 p.m. ET, airing on pay-per-view through HBO Max in the United States.