Ilja Dragunov has signed with AEW and is expected to start with the company very soon, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Meltzer’s report came Friday, September 18, roughly a month after Dragunov left WWE when his contract expired. Because the deal ran out rather than ending in a release, there was no 90-day non-compete, leaving him free to sign elsewhere immediately.
“As has been expected, Ilja Dragunov […] has signed and should be starting very soon,” Meltzer wrote.
Meltzer also noted that the signing had looked likely since August, when AEW president Tony Khan started publicly praising Dragunov. At the time, Khan called him a “tremendous, tremendous professional wrestler” and said he was a great wrestler.
Dragunov hasn’t wrestled since April 17, when he competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on SmackDown ahead of WrestleMania 42. He was eliminated that night by Aleister Black.
Before the layoff, Dragunov’s biggest main roster moment came when he won the United States Championship from Sami Zayn in October 2025. His reign lasted 70 days and ended on December 26, when Carmelo Hayes beat him for the title.
AEW has not yet officially announced when Dragunov will make his debut.
The next Dynamite and Collision are set for September 23 in Indianapolis, while All Out takes place three days later in Chicago.