Former WWE United States and NXT Reigning champion Ilja Dragunov is officially a free agent following the expiration of his WWE agreement, rather than being released before the end of his deal.
As previously confirmed by PWMania.com, the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that Dragunov had been discussing a recently introduced contract with WWE, on the flip side the two sides were far enough apart that the company made the decision in April to stop using him. His previous deal was described as “very good,” with WWE per sources determining that he did not draw enough to justify the salary he was seeking and already receiving.
Because Dragunov’s terms expired, he is not subject to a post-WWE waiting period and is free to wrestle or sign with another promotion at once.
There has naturally been speculation about Dragunov potentially joining AEW, on the flip side a brand-new report from Fightful Select indicates there is currently nothing concrete behind those rumors.
As noted by the report, people within AEW have not heard that Dragunov is joining the company. Some people with knowledge within the wrestling industry expect that AEW could ultimately be his destination — however that belief was described as speculation rather than information about negotiations or an agreement.
That includes at least one promoter from the European wrestling scene, where Dragunov established himself before joining WWE.
Dragunov’s future moreover appears to be something of a mystery to people who know him personally. Several wrestlers as reported reached out to him during his absence from WWE television but did not receive any information regarding his situation or future plans. This reportedly includes wrestlers who previously trained with him.
His WWE departure on top of that came as a surprise to people associated with Germany’s wXw promotion. As an added layer to this, dragunov was one of the promotion’s most prominent performers before joining WWE. Those familiar with him had reportedly poised him to receive greater opportunities during his main roster run.
There is already considerable interest from wrestlers on the European independent scene in potentially working with Dragunov. However, one wXw source expressed doubt that he will simply re-emergence to regularly wrestling on European independent shows, particularly because his potential booking fee may be beyond what many promotions can realistically afford.
One prediction mentioned in the report was that Dragunov could potentially arrival back to PROGRESS Wrestling, which is now owned by Nikki Storm and Substantial Damo.
Dragunov has yet to publicly address his WWE departure or reveal what he plans to do next.