Earlier this month, supporters were shocked to learn that WWE veteran Ilja Dragunov had exited the company following the expiration of his deal. Dragunov had not appeared on WWE television since the SmackDown episode before The showcase of the immortals 42. Reports indicate that Dragunov chose to let his contract expire after negotiations with WWE over a new deal broke down.
They did not see him as a significant draw for the company, subsequent reports revealed that although WWE officials viewed Dragunov as an exceptional talent. Since his departure, speculation has arisen that Dragunov may join AEW (All Elite Wrestling).
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer touched on AEW President and CEO Tony Khan’s new comments regarding Dragunov. Khan lauded Dragunov as a “tremendous” professional wrestler that declared also stated that he was unaware of the WWE veteran’s contractual status, during the recent ROH Media Scrum. He expects the AEW CEO to extend a arrangement offer to him, meltzer noted that given Khan’s enthusiastic praise for Dragunov.
Meltzer on top of that mentioned that the concluding time Khan praised a competitor from WWE, it was Claudio Castagnoli, who had already been signed. Equally important, castagnoli later made his AEW debut just a few weeks afterward. With the All In show taking place in London, England, this weekend, it will be intriguing to see if Dragunov makes an appearance.