The wrestling world was buzzing as Ever since Ilja Dragunov shockingly departed WWE concluding month, speculation has been rampant about his potential move to AEW.
Dave Meltzer noted that Dragunov has put pen to paper a deal with All Elite Wrestling and is widely believed to make his debut with the company very soon, in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Beyond that, this development follows a report from Fightful Select earlier this week, which indicated that Dragunov was almost certain to join AEW, though the final details of the deal had yet to be finalized.
Dragunov departed WWE after word is that deciding against signing a as of late introduced deal. Dragunov linked up with WWE in 2019, beginning his career in the NXT UK brand, where he captured the NXT UK Belt. Media reports suggest that he had discussions with WWE about a contract extension, however communication eventually broke down between the parties involved. He later won the NXT Championship before moving to the main collection of stars in 2024.
On the main roster, Dragunov walked away with his maiden strap last October by defeating Sami Zayn for the United States Gold. Be that as it may, he had limited appearances this year, with his last match occurring on SmackDown before The showcase of the immortals 42 — where he participated in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale.