Ilja Dragunov reveals why he rejected WWE's offer to stay, frustrations that led to AEW move

Ilja Dragunov is officially an AEW wrestler after his big debut at AEW WrestleDream 2026 in Orlando this past Saturday.

As soon as news hit that Dragunov was entering free agency, many in the pro-wrestling community started buzzing at the possibilities. Dragunov was already a workhorse of the highest order throughout his seven-year WWE run, highlighted by his U.S. Championship run that began in October 2025. Now, a whole new world of exciting matches is on the table, and he'll make his in-ring AEW debut on Wednesday's "AEW Dynamite."

Speaking Tuesday on "The Ariel Helwani Show", Dragunov said he didn't know he was leaving the company when he competed in his final WWE match in April.

"I didn't know at the time I was leaving. I was just waiting,” Dragunov told Uncrowned. “I'm a person who loves what they do. I want to compete, I want to work, I want to do this and that. I just got a little stuck. But it's nothing new to anybody. It was pretty obvious.

"So, the time just passed by and then I reached the expiration of my contract, and I felt, over time, that OK, how everything is working out, and how I'm feeling — because I do a lot of things depending on how I feel about it. I've always had the courage to do so. I felt it was time to breathe some new fresh air."

WWE letting Dragunov go was somewhat of a stunning decision to hear. After recovering from an ACL tear, Dragunov returned last year and made his "SmackDown" debut, winning the aforementioned U.S. title in his first appearance on the program. That alone showed the faith the company appeared to have in someone with his in-ring talent.

Ultimately, Dragunov defended the U.S. title seven times in some of the best matches "SmackDown" saw throughout that period, before dropping the belt in late December. He didn't do much after that, but Dragunov said WWE offered him a contract to stay. It just didn't satisfy him or make him feel like he needed to stick around.

"It was an accumulation of a lot of things," Dragunov said. "The [deal WWE was] offering — as we all know, at the end of the day, it's a business. But also, it's definitely based off my feeling of, do I want to work creatively? Do I need a scenery change? Is the scenery change something where I can see myself stay forever?

"You have to consider a lot of factors. I spent most of my 20s in WWE. That's a very, very long time, and the landscape in this beautiful business changed. The beautiful thing is, nowadays we have a lot of other opportunities, and for me personally, after such a long time being with a company, to not seek out new opportunities, maybe at a place where I see myself more fitting, who wouldn't do that?"

“There was nothing that I felt [was] satisfying,” Dragunov added of WWE’s offer, “and nothing that gave me the perspective of like, 'OK, I must stick with what [I have] here.’”

The U.S. title run was refreshing and well-deserved for Dragunov, whose initial main-roster run was cut extremely short on "Raw" by a knee injury.

Dragunov, 33, still looks back very fondly at his final year in WWE and how it started. But once the title left his possession, he admits his mind started to wander.

"After I tore my ACL, I had been fortunate to win a championship straight on my comeback, which was an amazing moment for me that I still cherish," Dragunov said. "I think that after I dropped the belt, things kind of went two directions where I feel like, 'OK, it could have been better. It could have been more time to go into a story, something that is outside of just holding a championship, captivating for the people.' So, around April, maybe even a month before that, I was just thinking about it.

"It never changed anything about my work mentality, because I love what I do and I make every minute count for myself, but we all have feelings, and we all want to — especially in a business like this. We want to devote ourselves to this. But I also know it's just a part of the business. I can't change that."

One of the biggest moments of contention, at least from the wrestling community, came in the 2026 Royal Rumble match.

Freshly dethroned of his U.S. title by rival Carmelo Hayes, Dragunov entered the annual 30-man match at No. 17 and lasted 11 minutes before WWE legend Brock Lesnar eliminated him. Without context, the elimination sounds fairly normal, given how Lesnar has historically been booked. But Dragunov was known specifically for his incredible in-ring ability and strength, which Lesnar controversially shrugged off and "no-sold" in the Rumble match, before tossing Dragunov over the ropes in a somewhat awkward manner.

Dragunov is glad his fans were so passionate and angry for him, but he was far less bothered by the moment than the rest of the world. He actually found it fitting for his character.

"Honestly, if you really understand the persona that I have been in the ring for the most part of the time, I've been facing monsters," Dragunov said. "And at the end of the day, you can't change certain things. You have a person like Brock Lesnar standing in front of you — most people would run away as soon as that happens. But me, as a persona, as Ilja Dragunov, who is tough, mentally and physically, I think for what I was given, and how this whole situation occurred, I did the best with what I could do about it. I couldn't change anything about it, but my best career moments were made by vulnerability.

"I [didn’t become] a name by becoming the person who dominates at all times. I became a name in moments where I got beaten down badly. I don't know how good the camera angle is, but my nose is making a right turn because it's been broken a number of times, right? But it was always the way I fought back and recovered after these moments, because these moments make great stories.

"So, I don't see it as a defeat," Dragunov continued. "I'm glad people are upset for me, and maybe it could have worked out in a different way. I don't know. But I can tell you so much as that I didn't spare a second or third thought about it."

Although Dragunov left a lasting impression with his strong WWE career, particularly in NXT and NXT UK, his absence leaves a lot to be desired.

Dragunov's matches with Gunther — formerly known as Walter — are considered by some to be among the greatest in WWE's modern history. So as Dragunov's return from injury neared late last year, one of the big hopes was to see him and his old rival reignite their feud in front of WWE's biggest audiences.

Instead, Gunther has gone down the "Career Killer" gimmick path, which has hit some snags and petered out to some extent, after retiring the likes of Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles. Still very close with his longtime friend Gunther, Dragunov agrees the former champ’s booking could have been better after the big moments Gunther got.

"I guess my feelings are the same feelings a lot of other people share. If you are the person to retire John Cena, it's kind of like a standard that you should keep a certain level of that," Dragunov said.

"For me, [Gunther] is one of the best. He will be one of the best of all time. He is a dear friend of mine for, I don't know, since 2014 or 2015. We are dear friends to each other, and I know he's good. He will always do good. Whatever he does is going to be awesome. But I can also not imagine that after the standard he set, the standard of how he got portrayed, that this is not necessarily the level that we are working at right now."

As for Dragunov, he gets to embark on a run that could cement him in that same view he has of Gunther. Matches against former AEW World Champions Jon Moxley and Samoa Joe have been at the forefront of Dragunov's mind, and now they’re on the horizon.