Ilja Dragunov has made his way from WWE to AEW, and the move appears to be a long time coming.
Dragunov made his AEW debut at Saturday night's AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view, receiving his own pyro-heavy introduction to the new audience. It was his first television appearance since April, when he wrestled in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal before WrestleMania 42.
The 33-year-old made the decision to leave WWE upon the expiration of his contract this summer, jumping to AEW after receiving his visa clearance last week.
Speaking with The Takedown on SI on Tuesday, he said he was able to get through his lack of ring time with the help of his girlfriend, alongside some much-needed rest and reflection.
"Actually, not being busier for a certain period of time was also not the worst thing to just let the body heal and to have some time to think about certain things," he said. "Things like, 'Am I where I want to be? Is this the right place for me?'"
Dragunov leaves WWE for AEW
The former WWE NXT Champion signed with WWE as a part of the WWE NXT UK brand back in 2019, making his way through traditional NXT and eventually on to the main roster. He received his official call-up in 2024, but just months in, he tore his ACL, sidelining him for more than a year.
Dragunov would make his return in October of 2025, winning the WWE United States Championship from Sami Zayn in an open challenge. It looked like the start of a new opportunity for the Russian-born star, but a 70-day reign would eventually end and leave him without much to do on television.
The new AEW star told The Takedown that while he is in touch with his feelings, he doesn't do great with not much to do, and that he felt the tide turning toward the end of his title run.
"It has been a very complicated time for me because, you see, I came back from an ACL tear that happened in the most unexciting way possible. I worked myself through rehab and was training very hard, and was very dedicated. I came back, and I won the United States Championship basically on my return, which was an awesome, memorable moment," he said.
"But then certain times, like after I dropped the belt and I was going through my next performances, I felt like I felt in my gut things are different. And I don't blame anybody. I'm a gentleman and I have way too much respect for the last seven years that I the most of my 20s that I spent with the company. But I felt like it is fine for me and reasonable to ask myself, 'Is there more? Is there a new air I can breathe?'"
The New Level's AEW debut catches Dragunov's eye
As Dragunov was mapping out his future, another longtime WWE act was searching for new air to breathe as well.
Kofi and Austin Creed, formerly known as The New Day, made their AEW debuts at All In under the New Level moniker after more than a decade as a unit in WWE. There in London, they instantly won the AEW World Trios Championship and seemed to be immediately positioned as major players in the company.
Dragunov admitted that their quick sucess in AEW caught his attention.
"I mean, it would be a lie if it wouldn't, right? You see people perform in a way that they didn't perform in a while anymore. I can tell, hopefully, or just feel, or can try to imagine a certain happiness if I watch them, what they're doing, and just reconnecting with these people that you shared some time with. You can just tell that it's definitely a new place and something they appreciate [being] a part of," Dragunov said.
While they lost the trios titles on that WrestleDream show, Dragunov's debut was a major highlight of it. His deal came together quickly, with vignettes being shot leading to his first appearance. Once his visa situation was cleared, he was on a plane from Germany to the United States in a matter of hours.
Now, he feels like his new home will allow him to do what he has wanted to do for months: wrestle, on his terms.
"It lets my heart beat faster, and I feel like I re-fell in love with professional wrestling in some kind of way. The experience that I've had so far is having people around me that really want to portray everything that is going on in my mind, that really understand what I'm doing," he said of his AEW experience so far.
"They want to enhance what I'm doing and they want to put it into the right light, what I'm doing. And I feel if you can describe it with some word, I feel freedom."
Dragunov officially makes his AEW in-ring debut on Wednesday night against "Speedball" Mike Bailey on AEW Dynamite.
If you use any quotes from this piece, please H/T The Takedown on SI.
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