Overview
- Multiple industry outlets report in mid-September that Ilja Dragunov is set to sign with All Elite Wrestling but has not publicly finalized a contract.
- Sources say visa and work-authorization paperwork have delayed the process and are the main reason the signing has not yet been announced.
- Dragunov became a free agent after his WWE contract expired, so he faced no non-compete window and has been free to negotiate for weeks.
- Reports cite a pay gap as the reason Dragunov left WWE, with Stamford staff calling him an excellent worker who did not move enough audience or merchandise numbers.
- Dragunov built his reputation in Europe and at NXT, and the expected move follows similar patterns of non-U.S. talent leaving WWE and eventually joining AEW once paperwork clears.