Major Update on Ilja Dragunov's Future Following WWE Departure

Ilja Dragunov is expected to have a new home in the near future following his departure from WWE this summer.

Ilja Dragunov | WWE

One of the top free agents in professional wrestling is expected to sign a new contract in the very near future.

Ilja Dragunov has not wrestled since the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal back in April. He spent much of the summer off television while reportedly trying to negotiate a new deal with WWE, but those conversations apparently did not go to his liking.

The former Men's United States Champion decided to let his contract with WWE expire, and he officially hit the open market back in mid-August.

Carmelo Hayes, right, connects a kick to the face of Ilja Dragunov. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Shortly after Dragunov was moved to the alumni section of WWE's website, the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that the top brass in WWE viewed Ilja as a "great worker," but not someone who would move the needle in key metrics.

"Evidently for the level of money he was asking and getting, you needed to be a numbers mover," Dave Meltzer wrote in his Wrestling Observer Newsletter last month. "He had incredible matches in NXT, including bouts with Walter (Gunther) that are among the best matches in company history. He used the name Ilja Dragunov starting in 2012, so [he] would have the prior-use ability to continue using it."

And the question of where wrestling fans will next see Ilja Dragunov appears to have now been answered.

Ilja Dragunov is reportedly expected to sign with All Elite Wrestling

Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp reported Monday afternoon that plans are in place for Ilja Dragunov to sign a free agent deal with AEW, joining fellow WWE releases New Level and Motor City Machine Guns in doing so in 2026.

Ross Sapp noted in his report that Dragunov to AEW has been the plan for some time, and it's just a matter of clearing a few hurdles before he can sign with the top rival promotion to WWE.

"Those [Fightful] spoke to said a number of the recent WWE departures from out of the United States were facing visa expirations or visa hurdles that was affecting their free agent process, and Ilja was among them," Ross Sapp said in his report on Monday.

Ross Sapp has not been able to confirm whether Dragunov has put pen to paper as of this writing, but he said Ilja will join All Elite Wrestling barring any unforeseen circumstances. We'll keep you updated on a potential debut date, just as soon as more information on Dragunov's contract status becomes available.