Throughout the year there have been a number of surprising WWE departures, and it was reported recently that Ilja Dragunov had parted ways with WWE after his contract expired on 8/20. With Illa Dragunov now a free agent there’s been a lot of speculation regarding where he could end up next.
Following his departure from WWE, WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select reached out to a source at the company who confirmed that Dragunov and WWE could not come to an agreement, which is what led to Dragunov’s decision to leave the company.
It’s being said that many within the company do not view this as a short term departure similar to when names like Bronson Reed and Baron Corbin spent time away from the company then returned. The feeling internally at WWE is Ilja Dragunov is going to be away from the company for a long time.
A source at All Elite Wrestling believes that in the near future the company will inquire about bringing Ilja Dragunov in, if they haven’t done so already. One source believes that an Ilja Dragunov appearance in AEW could be on the horizon if talks between the two sides go smoothly.