Ilja Dragunov is All Elite!

The former NXT champion made his AEW debut last night at WrestleDream, introduced by Renee Paquette during the pay-per-view.

His arrival was teased last week in a video which while it did not show his face, it was pretty evident who it was for.

During the post-show press conference, Dragunov said that he felt he was “getting stuck” and because he has this urge to fight and wants to compete, he had to move on.

“If I feel that the air in a certain environment gets thinner for me, I need to breathe,” he said. “That’s what I did today, here. If I need a place to breathe new, fresh air, see a new landscape, and see what the world can offer me to satisfy this hunger for competition.”

He added that he’s been wrestling for 14 years and as time goes on, chances get limited.

“I’ve traveled to places and been under contract. I’ve never had the chance where I didn’t feel like I can’t bet on myself. If I feel that this chance is limited, then it gets more limited,” he said.

Dragunov has been off television since April 2026 and departed WWE in August after his contract expired and he chose not to renew it.