Tony Khan has finally been asked directly about Ilja Dragunov potentially coming to AEW, and he certainly didn’t shut the idea down.
During the ROH Death Before Dishonor post-show media scrum on August 21, Khan was asked whether he had any interest in Dragunov following the end of his WWE contract. Khan stopped short of confirming that AEW has made contact with Dragunov and said he wasn’t sure about his current contractual situation. He did, however, make it clear that he thinks very highly of him.
“I’m not sure about the contractual status, but that’s a tremendous wrestler. I don’t know what his contractual status is, and I can’t keep track of that for people that don’t work here, but he’s a tremendous wrestler.”
That answer comes at an interesting time because Dragunov’s WWE contract expired on August 20, making him a free agent. Since his deal expired rather than being terminated early, there is no 90-day waiting period preventing him from appearing somewhere else.
Fightful Select previously checked with sources inside AEW and was told they had not heard about Dragunov coming into the company. People elsewhere in the wrestling business have still viewed AEW as an obvious potential landing spot, although those expectations were described as speculation rather than anything firm. Now Khan has publicly acknowledged Dragunov for the first time since his WWE exit, but he isn’t tipping his hand about whether AEW plans to pursue him.
With Dragunov now free to go wherever he wants, Khan calling him a “tremendous wrestler” is sure to keep the AEW speculation alive. There is still no confirmation that talks are happening, but the AEW boss clearly knows exactly what Dragunov brings to the table.
Do you think Tony Khan should bring Ilja Dragunov to AEW now that he’s a free agent? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
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