Published: Sep 14, 2026 by Jamie Toolan | Last Updated: Sep 14, 2026 by Jamie Toolan
Jamie has been covering the world of wrestling for four years and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor of WrestleTalk.com. During his time working for WrestleTalk.com he has written and published over 4,000 news and feature articles covering events and happenings from WWE, AEW, TNA and a variety of international and independent wrestling promotions.
AEW/WWE
After departing WWE at the end of his contract in August, Ilja Dragunov is reportedly AEW bound “barring any unforeseen circumstances.”
‘The Mad Dragon’ will certainly be a signing that gets AEW fans excited, and there are a number of booking possibilities on the table for Tony Khan for when Ilja is ready to debut.
Here are three ways Ilja Dragunov could make his first appearance in All Elite Wrestling.
Confronts Will Ospreay after AEW All Out 2026 world title match
Will Ospreay became the first Englishman to win a world championship on English soil at All In London 2026.
The next pay-per-view on the docket for AEW is the eighth annual All Out event, which emanates from the NOW Arena in Chicago, IL.
The event is set to be headlined by Will Ospreay’s first AEW World Title defense, as the Englishman puts his belt on the line against one-time mentor Jon Moxley.
While Moxley holds an excellent win/loss record in AEW – and defeated Will the last time they met at AEW Revolution back in March – it’s hard to see the new champion falling at the first hurdle following his emotional Wembley Stadium triumph.
In what would be a shocking way to close the broadcast – as well as set up Ospreay’s next title program heading into AEW WrestleDream on October 17 – Ilja Dragunov could make his debut and immediately set his sights on the AEW World Championship.
Answers Andrade El Idolo AEW National Championship open challenge
Andrade El Idolo defeated Mark Davis at AEW Redemption 2026 to win the AEW National Championship.
While he has a guaranteed AEW World Title shot in his back pocket, Andrade El Idolo has not forgotten his commitments as AEW National Champion, as ‘The Real Latino Man’ has vowed to defend his title every single week.
This volume of title defenses will likely eventually come back to bite Andrade, especially with his list of enemies in AEW growing since rejoining the company.
But it could be a brand new face who dethrones him, as, much like he did in WWE one year ago with Sami Zayn’s United States Title open challenge, Dragunov could answer Andrade’s call and immediately capture gold.
While it may seem a little too similar to his WWE US Title run, Dragunov could continue Andrade’s open challenge and get a solid amount of in-ring work under his belt in AEW off the bat.
Attacks Kenny Omega to set up first time match
Kenny Omega lost the AEW World Championship to Will Ospreay at All In London 2026.
Kenny Omega’s admiration for Ilja Dragunov is well documented, as back in 2024, ‘The Cleaner’ singled out the then NXT star as “special” and his favorite wrestler to watch.
Now, over two years on from Omega’s comments we could see the pair actually mix it up for the very first time – a meeting that many fans would dub a ‘dream match.’
Omega has been off TV since losing the AEW World Title to Will Ospreay at All In London, and it’s unclear what the company will have lined up for him when he comes back.
While a trios meeting between The Elite and The New Level has been teased, a singles feud between Omega and Dragunov should take priority. Attacking Kenny in his first appearance since all In would be a great way to ensure Ilja makes as big a splash as possible in AEW.
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