Ilja Dragunov First Post WWE Opponent

WWE

The news emerged today that Ilja Dragunov has departed WWE upon the expiration of his contract, ending his seven year tenure with the company.

Given given this is a contract expiration and not a release, Dragunov will immediately be a free agent rather than being under a 90-day clause.

With him being immediately available to wrestle elsewhere, here are five potential post WWE opponents for Ilja Dragunov.

5. Tommaso Ciampa

The highlight of Ilja Dragunov’s run on the WWE main roster was his leg of the United States Championship open challenge of SmackDown.

After he won the title from Sami Zayn, Dragunov defended the title against the likes of Aleister Black, Nathan Frazer, Johnny Gargano and Carmelo Hayes.

One of his opponents in that open challenge was Tommaso Ciampa, and it actually ended up being Ciampa’s last singles match in WWE before he joined AEW – his last match being a tag match where Dragunov and Hayes defeate Ciampa and Gargano.

AEW could call back to the closing stages of Ciampa and Dragunov’s WWE runs as a way to bring Dragunov into the promotion against someone he already has history with.

4. Darby Allin

While there are some differences, there are also plenty of similarities between Darby Allin and Ilja Dragunov.

Their intensity in the ring is at a level above pretty much everyone else, which would guarantee a unique match that no other two men would be able to have against each other.

Especially in AEW where Dragunov would potentially have even more leeway to show off his intense side, a match against Allin seems like a must at some point.

3. Claudio Castagnoli

Another man with similarities to Ilja Dragunov – this time due to their European backgrounds – is Claudio Castagnoli.

They actually have some history together too, as they had a match at NXT UK TakeOver Cardiff in 2019, which Castagnoli (then Cesaro) won.

Again, especially with Dragunov having the ability to let loose even more than he did in a WWE ring, these two could put on a unique classic if given an AEW pay-per-view spot.

2. Will Ospreay

It has long appeared that AEW All In London will play host to Will Ospreay’s ultimate crowning moment with him becoming AEW World Champion.

That still appears to be the direction for the event taking place at Wembley Stadium on August 30.

AEW could show some serious intentions by immediately launching Dragunov into the AEW World Championship picture and challenging Ospreay.

AEW doesn’t do that particularly often – with even established talents usually having to work their way up rather than immediately coming in on top – but the in-ring level of Dragunov could be enough to justify it this time around.

1. Sheamus

Sheamus vs Ilja Dragunov feels like a real home run that got away from WWE this year.

Both men are no longer with the company, and both of their departures have been met with widepsread bewilderment among fans, wondering why on earth WWE would let them go.

In the ultimate ‘let’s prove WWE wrong match,’ Sheamus vs Dragunov could be as hard hitting as any match in the world right now, and a genuine main event spectacle, whether it’s in AEW or somewhere else.

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