AEW’s Ilya Dragunov kicked off his new promotion with a bang, with a thunderous debut at AEW WrestleDream and then beating “Speedball” Mike Bailey in his first game a few days later at AEW Dynamite. Meanwhile, his media appearances have seen him relive his time in WWE, particularly because he decided to let his WWE contract expire and head to AEW. In an interview with John Alba “Elimination of SI” Dragunov admitted he had considered a career change for some time before his contract expired.
“These were very difficult times for me,” said Dragunov. “But you see, I came back from a torn ACL … (which) happened in the most exciting way possible. I went through three rounds of rehab, trained very hard and was dedicated. I came back and won the United States Championship, basically on my way back, which was a great, memorable moment.
“But by the time I dropped the belt and was going through my next performances, I felt like everything was different in my heart. And I don’t blame anyone. I am a gentleman and have the utmost respect for the last seven years, most of my 20s, that I have spent with the company. new age can i breathe?
While it’s too early to tell where Dragunov will end up on the AEW roster overall, he’s still very happy with how his debut went. describing himself as having a “sense of freedom” since he walked through the WrestleDream curtain.
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