AEW introduced a new arrival to WrestleDream this weekend, and it looks like it could be former WWE star Ilya Dragunov.
The vignette first aired on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite/Collision double bill, featuring a man in a suit driving the beat of a metronome, and presumably that same man skipping and working out in the ring.
Many saw this as a teaser for Dragunov leaving WWE over the summer, and it was then reported that after the visa issue was resolved, he signed with AEW and was actually the man in the video.
The question was, after finding out who and what the vignette was teasing, when would this new arrival make their presence known? AEW posted the vignette on their social media channels on Friday, answering the question with:
“#AEWWrestleDream. TOMORROW!”
#AEWWrestleDream
TOMORROW! pic.twitter.com/DP0Byeccrp— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) October 16, 2026
Dragunov spent seven years with WWE, initially appearing on the WWE NXT UK brand after making a name for himself on the European independent circuit. He became the United Kingdom Champion as the first man in the company to defeat GUNTHER before coming to the US and capturing the NXT Championship on ‘WWE NXT’ and the United States Championship on ‘WWE SmackDown’.
