Thoughts on Ilja Dragunov's WWE Departure

World Wrestling Entertainment loses another.


Earlier this afternoon, Mike Johnson of PW Insider revealed that Ilja Dragunov has opted to depart WWE following an uneven seven-year tenure. Dragunov, 32, was quickly and unceremoniously shifted to the Alumni section of WWE.com's roster page. False Finish, a WWE-friendly media outlet, added that WWE hoped to retain Dragunov, but he ultimately chose to let his contract expire and officially enter free agency. Dragunov, a gifted professional wrestler, last competed in this year's Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal - where Aleister Black eliminated him.


Let's cut right to the chase:


  • Tony Khan should aggressively pursue Dragunov: On paper, it's difficult to imagine a better fit than Dragunov and All Elite Wrestling. He's only 32 years old and wrestles a style that is far more appropriate for AEW and its partner promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling, than it was for WWE. I've already seen a million tweets pegging him as the next C2 winner, and that feels extremely doable and exciting. I hope it happens. Can you imagine Dragunov vs. Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, Kevin Knight, Hangman Page, Brody King, Bandido, Kyle Fletcher, Andrade, Buddy Matthews, Clark Connors, Claudio Castagnoli, Darby Allin, Hologram, Jake Doyle, Jay White, Josh Alexander, Shibata, Okada, Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle O'Reilly, Mark Briscoe, Mark Davis, PAC, RUSH, Samoa Joe, Shelton Benjamin, Swerve Strickland, Tommaso Ciampa...man. Get it done, Tony!

  • WWE hoping to retain Dragunov does not pass the smell test: I couldn't have rolled my eyes harder after reading this "report" from WWE-friendly media outlet False Finish. This company saw this absolute beast in his late '20s, someone about to enter the prime of their life, and deliberately decided to do jack shit with him, likely due to his size and body type. This read more like, "WWE was hoping to retain Dragunov to prevent him from going to AEW." Also, we need to know the terms of a prospective extension; specifically, was he asked to take a pay cut? Funny how these little details are never instantaneously leaked, right?

  • Dual contract? I'm curious whether a dual contract between AEW and NJPW would interest Dragunov. I've seen many people call for Dragunov to join New Japan, but it's doubtful they have the scratch to sign him to a long-term deal, making a dual contract the most ideal option, at least on paper. I think Dragunov would be such a nice shot in New Japan's arm, even on a part-time basis. 

  • The future of WWE seems uncertain: I do not believe WWE is in imminent danger of "dying"; that said, it's starting to feel like the very beginning of a fundamental shift inside TKO-owned and controlled WWE. This company has lost a considerable amount of talent, with TKO's pay-cut mandate seemingly a major factor. Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Sheamus are gone. Dragunov is gone. We're hearing daily rumors about Bayley and whether or not she's departing the promotion later this fall. I've said this many times, and it bears repeating: I don't think WWE will resemble a sports entertainment promotion a lot sooner than you may think. They are enamored with making as much money as they possibly can, but they're also desperate for mainstream validation. They are going to keep incorporating celebrities up and down their shitty 5-match cards and plan on introducing more AI throughout their broadcasts. It wouldn't shock me if TKO decided to reshape WWE into something "above" a sports entertainment promotion. I genuinely think this is something we should keep our eyes on. 

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