Ilja Dragunov Opens Up About Decision To Leave WWE, ‘Nothing Felt Satisfying’

Ilja Dragunov made his AEW debut at AEW WrestleDream, where he was announced as the company’s newest signing.

Dragunov departed WWE in August after not wrestling since April. His contract expired, and he made the decision not to renew.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on the Ariel Helwani Show, Dragunov detailed his decision to leave WWE.

Asked if he knew his last match would be in April, Dragunov replied, “No, absolutely not. Every tale I have to tell about that is not very exciting. I didn’t know I was leaving at the time. I was just waiting. I love what I do. I want to compete and work. It’s nothing new to anybody. It was pretty obvious. Time just passed by, and I reached the expiration of my contract. I felt that, over time, with how things were working out and how I’m feeling, it was time to breathe new and fresh air.”

Dragunov confirmed that WWE did try to re-sign him.

“Yeah, there was no intention of the company to let me go,” he said.

Asked if he was unhappy with the offer, he replied, “It was an accumulation of a lot of things. The offer, as we all know, is a business, but it’s also based on my feelings. How do I want to work creatively? Do I need a scenery change? You have to consider all the factors. I spent most of my 20s in WWE. That’s a very long time. The landscape changed. Now, we have other opportunities. After such a long time being in the company, not seeking out new opportunities at a place where I see myself more fitting- who wouldn’t do that?”

Asked if he was asked to take a pay cut or was given a raise, he said, “I’m too discreet and too much of a businessman and a gentleman to talk about these kinds of things. Everything I can say is that there was nothing that I felt satisfied with and nothing that gave me the perspective of, ‘I must stick with this.'”

Dragunov was still under contract until August, but kept off TV from April until his deal expired.

Asked if they knew he wouldn’t be coming back, he replied, “Anything I can say is not as exciting as people made it. At some point in time, you don’t have creativity, and you’re waiting for the next opportunity to come. A lot of new people came up. A lot of stories were full. There is only a certain amount of time for certain people. I’m not going to go too deep into that. Everything I knew was that the expiration of my contract came, and negotiations didn’t lead anywhere.”

Dragunov is set to make his in-ring debut in AEW on Wednesday’s Dynamite.

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