Ilja Dragunov Speaks About ‘Overwhelming’ Crowd Reaction At AEW WrestleDream, Names Roster Members He Wants To Wrestle
Ilja Dragunov speaks about his AEW debut.
After signing with All Elite Wrestling and debuting at the 2026 WrestleDream pay-per-view, Ilja Dragunov joined Renee Paquette and AEW President Tony Khan for the post-event media scrum.
He shared his initial thoughts about his arrival and the crowd reaction he received.
“I would say very, very overwhelming,” Dragunov said about the reaction he got at WrestleDream. “It’s a new breath of fresh air for me. It is a totally new environment for me. But the way I’ve got welcomed here, it only feels plainly right.”
Later in the scrum, Dragunov was asked who he wants to share the ring with in AEW, and he responded:
“A better question is: Who not? For real, if I think about all the competitors here in AEW, it is hard to say who I do not want to wrestle. Because it starts with a (Jon) Moxley, it goes on with a (Samoa) Joe, it goes on with a (Kyle) Fletcher. So many amazing competitors in that ring and since I’m here and I felt this — when I went through this — to this presentation in front of all of you, I feel like I’m starving. I’m starving for competition and I know that whoever I will step up against has a serious problem because I am here. Now I am here, and this is gonna be a serious problem for so many people.”
Dragunov had been with WWE since 2019. He opted not to return to the company and enter free agency.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Fightful with an H/T for the transcriptions.
