With Ilja Dragunov no longer a member of the WWE roster, an AEW star has addressed the possibility of facing him once again.
It was recently reported that Ilja Dragunov parted ways with WWE following the expiry of his contract, having been a star with the company since early 2019.
Last seen in action in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on SmackDown before WrestleMania 42, Dragunov’s departure was due to both parties being “far enough apart” during contract negotiations.
While the former WWE star’s future may be unconfirmed at the time of writing, AEW’s Kyle Fletcher shared a throwback photo on Twitter of a match in PROGRESS Wrestling where he faced Dragunov.
Asked about the photo during an interview with Adam Barnard on The Sportster YouTube channel, Fletcher was coy in suggesting it could happen, but stated it excites him, saying:
“Look, it feels way too early to speculate. For me, I think Ilja is incredible. He brings this raw passion that you don’t get very often in pro-wrestling. It’s something that I feel I have now gotten to a point where, when I’m in the ring, I feel that passion.
“And, when I get in there with someone else who has that passion for pro-wrestling, that’s where magic happens. There’s been many people I’ve gotten in the ring that I have that feeling, and I know that Ilja is one of those people.
“The thought of another match between us after everything that’s happened excited me very much.”
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Dragunov was victorious over Fletcher back at PROGRESS Wrestling Chapter 100 in December 2019, with the pair crossing paths again the following month in a Unified Championship four-way elimination match that would be won by Cara Noir.
Kyle Fletcher heads to All In: London on August 30 to defend his AEW International Championship in a three-way match against Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada.
An Entirely Different Beast For Dragunov
Ilja Dragunov’s intensity and passion for professional wrestling have been a staple component of the star well before he signed his first WWE contract. A former United States Champion, NXT Champion and NXT UK Champion, the star built a reputation that won him championships across Europe.
The idea of Dragunov standing across the ring from Fletcher once again, over six years since they last crossed paths, is a tantilizing one, but one that will present the former WWE star with an entirely new version of his AEW opposite number.
Long gone is the Kyle Fletcher that stood in the shadow of Will Ospreay, with the star now demonstrating an intensity and passion that may just equal everything that Dragunov has to offer.
The youngest to have held the AEW International Champion, Fletcher’s reign is fast approaching the fifty-day mark, having defeated Konosuke Takeshita at Double or Nothing on May 24 this year. A two-time TNT Champion, Fletcher has demonstrated his quality as a top star in the company, and there’s every chance that a World Championship reign could be in his future.
Bringing Dragunov into AEW and setting him on a course to face Fletcher, title or otherwise, would no doubt be a test of the Australian star’s standing, and one that he will excel at.
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