As PWMania.com reported earlier, former WWE star Ilja Dragunov officially made his AEW debut over the weekend at WrestleDream, and the company later confirmed his signing.
According to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dragunov had already signed with AEW, but they needed to sort out his visa situation because it was with WWE. Naturally, WWE made the process difficult. Meltzer mentioned that Dragunov was working on obtaining his visa and received word that it was approved at 2 AM local time in Germany on Wednesday night, coinciding with the airing of Dynamite and Collision.
Meltzer also stated that AEW had prepared a vignette for Dragunov, knowing it would be ready for him as soon as he secured his visa. However, they didn’t want to air the vignette unless he was confirmed to appear at the WrestleDream pay-per-view. The plan and hope were for Dragunov to participate in the WrestleDream event, yet his visa had not been finalized, leaving AEW uncertain about when it would be approved. Once Dragunov received his visa, AEW was quick to insert the vignette into the show.
After WrestleDream, AEW President and CEO Tony Khan announced that Dragunov would make his in-ring debut tonight on Dynamite. This event will take place at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida, and will air live on TBS starting at 8 PM ET and be simulcast on HBO Max.
