Former WWE Superstar Ilja Dragunov has opened up about how watching familiar faces find success in AEW caught his attention before he made the move to the promotion.
Dragunov officially debuted for AEW at WrestleDream this past weekend and is scheduled to make his in-ring debut against “Speedball” Mike Bailey on the October 21 edition of AEW Dynamite.
During a recent interview with SI The Takedown, Dragunov discussed the arrival of The New Level in AEW following the group’s debut at All In.
The former WWE star admitted that seeing wrestlers he previously worked alongside performing in a different environment made an impression on him. “I mean, it would be a lie if it wouldn’t, right?” Dragunov said. “You see people perform in a way that they didn’t perform in a while anymore. I can tell, hopefully, or just feel, or can try to imagine a certain happiness if I watch them, what they’re doing.”
Dragunov suggested that watching his former colleagues express themselves differently in AEW gave him an indication of how much they were enjoying their new surroundings.
He also highlighted the personal significance of reconnecting with wrestlers with whom he had previously shared experiences during his time in WWE. “And just reconnecting with these people that you shared some time with,” Dragunov continued. “You can just tell that it’s definitely a new place and something they appreciate [being] a part of.”
His comments come as Dragunov begins a new chapter of his own professional wrestling career following his departure from WWE.
After making his first AEW appearance at WrestleDream, Dragunov is now preparing to step inside an AEW ring for the first time against Mike Bailey.
The match is scheduled for Wednesday night’s edition of Dynamite and will mark Dragunov’s first opportunity to showcase his in-ring abilities as a member of the AEW roster.
While Dragunov did not explicitly state that The New Level influenced his decision to join AEW, he acknowledged that seeing former colleagues thriving in the promotion was something he could not ignore.
