Ilja Dragunov debuts in AEW at WrestleDream

Former WWE United States champion Ilja Dragunov made his debut for All Elite Wrestling at the WrestleDream pay-per-view in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, and AEW president Tony Khan confirmed on social media that he has signed with the company, Sports Illustrated and F4W reported.

His name drew more than 100 searches in Canada on Saturday night, according to Google Trends.

Dragunov appeared late in the show at Addition Financial Arena, where Toronto-born broadcaster Renee Paquette introduced him to the crowd, according to reports. He made a dramatic entrance, kept the ring name he used in WWE, took a lap around the ring and left without speaking. There was no promo, confrontation or match, Ringside News and other wrestling outlets reported.

AEW had teased his arrival with a mysterious vignette on its Oct. 14 Dynamite and Collision special, which was later confirmed to be for Dragunov, according to reports. He had previously been reported as signed but was waiting for visa issues to be resolved before he could appear, outlets said. Reports differed on when he left WWE, with some saying he signed with AEW in September after deciding not to renew his WWE deal and others saying his WWE contract expired in August.

AEW has not yet announced an opponent or a first match for Dragunov.

The Russian-born, German-based wrestler built his reputation in Germany’s Westside Xtreme Wrestling promotion before joining WWE, where he became NXT champion and later held the United States title. He is known to fans as “The Mad Dragon,” WrestleTalk noted.

Combat sports were in the spotlight for Canadian fans on Saturday night. At UFC Edmonton, Jasmine Jasudavicius and Mike Malott won the top two fights, and the UFC announced UFC 336 for Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on Jan. 30.

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Sources: Sports Illustrated; F4W; Ringside News; WrestleTalk; Google Trends Canada.