Ilja Dragunov has reportedly signed with AEW, with his debut expected to follow soon.

According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the former WWE SmackDown star has completed his deal following weeks of speculation about his next move.

“As has been expected, Ilja Dragunov (Ilja Rukober, who turns 33 in a few weeks), has signed and should be starting very soon. This was pretty apparent in August the way Tony Khan was talking about him but as he noted with the New Level, these deals often take weeks to finalize. Obviously he’s a guy who can have great matches. But at this point they almost need more TV to facilitate such a large roster and keep people in the public eye.”

The update follows an earlier report from Fightful Select that AEW had been Dragunov’s planned destination for some time. Sean Ross Sapp noted that no contract had been signed at that stage, with administrative matters still holding up the move.

Fightful also reported that visa issues had affected the timeline for Dragunov and some other recent WWE departures.

Dragunov departed WWE after his contract expired, meaning he was not subject to a 90-day non-compete clause. Tony Khan has publicly praised him, including during the ROH Death Before Dishonor media scrum, although the AEW president has not confirmed a signing.

The 32-year-old built an impressive record during his WWE run from 2019 to 2026, competing across NXT UK, NXT and the main roster.

One of his biggest moments came in August 2021, when he defeated WALTER to end his 870-day reign as NXT UK Champion. Dragunov went on to hold the title for 351 days before later capturing the NXT Championship from Carmelo Hayes at No Mercy in September 2023.

His main roster run also included a reign as United States Champion on SmackDown. Before joining WWE, he twice held the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship in Germany, where he grew up after his family moved from Russia.