AEW President Tony Khan has offered some major praise for Ilja Dragunov following reports surrounding the former WWE star’s contractual status.

On Thursday afternoon, reports emerged claiming that Dragunov is leaving WWE and could potentially become a free agent without a non-compete period. The development quickly sparked speculation about where the hard-hitting former NXT Champion could appear next.

During the 2026 Ring of Honor Death Before Dishonor media scrum, Khan was directly asked whether AEW would have any interest in Dragunov should he become available.

The question put to Khan was:

“There’s been a lot of talk the last two days of the surprise that Ilja Dragunov is a free agent with no non-compete clause. I know you don’t typically comment on wrestlers that are not on your roster, but I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you if you had any interest in Dragunov.”

While Khan stopped short of confirming any plans to pursue Dragunov, he certainly did not hide his admiration for the wrestler. Khan also stressed that he was not personally aware of Dragunov’s current contractual situation.

“That’s a great question. I’m not sure about the contractual status, but that’s a tremendous, tremendous professional wrestler. Absolutely. Again, I don’t know exactly what the contractual status is of people that don’t work here. I can’t keep track of those things, and there’s no way for me to know that. But one thing I do know is that’s a great wrestler.”

Khan’s comments are unlikely to quiet speculation surrounding Dragunov’s future, particularly given the strong praise he offered when presented with the possibility of the former WWE star becoming available.

For now, however, Khan made no announcement regarding talks or negotiations and remained careful not to make any definitive statement about Dragunov’s contractual status.