Ilja Dragunov On Whether He Spoke With Other Promotions Before Signing With AEW, When He Signed

As noted, Ilja Dragunov made his AEW debut at WrestleDream this past Saturday. Dragunov appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show on Tuesday to discuss his WWE departure, his decision to join All Elite Wrestling, and more.

During the conversation, Helwani asked Ilja whether he reached out to other promotions apart from AEW following his WWE exit. Dragunov also revealed exactly when he signed with the Tony Khan-led company, reasons behind his delayed arrival, and more.

Below are the highlights:

On whether he reached out to other promotions apart from AEW?

“If I got to be honest, like, everything went down so fast. Everything I did was just giving myself a rest. That’s pretty much what I did for the most part. But then when things click, they click very fast.”

Was AEW the only company he spoke to?

“Yes!”

On when he signed with AEW

“I think it possibly has been just like a minor time after my contract expired. It was an easygoing expiration.”

What delayed his AEW arrival?

“Because of exactly that [visa issues], because I’m a German citizen and I need to have a visa to work in the states.”

Did the visa issues make him anxious?

“Oh, for sure! Everybody who knows me—my best friends, my family, and the love of my life, they all know that the only thing I’m absolutely terrible at is sitting here right now; it drives me crazy because I want to move and do things, and yeah, I literally couldn’t wait, and when this beautiful day on Saturday approached, it was an absolute relief for me to let it all out. And yeah, upcoming, like, tomorrow, on Wednesday, on Dynamite, it’s going to be the next relief when I’m going to finally debut and can finally have the option to fight again and express my art.”

Listen to his comments below:

Elsewhere, Ilja Dragunov commented on his decision to exit WWE. Check his comments HERE.

Dragunov will make his AEW in-ring debut against “Speedball” Mike Bailey on tonight’s Dynamite.

Please credit The Ariel Helwani Show and give an H/T to 411Mania for the transcription if you take quotes from this article.