Ilja Dragunov Explains Significance of His AEW WrestleDream 2026 Entrance, Details How It Came Together

Ilja Dragunov recently opened up about how his entrance at AEW WrestleDream came together and why it means the world to him.

As noted, Dragunov made his AEW debut at this past Saturday’s PPV in Orlando, Florida. He came out to the theme from his indie days, i.e., ‘Soviet March’ by James Hanigan, and received a massive reception from the audience.

During an appearance on TMZ’s Inside The Ring podcast, Ilja explained why his entrance at WrestleDream will remain close to his heart for the rest of his life. Here’s what he said:

On why his AEW WrestleDream 2026 entrance means so much to him

“This entrance already meant the world for me. The music that I had is the music that I had in the beginning of my career. To have this back means everything to me because my most memorable moments were all connected to that, in my humble indie days, and just the atmosphere of the arena, the warm welcoming of the people, the entire world that AEW put into that detail by detail, and the devotion of working together on that and making this beautiful day, this beautiful beginning possible, is something that I possibly will carry in my heart for the rest of my life.”

Ilja Dragunov says his entrance was a collective effort from him and AEW

“Professional wrestling, in its best form, is a play, and it’s a play together. When it comes down to the first vignettes that were passing on with the perspectives from my other hometown, Dressen, when it comes down to the parts with the metronome, when it comes down to the music, which came specifically from me, but all the different layers, like conducting the Pyro that came out of the entrance stage, that, like, so many things came from AEW’s side, from my side, but somehow, we were always on the same page with everything, and everything they offered me was always better.”

Check his comments below:

Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Ilja Dragunov opened up about his decision to exit WWE. Check those comments HERE.

Please credit TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast and give an H/T to 411Mania for the transcription if you take quotes from this copy.