n August 2026, rumors of Ilja Dragunov’s departure from WWE emerged. Kyle Fletcher added fuel to the fire after posting a throwback picture of Dragunov from one of their matches in the UK indie scene on social media.
Dragunov has consistently put on great performances over his time in WWE. But before he left the company, he had been missing from television for weeks. Fans were curious about the reason for taking Dragunov off television, and they ultimately learned that he had decided to leave instead.
Dragunov made his All Elite Wrestling debut at AEW WrestleDream and made his Dynamite debut on the next edition of the show. He’s had numerous matches so far, but one of the matches fans are waiting to see come to fruition one day is him against Kyle Fletcher.
Kyle Fletcher On Potential Match With Ilja Dragunov In AEW
During a recent interview with TMZ’s Inside the Ring, Fletcher also talked about a potential matchup with Dragunov, where Fletcher said that he’ll be very disappointed if it never happens.
“I think I would be incredibly disappointed if it never happened. I would like to think it will happen sooner rather than later. I have always thought the world of Ilja. We had a few matches when we were both on the UK independent scene in, I believe, 2019 and 2020. Obviously, we’ve been on incredibly different paths since then, and it’s pretty cool that now our paths have aligned again.”
In 2019, Fletcher and Dragunov wrestled each other a couple of times in the United Kingdom. Both wrestlers went their separate ways afterward. Dragunov worked in NXT before going up to the main roster, whereas Fletcher worked for New Japan Pro Wrestling and later AEW.
Kyler Fletcher believes that Dragunov could create magic in the ring, and while he doesn’t know when the bout will happen, he believes it’s “inevitable.”
“I’m so excited to see what he can accomplish, the matches that he can put on, the people that he could get in the ring with. I think there’s a lot of magic to be made there, and I think whenever we get in the ring, I think it’s inevitable. I think it’ll be magic, too.”
As of right now, both Fletcher and Dragunov are focused on different things. Fletcher will challenge AEW World Champion Will Ospreay for the title belt at Full Gear, whereas Dragunov has expressed a desire to participate in the Continental Classic tournament. And he’s also interested in wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling. So a lot could happen before an eventual match with Fletcher in the ring.
Also read: Ilja Dragunov Says He Needs To Wrestle In Japan: ‘That’s The Place Where I Think My Style Belongs’
Wrestling news reporter.
