Ilja Dragunov never had to give up who he is. Unlike the many wrestlers forced to rebrand after leaving WWE, Dragunov was able to carry his ring name straight with him to AEW — and on the Battleground Podcast, he finally explained why keeping it was never even a fight.
Ilja Dragunov (Credits: Ringside News)
The Name Was His Before WWE
The reason turned out to be simple: “Ilja Dragunov” belonged to him long before WWE came calling. Dragunov explained that he had spent his entire independent career wrestling under that name, and when WWE signed him, the company never asked him to change it or invent a new identity.
“They never asked me to change it. I had this name before. I had this name for my entire independent career. I came to WWE with this name, and I left WWE with this name.”
That meant there was no scramble for a new identity once his WWE run ended. He confirmed that he kept the rights to Ilja Dragunov — something he is especially happy about, since the name is tied to everything he has accomplished in wrestling. “There was never a point where they asked me to change the name or anything like that,” he added. “I’m very happy about that because this name is connected to my entire career.”
One Name From Indies to AEW
For Dragunov, there really was never an alternative identity waiting in the wings. From the independent scene to NXT UK, NXT, WWE’s main roster, and now AEW, he has always been Ilja Dragunov. That continuity made at least one part of his jump from WWE to AEW incredibly simple: he may be starting a completely new chapter, but fans will never have to get used to calling him anything different.
It is a rare luxury in modern wrestling, where ring names so often become intellectual property battlegrounds. For Dragunov, though, the brand was his from day one — and it is going with him wherever he goes next.
Also Read: Ilja Dragunov Opens Up on Leaving WWE: ‘Nothing Felt Satisfying’
Source: Ringside News — read the full story there.
