Ilja Dragunov isn’t worried about becoming just another name on AEW’s ridiculously stacked roster. The former WWE star says getting lost in the shuffle isn’t a fear he has at all, because he’s spent his entire career betting on himself.
Speaking to TMZ’s Inside the Ring, Dragunov was asked whether AEW’s loaded roster made him think about how he would stand out from everyone else. For Dragunov, that’s apparently not something he spent much time worrying about.
“I mean, we basically talked about this right now. I didn’t consider how stacked the roster is because, like, that’s a fear I don’t have.”
That confidence also played a pretty big role in Dragunov walking away from WWE. He believes in trusting his instincts, and leaving the company was another example of him being willing to take that gamble on himself.
“I was always betting on myself. I bet on myself when I left WWE. I’m betting on myself still, and I’m betting on what my gut is telling me.”
Dragunov also thinks AEW has already shown that it sees something different in him. He pointed directly to the way the company presented his arrival at WrestleDream, where his debut was treated like a major deal before Tony Khan officially confirmed that he was All Elite.
“And the way the people — the company — introduced me, I think it speaks for itself that I stick out from all the rest in that roster.”
For Dragunov, standing out isn’t about trying to manufacture something just because the roster is crowded. He believes wrestlers who are genuinely different naturally pull people’s attention toward them.
“And, you know, people who stick out and are not like anybody else, you kind of, like, put the objective on them.”
That’s also where Dragunov slipped in an interesting observation about wrestling today. He suggested that too many wrestlers are trying to look or act like everyone else, and that’s when getting overlooked becomes a real problem.
“And only if you are like everybody else or try to be like everybody else — which is also, like, an unfortunate thing happening nowadays, unfortunately — then you get overlooked.”
Dragunov doesn’t believe he falls into that category, and he’s got 14 years of experience to back up that confidence. As far as he’s concerned, standing out has never been the problem.
“But I haven’t been overlooked once in my 14 years of career.”
AEW certainly isn’t short on talent, so Dragunov will have plenty of competition for television time as his run gets going. He just doesn’t sound interested in worrying about any of that, especially when being different has worked out pretty well for him for the last 14 years.
Do you think Ilja Dragunov’s unique style will keep him from getting lost on AEW’s stacked roster? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
