Ilja Dragunov just added another championship to his career, and Tommaso Ciampa’s reign as AEW National Champion is already over. During AEW Full Gear on November 14 2026, Dragunov defeated Ciampa in a brutal match that saw both men push each other to the limit.
The match started with both men trading holds before things quickly turned physical. Dragunov got the better of the early exchanges, but Ciampa took control after sending him crashing into the barricade and ring steps.
Ciampa then focused on Dragunov’s arm, repeatedly stomping on it and using submissions to wear him down. Dragunov tried fighting back with chops and punches, but the damage to his arm made things difficult.
Dragunov eventually turned things around with a German suplex, several hard strikes and a D-Bomb to Ciampa’s leg. Ciampa fought back by biting Dragunov’s hand before hitting an avalanche Air Raid Crash from the top rope. The violence continued outside the ring when Ciampa slammed Dragunov face-first into the steel steps and followed it with another Air Raid Crash onto the edge of the steps.
Ciampa brought Dragunov back into the ring and connected with a running knee, but Dragunov kicked out at two. Dragunov wasn’t finished either. He fought back with a suplex onto the ring apron before hitting a D-Bomb from the apron onto Ciampa’s head on the floor. Both men barely made it back inside before the referee’s count reached ten.
Back in the ring, Dragunov hit a superplex and went for another D-Bomb, but Ciampa avoided it and locked in a Fujiwara armbar. Ciampa then connected with another running knee, but Dragunov somehow kicked out again. Ciampa tried going back to the armbar, but Dragunov broke free and landed two more D-Bombs to finally put him away. Dragunov scored the three-count to become the new AEW National Champion, ending Ciampa’s title reign just weeks after he defeated Andrade El Idolo to win the championship.
Ciampa had already successfully defended the title against Mike Bailey on Dynamite, but Dragunov proved to be too much for him at Full Gear. The Mad Dragon remains undefeated since making his AEW debut at WrestleDream, and now he has championship gold to show for it.
What do you think about Ilja Dragunov defeating Tommaso Ciampa to become the new AEW National Champion? Was it too soon for Ciampa to lose the title? Let us know your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
