Ilja Dragunov’s jump to AEW apparently isn’t causing any hard feelings inside WWE. In fact, the latest backstage word is that people who worked with Dragunov are happy for him and WWE management isn’t holding his decision against him either.
During a recent WrestleVotes Q&A, JoeyVotes and TC were asked how WWE reacted to Dragunov showing up at WrestleDream and officially becoming All Elite. According to WrestleVotes, the people who know Dragunov personally were happy to see him land somewhere else.
“Everyone in WWE that are friends with him are happy.”
That attitude apparently goes beyond just Dragunov’s friends. WrestleVotes said there isn’t some automatic resentment backstage whenever somebody leaves WWE and decides they can make better money somewhere else.
“There is no animosity when it comes to talent leaving and going to get their bag.”
WrestleVotes pointed to the recent Sheamus situation as another example of that mentality. According to them, there were even people within WWE who felt Sheamus should consider AEW rather than accept an offer they believed wasn’t good enough.
“We talked about how people in WWE were suggesting Sheamus go to AEW and not be disrespected by the offer he was getting from AEW. Go out there and get your money.”
When it comes specifically to Dragunov, WrestleVotes said the feeling is basically the same from both sides of the curtain. His friends are happy for him, and even management apparently isn’t bitter about seeing him become part of AEW.
“From that side of things, they wish him well. From the management side of things, they wish him well.”
There is one interesting wrinkle, though. While WWE apparently isn’t angry with Dragunov for leaving, WrestleVotes indicated that losing him wasn’t exactly something Triple H wanted to happen.
That makes Dragunov’s departure a little more interesting than simply WWE deciding it was finished with him. The latest report suggests the company would have preferred things to work out differently, but once Dragunov made his move, there wasn’t any backstage grudge over it.
Dragunov officially debuted for AEW at WrestleDream after his WWE contract expired in August and visa issues delayed his arrival. Tony Khan quickly made things official afterwards, confirming that the former WWE star had signed with the company.
Dragunov has since explained that he wanted a fresh environment where he could “breathe,” find new competition and avoid feeling stuck. He didn’t specifically blame WWE for that feeling, instead framing AEW as the new landscape he needed at this stage of his career.
So while Triple H apparently didn’t want to lose Dragunov, WWE isn’t treating his AEW move like some kind of betrayal. The backstage reaction sounds much more like wishing him well, letting him chase what he wants and moving on without any bad blood.
What do you think about WWE’s reported reaction to Ilja Dragunov joining AEW, especially with Triple H apparently not wanting to lose him? Let us know in the comments below.
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