After weeks of rumors, and vignettes on AEW programming, Ilja Dragunov made his AEW debut at WrestleDream. The star got here out for his full entrance, then sat down alongside AEW President Tony Khan in the course of the post-show press convention, the place it was revealed he’ll make his in-ring debut on “AEW Dynamite.”
Forward of stepping again within the ring on TV for the primary time since April, Dragunov appeared on “The Ariel Helwani Present” to debate his WWE departure. It was revealed that Dragunov’s contract expired in August, and the star advised Helwani that the story of his departure is not very thrilling.
“I like what I do. I need to compete. I need to work,” Dragunov stated. “It simply acquired somewhat caught. However, it is nothing new to anyone. It was fairly apparent. So, the time simply handed by after which I reached the expiration of my contract… I felt over time that, ‘Okay, with how every thing is understanding and the way I am feeling, as a result of I make a number of [decisions] relying on how I really feel about it, I’ve all the time had the braveness to take action, I really feel it’s time to breathe some new, contemporary air.'”
The star stated that regardless of issues written on-line on the time, WWE had no intention of letting him go. He stated his departure was the buildup of many issues, together with what he needed creatively. Dragunov stated he contemplated the surroundings change, and if it was someplace if he might see himself staying “endlessly.”
“I spent most of my 20s in WWE,” he defined. “That is a really, very very long time. The panorama on this stunning enterprise modified… For me, personally, after such a very long time being with an organization, to not hunt down new alternatives, possibly one other place extra becoming, who would not try this?”
Dragunov stays quiet on WWE contract provide
Dragunov reiterated that his departure story is not as thrilling because it was made out to be. He stated at some factors in WWE, you simply do not have artistic and are ready for the alternatives to return. He defined that a number of new individuals got here up towards the top of his time in WWE, and there’s solely a lot time for therefore many individuals. When Helwani inquired as as to whether or not Dragunov was requested to take a pay minimize, like New Degree’s Kofi and Austin Creed, AEW’s latest star stayed mum on the subject.
“To be trustworthy, I am a lot too discrete and an excessive amount of of a businessman and a gentleman myself to speak about these form of issues,” Dragunov stated. “Every little thing I can say, is there was nothing I felt satisfying, and nothing that gave me the attitude of, ‘Okay, I have to keep it up [here.]'”
“The Mad Dragon” stated he is all the time had religion in himself and he is by no means been one to query his beliefs. He defined he all the time follows his intestine emotions in life, and it is all the time labored out for him. The star stated that many individuals need to change, however that change requires braveness.
“It additionally requires [dealing] with the likelihood that issues couldn’t work out your method. I used to be conscious of all this stuff,” he stated. “April was the final time limit I used to be within the ring. The sensation that possibly, ‘I am not proper the place I’m.’ I already had it earlier than… All of it got here right down to guess on myself and consider it may be alright. That is what I did my whole 14-year-long skilled wrestling profession.”
For those who use any quotes from this text, please credit score “The Ariel Helwani Present” and supply a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
