Ilja Dragunov says he needs to wrestle in Japan
“I need to wrestle in Japan. Because that’s the place where I think my style belongs, and I think I would connect with the people, with this culture for professional wrestling in a whole different way.— Ilja Dragunov
Ilja Dragunov has expressed a strong desire to wrestle in Japan. He believes his in-ring style would connect well with Japanese audiences and their wrestling culture.
In a recent interview, Dragunov explained that his career goals focus more on locations than specific opponents. He highlighted Japan as a place he needs to experience in his wrestling journey.
Dragunov noted that early in his career with wXw, the promotion had a working relationship with Big Japan Pro Wrestling. However, that period had passed by the time he joined, leaving him without the opportunity to compete in Japan.
Although Dragunov participated in three wXw shows co-promoted with Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling in 2013, all of those events were held in Germany.
During his time in wXw, Dragunov achieved success as a one-time Unified World Wrestling Champion, a three-time World Tag Team Champion, and a two-time Shotgun Champion.
Dragunov made his debut as a new signing for AEW at WrestleDream 2026 in Orlando, where he was introduced to the audience.
Source: Wrestling Observer
Never miss a big story: WCN Weekly
The 10 biggest wrestling stories of the week, every Monday morning. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.