We made it to the weekend, let’s celebrate with rumors.
Lead Rumor: Ilja Dragunov signs with AEW
Well, it was only a matter of time, huh?
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is now outright saying AEW has indeed signed Ilja Dragunov and he “should be starting very soon.” Dave Meltzer noted these deals often take weeks to put together and it was “apparent in August” that he was going to be coming in.
This was an expectation per prior reports from the likes of Fightful, but the WON is saying it’s done.
Fightful Select has chimed in with more to
say that AEW has further confirmed the signing by continuing to work on materials for his debut, like graphics and what not. They’re also “sorting out his visa situation.”
There isn’t much room on the AEW roster, and it just keeps getting bigger, but Dragunov is an immensely talented wrestler who deserves a spot on television, no matter what company is giving it to him.
Here we go!
Other rumors floating around
- PW Insider reiterated word from elsewhere that Roman Reigns went over Penta on Raw in Mexico City not as a reflection of Penta but rather the long term story at play with Reigns — a WrestleMania 43 main event against Oba Femi.
- Dave Meltzer speculated in the WON that WWE has pulled back from its partnership with TNA due to the promotion failing to secure a TV deal on Wednesday nights to hurt AEW. Because TNA didn’t make a big dent in anything AEW, the promotion may be moving on from it, as evidenced by the lack of WWE involvement in Bound for Glory.
- Per WrestleVotes, WWE is interested in running Mexico City for Raw and SmackDown around Triplemania next year, thanks to the success of this year’s trip south of the border.
- The Observer says the issue with Tessa Blanchard and MLW did not involve anything related to the women’s featherweight championship but no one is talking about the real reason for the issues.
Get in on this with anything you’ve heard!
