Ilja Dragunov Credits Gunther for Shaping His Wrestling Career

Ilja Dragunov named Gunther as a figure who formed him more than any other person in professional wrestling, crediting the star for shaping his physical style and pushing him to new heights during an interview on the Battleground Podcast. Dragunov, who debuted in All Elite Wrestling at WrestleDream and prepares for his first match on Dynamite against Mike ‘Speedball’ Bailey, pointed to a rivalry stretching back to their early days in Germany’s Westside Xtreme Wrestling as the foundation of his development.

The Rivalry Shaping Dragunov and Gunther

The two athletes share a history that evolved from European independent promotions to a defining championship feud on NXT UK over the NXT UK Championship. Dragunov praised Gunther as a mastermind who provides unvarnished feedback both in friendship and business, explaining that physical dominance and a shared embrace of high-intensity competition forged his own in-ring identity.

It is the value of a true fight like Gunther, a dear friend of mine since I don’t know 2015, for such a long time no other person that could, especially in professional wrestling formed me more than he, a mastermind. He is one of the greatest and he will be one of the greatest of all time when he decides to leave the boots in the ring.

Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov added that his biggest peaks of progression always occurred when he stepped into the ring opposite Gunther. According to Dragunov, directness yields the best enhancement of talents and strengths, noting that Gunther’s lack of sugarcoating helped him lean into his own threshold for pain and suffering to connect with audiences.

He was always very straightforward with me. No sugar coating in friendship also as in business relationships. However, you look at him and you look at the physicality and brutality and the kind of dominance that he expresses and oozes and especially as a person like I, that was thriving through pain and suffering and connecting with people on a deeper level through that. That’s what I learned from that possibly the most is I bet on my strength and I will always do that.

Ilja Dragunov

Recent Career Trajectory and AEW Debut

Dragunov transitioned to the WWE main roster in 2024 when he was added to the Raw brand. Following a recovery from a torn ACL, he moved to SmackDown where he pursued the United States Championship and won.

Hayes won back the title from him in March, after which his last WWE match turned out to be competing in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal before he made his jump to AEW.