Ilja Dragunov will make his in-ring debut for AEW this Wednesday, and he already has an opponent lined up.

Dragunov made his AEW debut at WrestleDream, where the company officially announced his signing. His arrival followed weeks of mysterious videos showing a wrestler training to the sound of a metronome.

Ilja Dragunov set to face Speedball Mike Bailey on AEW Dynamite

Tony Khan has announced that Dragunov will face Speedball Mike Bailey on the October 21 episode of AEW Dynamite. The show will air live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida.

During the WrestleDream post-show media scrum, Tony Khan already revealed that Dragunov would make his in-ring debut on Wednesday. The AEW president explained that Dragunov’s visa situation was only sorted out that Wednesday, leaving the company with little time to prepare its plans.

Dragunov later confirmed that he would appear at WrestleDream. AEW then released another teaser on social media before announcing his signing at the PPV.

Now, the Mad Dragon is ready to step into an AEW ring for the first time against Bailey. The latter recently competed in the Clockwork Carnage match for the AEW World Championship at WrestleDream.

Although this will be Dragunov’s first match in AEW, he and Bailey have faced each other before.

The two wrestlers met on the independent wrestling scene, including a match in Germany’s wXw promotion in 2016. Their upcoming contest will bring them together again, this time on a much bigger stage.

The match also gives AEW a chance to introduce Dragunov to its audience through a strong opponent. Bailey can match his intensity, making him a good choice for the former WWE star’s first match. Dragunov would likely win this match to establish his presence right from the start.

Dragunov last wrestled for WWE in April 2026, when he competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal ahead of WrestleMania 42. He left WWE in August after his contract expired and chose not to sign a new deal.

The post Ilja Dragunov’s AEW Dynamite Debut Opponent Revealed appeared first on Wrestlezone.