After making his first appearance at AEW WrestleDream 2026, Ilja Dragunov is set for in-ring action on tonight’s October 21 AEW Dynamite.

While his opponent for his in-ring debut was revealed to be Speedball Mike Bailey, the match is an important introduction point for the audience.

Ilja Draugnov in-ring debut

With AEW releasing a short video clip online of Dragunov, highlighting his secret debut at AEW WrestleDream 2026, the former WWE star seems as dedicated as ever.

Bringing his high intensity style in the ring as well as to his vignette, the audience was introduced to Draugnov as both a serious athlete and a dedicated performer.

Already presented as strong and serious force arriving in All Elite Wrestling, seeing a top story evolve straight away for the fan favorite would make total sense.

Setting the tone

It will be interesting to see exactly how Ilja Dragunov is presented in AEW after his warm crowd reception at AEW WrestleDream.

While Draugnov has historically portrayed a babyface character throughout his run in the UK Indies and WWE, there could be a character shift coming for The Mad Dragon depending on his initial opponent.

Although a commanding victory in his in-ring debut could be a great introduction to the audience, a more creative choice would be to immediately see Dragunov faced with a formidable foe.

Certainly the talented Bailey is poised to put on an impressive performance but as a fan favorite babyface in his own right, the pairing is intriguing.

Could the Mad Dragon bring back MJF?

While MJF has been out of AEW action since AEW All In, it hasn’t stopped him from commenting on the current state of affairs in AEW, in his own very unique way of course.

Taking to social media after WrestleDream 2026 to drop his own synopsis, MJF made mention of very few happenings – but Ilja Dragunov was one, calling him a ‘Russian/German loser’ who was ‘pretending to be a composer’.

Seemingly unimpressed, Dragunov has already responded in various media appearances ahead of his AEW Dynamite debut being dismissive of MJF – perhaps the perfect clue that they truly could come to have a rivalry in the future.

Able to continue to build their rivalry indirectly, when MJF does return to AEW in-ring action, being confronted by the dedicated technician Dragunov may make for absolute magic.

Where the best wrestle

With an already stacked roster and crowded field in terms of wrestlers fighting for both championships and TV time, Ilja Dragunov has his work cut out for him in terms of maintaining momentum.

Although fans were excited by his debut, the details of his character’s roll out will ultimately decide whether he makes an impact or gets lost in a very talented shuffle.

Bringing about an actual rivalry for Dragunov fairly early into his AEW run may be the best opportunity to maintain momentum from his surprise debut and cement him as a force in the company.