Dragunov Debut Caps AEW’s 25-Signing Year

Ilja Dragunov officially became AEW’s newest signee at WrestleDream, marking the 25th addition — including returning stars — to the roster in 2026 alone. The former WWE star had been the subject of mounting speculation since parting ways with WWE earlier this year, and that speculation gave way to confirmation when he showed up at WrestleDream after a handful of teases. His first match for the company is set for the October 21 episode of Dynamite.

Dragunov’s arrival caps off a remarkably busy year of roster movement for Tony Khan’s promotion. The year kicked off in January with a wave of names, including the brief return of Andrade El Idolo, independent standouts Jake Doyle, Zayda Steel, Jordan Oliver and Alec Price, the lucha libre trio of Persephone, Hechicero and Máscara Dorada (several on dual deals with CMLL), and the ex-TNA Rascalz. Tommaso Ciampa also joined that month after choosing not to renew with WWE, winning the TNT Championship within days of his debut.

The signings kept coming throughout the year. Lena Kross returned at Grand Slam Australia in February, pairing with Megan Bayne as Divine Dominion to capture tag team gold. March brought The Dogs — David Finlay, Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd, formerly of Bullet Club: War Dogs — along with ROH six-man champion Blake Christian and lucha star Mistico, who won trios titles with JetSpeed almost immediately. Mick Foley signed in May in a non-wrestling capacity, joining Double or Nothone’s buy-in show as a co-host.

The summer and fall saw some of the year’s biggest names land in AEW. The Motor City Machine Guns, released by WWE in April, debuted in July. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods — rebranded as Kofi & Austin Creed under the New Level banner alongside Swerve Strickland — arrived at All In: London in August after reports of a steep pay cut played a role in their WWE departure. Dani Luna, a former two-time TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champion, debuted at All Out. Dragunov, who didn’t renew his WWE deal in August, closes out the list for now.

That’s a staggering amount of outside talent funneled into one roster in a single calendar year, and it underscores just how aggressively AEW has positioned itself as a landing spot for free agents from WWE, TNA and the global independent scene. It’s not just volume, either — several of these signings have already been plugged directly into championship programs, from Ciampa’s title reign to the trios gold held by both The Dogs and New Level, suggesting Tony Khan isn’t simply stockpiling names but actively integrating them into the title picture.

The pipeline doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Khan has publicly expressed interest in free agent Kairi Sane, and while no deal is official, there have reportedly been early conversations. With Dragunov now wrapped up, attention turns to whether Sane or other free agents follow — and many are already looking ahead to January, historically AEW’s busiest month for fresh arrivals, to see if the pattern repeats as 2027 begins.