Of the high-profile WWE departures in 2026, two of the most surprising were Ilja Dragunov and The New Day. Dragunov opted to let his contract expire earlier this month, while Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, now going by the names Kofi and Austin Creed, opted to turn down new contracts due to not wanting to take a pay cut. All three men are free agents at the time of writing, but AEW All In London 2026 is taking place this Sunday, and speculation about Dragunov, Kofi, and Creed all joining All Elite Wrestling ahead of the big event has been rampant.
WrestleVotes on Fightful Select managed to speak to a source within AEW about the potential new signings, and if any of them do sign, could they appear at Wembley Stadium this weekend. In the case of Dragunov, AEW sources claimed that the company will inquire about potentially bringing Dragunov to AEW for an appearance, while also stating that may or may not have happened already. Another AEW source believed that if and when the company reaches out to the “Mad Dragon,” he will very likely make an appearance in the near future, but only if talks with Dragunov go smoothly. WWE sources don’t expect Dragunov to make a surprise return any time soon and expect him gone for a long time after not coming to terms on a new deal.
In the case of Kofi and Creed, things are a little more clear as sources in both WWE and AEW expect the former WWE Tag Team Champions to sign with All Elite Wrestling imminently. No timeframe was given on when the former New Day will arrive in AEW according to sources in both companies, but those within AEW believe that they will be making their debuts for the company at All In London. It has been heavily speculated that Kofi and Creed could pop up in the Trios Roulette Royale that will take place on the Buy-In portion of All In London and will leak on to the main card, with Swerve Strickland being their potential partner, but that has not been confirmed by sources in AEW.
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