AJ Styles Reacts to Ilja Dragunov WWE Departure

AJ Styles Reacts to WWE Departure of Ilja Dragunov

AJ Styles has admitted he was just as surprised as the general public upon learning about the sudden WWE departure of Ilja Dragunov.

As noted, Dragunov opted to allow his contract to expire, bringing an unexpected conclusion to his seven-year tenure with the promotion. Addressing the news during the latest episode of The AJ Styles Show, Styles expressed genuine disappointment over the development while making it clear that he remains entirely in the dark regarding the specific circumstances behind the exit.

“I don’t know anything about it. I know that I’m very sad about this situation. I enjoy his work very much. So I don’t know what’s going on,” Styles said.

Coaching Role Offers Limited Insight into Roster Contracts

Despite holding a prominent position within the company, Styles clarified that his current responsibilities on the internal side of the business do not provide him with direct access to private contract negotiations involving other performers on the roster.

“I can’t say much about it because again you’d think I’d know. I work for the company, but my place is in the coaching and the talent and little things to hopefully help make WWE better and build that foundation for them with the younger talent and stuff like that. So, I don’t know what was going on. I just know ‘Holy crap’. That’s about all I know.”

Truth Behind Departure Awaits Dragunov’s Response

Styles concluded by cautioning fans and media outlets against buying into unverified rumors regarding the situation, noting that clarity will only come once Dragunov chooses to address his exit publicly.

“We’re gonna have to have to wait and see what he says about the situation when he’s able to talk about it. Then we’ll all know the truth because we can speculate everything at what this is. The truth is we don’t know. I’ll be the first one to tell you I thought the guy was awesome.”