“Speedball” Mike Bailey says he believes Ilja Dragunov “is going to do amazing” in All Elite Wrestling after the pair met in the main event of the October 21 edition of AEW Dynamite, a match that doubled as Dragunov’s in-ring debut for the promotion.
Bailey, reflecting on the encounter, said he is “very excited to see where this goes” for Dragunov moving forward, according to Fightful. The comments came as Bailey processed a match that saw him go to great lengths in an attempt to put away his debuting opponent, only to come up short against a wrestler making his first appearance under the AEW banner.
The main-event placement of the bout underscores the significance AEW placed on introducing Dragunov to its audience, with Bailey serving as the opponent tasked with giving the newcomer a high-profile showcase on national television. Dragunov’s arrival and subsequent in-ring debut mark a notable addition to the Dynamite roster, and pairing him immediately with an established, well-regarded in-ring performer like Bailey allowed him to make an impact in his first outing.
Beyond his public remarks to Fightful, Bailey also documented his personal reaction to the match in his weekly vlog, as reported by WrestleZone. That footage reportedly captured a shift in his mood following the bout, moving from the adrenaline of the moment to visible exhaustion once the match concluded. WrestleZone described the vlog as showing both excitement and fatigue in the aftermath of facing Dragunov, offering fans a rare glimpse into Bailey’s immediate, unfiltered state of mind after a demanding main-event performance.
Neither source detailed a finish to the match or indicated what, if anything, comes next for either wrestler on AEW programming. What is established is that Dragunov’s AEW in-ring debut came against Bailey on the October 21 Dynamite, that the match closed out the show, and that Bailey has since spoken positively about Dragunov’s future with the company while also sharing a candid personal reaction to the bout itself.
The dual reaction, Bailey’s measured praise for Dragunov’s potential paired with the raw emotion captured in his vlog, paints a picture of a hard-fought main event that left a lasting impression on at least one of its participants. Further details on any follow-up between the two, or Dragunov’s next steps in AEW, had not been reported at the time of these accounts.
