A late counter earns Dragunov his first Dynamite victory
Summary
– Ilja Dragunov defeats Mike Bailey in his first AEW match
– Bailey comes close to spoiling Dragunov’s debut
– Dragunov survives the late offense and turns the match around
Ilja Dragunov opened his AEW career with a victory over “Speedball” Mike Bailey on the October 21 episode of Dynamite. Bailey pushed him deep into the closing stretch, but Dragunov survived several dangerous moments before finding the opening he needed.
The closing sequence saw Bailey counter Dragunov’s powerbomb attempt and threaten to take the win with a close pinning combination. A follow-up kick left Dragunov struggling, although Bailey could not immediately capitalize with a cover.
That delay gave Dragunov valuable time to recover. Bailey continued pressing forward with his aerial offense, connecting again before heading toward the ropes to attempt another finishing attack.
Dragunov interrupted him by striking his left leg, abruptly stopping Bailey’s momentum. He followed with a powerbomb that targeted the same leg, leaving Bailey vulnerable as the match reached its finish.
Rather than giving Bailey another chance to regroup, Dragunov followed through with the decisive attack and secured the victory.
Commentary welcomed Dragunov to All Elite Wrestling afterward, praising the performance as an especially impressive debut. Bailey had come close to handing him an opening defeat, making the turnaround particularly important.
Dragunov’s first AEW match demanded both resilience and quick thinking. He absorbed Bailey’s late surge, disrupted his next attack, and converted that counter into a winning start on Dynamite.
