WWE & AEW Rumors on Reigns vs. Penta Rematch, Ilja Dragunov's Debut & Kelani Jordan's Future

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe and All Elite Wrestling.

More Fallout from Roman Reigns vs. Penta

On the heels of Monday's thrilling contest between Roman Reigns and Penta in which the OTC retained the world heavyweight championship, WWE officials came out very impressed with the challenger.

Per WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), people within WWE believe Penta "deserves the opportunity to remain towards the top of the card" and that he has "established himself as a legitimate main event player" going forward.

The same report did note there are not currently plans for a Reigns-Penta rematch, but WWE officials feel like they "can go back to at any time, and one that a source feels could headline a PLE in the future."

One of the big discussion points coming out of the Raw show from Mexico City was the decision to keep the title on Reigns rather than give the crowd a chance to celebrate a Mexico-born wrestler win the championship.

Per Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com (h/t Jenkins), the likely reason is because WWE is planning a Reigns vs. Oba Femi title match for WrestleMania and they wanted to keep Reigns "as strong as possible."

It's worth noting that, despite the reported change in Penta's spot within WWE after the match, going into it he had never been booked as more than a mid-card act since joining WWE in 2025.

Penta's highest-profile victory in WWE to date is either over Dominik Mysterio or Finn Bálor.

Reigns remains the most-protected superstar in the entire company as far as who he puts over. Since the start of his historic title reign back in August 2020, his only losses by pinfall or submission in singles matches have been against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 41 (triple-threat match with CM Punk) and Bronson Reed at Crown Jewel 2025.

There was no way Penta was going to beat Reigns for the championship on Monday night. This isn't to say it shouldn't have happened, but the booking for Reigns is different than it is for anyone else in WWE.

Since Femi appears to be earmarked as the guy to join the top-tier group at WrestleMania 43, it's not a surprise that Reigns' next pinfall loss is likely being saved for him.

If nothing else, Penta showing WWE officials that he is worth elevating into a more prominent position is a huge win for him. He's incredibly talented and deserving of a better spot than he has been given to this point.

Ilja Dragunov Expected in AEW Imminently

After reports earlier in the week that AEW was having contract talks with Ilja Dragunov, it appears a deal has been finalized.

Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlePurists), Dragunov has signed and "should be starting very soon" in AEW.

There had been indications from within AEW that something was happening with Dragunov, particularly with this not-so-subtle post on X from Kyle Fletcher on Monday.

Dragunov became a free agent last month when his WWE contract expired. The rumors of him going to AEW started almost immediately.

AEW president Tony Khan spoke very highly of him in an Aug. 26 interview with talkSPORT's Will Gavin (h/t Nishant Jayaram of Wrestling Inc.):

"Well, I can't speak about the contractual status of wrestlers outside of the promotion because I don't know everyone's contract. There's no way for me to keep track of all that, but I do know that that's a great wrestler. That's somebody that is a very excellent athlete and somebody that has competed at a very high level and somebody who I respect eminently. So, I am a big admirer of his and will always be on the lookout to see what happens with him."

It will be interesting to see when Dragunov debuts. The next big event on the AEW schedule is All Out on Sept. 26, which is also going head-to-head with the WWE Worlds Collide show.

Both events are taking place in the Chicago area, though it's unclear when fans will be able to watch the WWE show since it's currently not scheduled to be broadcast live.

Regardless of when Dragunov debuts, his arrival will give AEW another high-level in-ring performer on a roster already loaded with talent. His style will probably end up being a better fit in AEW than it was in WWE, so this is a move that makes sense for both him and AEW.

WWE Planning Kelani Jordan Call-Up

Despite just winning the NXT championship on Aug. 30, Kelani Jordan is already being earmarked for a main-roster call-up sooner than later.

Per WrestleVotes Radio (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Jordan was included in the Money in the Bank qualifying match on Monday's episode of Raw to introduce her to the mainstream WWE audience.

The report added that "plans have emerged" for Jordan to get called up after her reign as NXT women's champion concludes. She lost to Lola Vice in a triple-threat match that also included Raquel Rodriguez on Raw.

The finish of the match saw Vice pin Rodriguez, so WWE did protect Jordan by not having her take the fall.

Jordan defeated Kendal Grey for the NXT title at the Heatwave show on Aug. 30. It is her second major title win in WWE after previously holding the NXT women's North American championship.

WWE included Jordan as one of the 30 entrants in the women's Royal Rumble at the 2026 event.

It's probably overdue for Jordan to get a look on the main roster. She originally signed with WWE in 2022 and made her NXT debut the following year.

Whenever Jordan does get the call up, she will be a welcome addition to either Raw or SmackDown as both brands have expanded their depth in the women's division throughout this year with names like Vice, Blake Monroe, Sol Ruca, Jacy Jayne, Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley all joining the main roster.