Ilja Dragunov has made a notable stop in Japan, appearing at the Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling dojo for a training session with members of the respected joshi promotion’s roster.

Sendai Girls’ shared a photo of Dragunov inside the ring with several of its wrestlers. Chihiro Hashimoto, one of the promotion’s most prominent names and a major figure in modern Japanese women’s wrestling, was among those present for the session. The image offered a glimpse of Dragunov working in a different environment while maintaining his connection to the ring during time in Japan.

There was no indication that Dragunov is scheduled to compete for Sendai Girls’ or make an in-ring appearance on one of its events. The available information simply confirms that he trained at the dojo. Still, the visit is an interesting moment for an AEW wrestler whose hard-hitting style and intense approach would appear well suited to the physical, disciplined atmosphere associated with Sendai Girls’.

A Visit to One of Joshi Wrestling’s Respected Training Environments

Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling has long carried a strong reputation within Japan and internationally for its demanding standard of competition. Its wrestlers are known for an athletic, forceful in-ring presentation, and the promotion has consistently featured performers capable of excelling across singles and tag team competition.

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Hashimoto stands out as an especially meaningful name in the photo. She has been a central presence for Sendai Girls’ over the years, building a reputation as one of the toughest and most accomplished wrestlers associated with the company. Her appearance alongside Dragunov gives the training visit additional weight, even if it should not be read as confirmation of any formal collaboration between AEW and Sendai Girls’.

Training visits such as this can be valuable without leading to an immediate storyline, match announcement, or promotional exchange. Wrestlers regularly use time abroad to sharpen techniques, exchange ideas with performers from other wrestling cultures, and experience the rhythm of a different training system. For Dragunov, whose work is often defined by urgency, physicality, and a willingness to absorb punishment in pursuit of victory, a session in the Sendai Girls’ ring is a natural fit on paper.

The photo also highlights the increasingly international nature of the modern wrestling landscape. Top wrestlers can remain active in their home promotion while taking advantage of travel, personal connections, and opportunities to train with talent outside their usual locker room. That does not necessarily mean a cross-promotional angle is being planned, but it does demonstrate how accessible high-level wrestling training has become for established stars.

Lady Leigh’s Sendai Girls’ Connection

Dragunov’s presence at the dojo comes with a clear personal connection. His significant other, Lady Leigh, has been wrestling for Sendai Girls’ since September. Lady Leigh previously performed as Jin Tala during her time with WWE.

Her work with Sendai Girls’ provides a straightforward reason for Dragunov to spend time around the promotion and its roster while in Japan. It also places him in close proximity to a company with a distinct wrestling identity and a locker room filled with performers who bring a different set of experiences to the ring.

For Lady Leigh, competing in Japan represents an important opportunity to continue developing in an environment that has historically challenged wrestlers to adapt quickly. Japanese wrestling tours can require performers to learn new ring expectations, build chemistry with unfamiliar opponents, and perform before audiences that react differently from crowds in North America or Europe. A run with Sendai Girls’ can therefore be significant from a developmental standpoint, regardless of how long it lasts.

Dragunov’s visit should primarily be viewed through that context. He was at the Sendai Girls’ dojo during a period in which Lady Leigh is actively working for the promotion, and the shared image documented him joining a training session with its wrestlers. No further details regarding his plans in Japan, potential matches, or appearances have been confirmed.

Dragunov Remains Focused on AEW Competition

While the dojo appearance has drawn attention, Dragunov’s immediate televised direction remains tied to AEW. On the October 28 edition of Dynamite, Dragunov and Tommaso Ciampa crossed paths in a segment that placed the two wrestlers firmly in each other’s orbit.

The confrontation added another compelling potential clash to AEW programming. Dragunov and Ciampa are both identified by their intensity and their willingness to make every exchange feel consequential. Each has built a career around a rugged, confrontational style, and neither is generally portrayed as a wrestler who backs away when challenged.

A meeting between them would offer a stylistic matchup built around hard strikes, grinding control, explosive bursts of offense, and the kind of emotional escalation both competitors tend to bring to major matches. Dragunov’s relentless pace and capacity to turn a match into a battle of endurance could create a difficult problem for Ciampa. At the same time, Ciampa’s experience, precision, and ruthless ability to target an opponent’s weaknesses could make him a particularly dangerous opponent for Dragunov.

At this stage, the October 28 segment established that the two men are on a collision course of some kind, but it did not settle exactly when or where their issue will lead. AEW has not confirmed a match between Dragunov and Ciampa based on the information currently available. The developing situation remains one to watch as Dynamite continues.

What the Training Session Does — and Does Not — Signal

It would be easy to look at an AEW wrestler training at the Sendai Girls’ dojo and immediately speculate about a future appearance, a surprise match, or a broader relationship between promotions. However, the confirmed facts are more limited. Dragunov was pictured training with Sendai Girls’ wrestlers, including Hashimoto. Lady Leigh has been working for Sendai Girls’ since September. Those details establish a connection, but they do not establish an agreement or an upcoming event.

That distinction matters in an era when social media images can quickly generate expectations beyond what has actually been announced. A training photo is meaningful because it shows professional respect and a willingness to work alongside talent from another wrestling scene. It is not, by itself, a declaration that Dragunov is set to wrestle in Japan or that Sendai Girls’ talent will be appearing in AEW.

Even so, the visual remains notable. Dragunov is a recognizable AEW figure, and Sendai Girls’ is a promotion with a dedicated identity and a strong history of presenting high-level wrestling. Bringing those names together in the same ring, even in a training setting, naturally attracts interest from fans who follow wrestling beyond the boundaries of a single company.

An Intriguing Moment Ahead of Dragunov’s Next AEW Chapter

For now, Dragunov’s time at the Sendai Girls’ dojo stands as a reminder of the value of continued training and international exposure, even for a wrestler already competing at a major level. The photo with Hashimoto and other Sendai Girls’ talent captures an exchange rooted in wrestling’s shared language: stepping into the ring, learning from others, and testing oneself in a new setting.

It also arrives at a timely point in Dragunov’s AEW story. His interaction with Ciampa on the October 28 edition of Dynamite has opened the door to a potentially brutal rivalry, and fans will be watching to see how quickly that conflict intensifies. Dragunov’s Japan training session does not change the facts of that program, but it adds another layer to a period in which he is continuing to stay active, visible, and prepared.

Whether the Sendai Girls’ visit proves to be a one-time training opportunity or the beginning of a longer-running connection remains unknown. What is clear is that Dragunov has spent time inside one of Japan’s respected women’s wrestling dojos, sharing the ring with accomplished talent while Lady Leigh continues her own run with the promotion. As his path with Ciampa develops in AEW, the image from Sendai offers a memorable snapshot of Dragunov’s ongoing commitment to the craft.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.