In the wrestling world today we all have our favorites that we would love to become a champion and make history. As a fan of All Elite Wrestling, I have several favorites like Jon Moxley, Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends, and many more. However, those wrestlers could be mentioned in an article on another day. My all-time favorite AEW Wrestler is Kris Statlander, and today the spotlight is on her.
Statlander made her professional wrestling debut in 2016. She became the first female to graduate from Create a Pro Wrestling Academy. Statlander debuted officially on the All Elite Wrestling brand in 2019.
She had several matches and title shots but kept falling short. In June 2020, she suffered an ACL and had out to be for a long period of time. She returned in March of 2021, inside a claw machine to scare Penelope Ford. Statlander had aligned herself with Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor, and Orange Cassidy known as the Best Friends.
The momentum was building her way toward winning her first-ever championship. Statlander was in the running for the TBS Championship but was knocked out by Ruby Soho. Jade Cargill would then defeat Soho to become the first-ever champion. However, even in defeat, the momentum was building again for the AEW original. But then it happened again, and on AEW Dark back in August of 2022, she tore her other ACL and would be out 6-9 months to recover. During this time Cargill went on to become the longest reigning champion and had a 60-0 undefeated streak including open challenges.
More Than A Woman Returns
At Double or Nothing Jade Cargill successfully defeated Taya Valkyrie to retain the TBS Championship. After the match, Mark Sterling said, “60-0 folks. Jade had defeated everyone and is willing to defend her title anytime, anywhere but there is nobody left.” Cauterize started and a returning Kris Statlander had returned and answered the challenge.
After a short match, the streak was over and we crowned a new TBS Champion Kris Statlander. This moment legit bought tears to my eyes, I was so happy for her. I can still watch the video of the return and match and still shed tears.
Last year I had the chance to meet Kris Statlander at GalaxyCon in Raleigh, and she was the sweetest ever. It was a happy moment for me since I am a huge fan of hers. This year I will be attending again this year to meet some wrestlers and other celebrities, and Stat is “suppose” to be there according to the online program. As a fan, I am hoping to reconnect with her and have a chance to congratulate her in person on becoming champion. Most of all I will continue to watch her journey and support her inside the squared circle.
