Kris Statlander just secured her first Women’s World Championship in AEW.
At AEW All Out, Stat faced tough competition: the reigning champion, “Timeless” Toni Storm, rising star Thekla, and former champion Jamie Hayter. With the odds stacked against her and her luck quickly diminishing, she utilized what she had left to pull off a shocking victory.
Stat used the seatbelt that Wheeler Yuta suggested weeks back to win the belt. Fans have been speculating that Statlander might be joining up with the Death Riders and this certainly raises some flags. Jon Moxley has taken an interest in the former TBS Champion as of late, too.
Kris Statlander’s Ties to the Death Riders
Speaking on her relationship with the Death Riders presently, Statlander told The Takedown on SI‘s Lyric Swinton, “One quote that is very popularly said amongst wrestlers is that ‘a lot of people are going to give you advice, and it doesn’t mean you have to listen to everybody, but you just pick and choose what you like and you see if it sticks and you see if it works.’
Personally, I don’t think taking advice from someone [Jon Moxley] who has been one of the top guys consistently for all six years of the company, if he’s going out of his way to give me a little tidbit of information, I don’t think that’s necessarily ill-advised. And that is all I will say on that.”
Stat’s win ends Storm’s fourth reign as champion at 217 days. She won it back from Mariah May in February at Grand Slam Australia. She has spent the last year and a half reinventing herself and her character. Because of this, she’s become one of the most charming acts in all of professional wrestling. Passing the torch to Statlander, an AEW original who has carried the division for six years … well, this crowning is long overdue.
Stay tuned to VICE for news out of AEW All Out.
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