Kris Statlander is one of the original female stars of AEW, and is quickly becoming their most popular star.
She debuted at the start of the companies life and became synonymous with the brand as she teamed up with Trent, Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy as “Best Friends“.
As a four-piece, they made huge strides in their respective divisions and even appeared on the hit Netflix show “The Floor Is Lava”.
She has had some incredibly important moments and matches in the past four years in AEW.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the best and most important matches and moments from her career and look forward to what could be in the future for everyone’s favourite Intergalactic alien wrestler.
Kris Statlander Best Moment
Kris Statlander’s AEW Debut
Kris Statlander made her AEW debut on the 7th episode of AEW Dark, on November 13th, 2019.
She teamed with Big Swole in a tag team match against he duo of Riho and Britt Baker – two of the biggest stars in the division and now both former AEW Women’s Champions.
She showcased her incredible power and strength, which had been missing for the women’s division so far.
She mixed this (plus her fantastic in-ring ability) with a new alien gimmick that had never been seen before in mainstream wrestling, much to the delight of the fans.
AEW had built a new star in this match, even though Kris Statlander would be the one to take the loss.
She was forced to tap out to Britt Baker’s Lockjaw in her first match and her first match, but got her foot in the door and was eventually signed to the company full time not long after.
Her First Match On Dynamite
After appearing on AEW Dark, it would not be long before Kris Statlander’s matches became a fixture on AEW Dynamite.
Her Dynamite debut came two weeks after her Dark debut was once again in a tag team match. However, it featured different opponents and a different partner, putting on a much varied match but still made Statlander a big part of the match.
Statlander teamed with Hikaru Shida – another future champion in AEW – in what was a clear endorsement of her as a future star. In the other corner saw two women who fans may not remember.
Emi Sakura, the Japanese star who rarely makes appearance in AEW, and wrestles on Dark when she does, and Bea Priestly, who now wrestles in WWE as Gigi Dolin. She was part of Toxic Attraction alongside Mandy Rose before the latter’s release.
Once again she lost the match but would soon build up to her first title match in AEW.
AEW Women’s Championship Match vs Riho
Kris Statlander’s first championship match in AEW came against the companies first ever champion. She battled Riho, the young star from Japan who became famous by wrestling Kenny Omega as a teen, in the second AEW Dynamite of 2020.
This took place on the AEW Anniversary episode of Dynamite, and was one of the marquee matches on the card.
The match went under 10 minutes and ended with Riho winning the match, but that was not the headline for the bout. It was a fantastic match in the first half, probably the best in the companies history.
However, the Brandi Rhodes-led Nightmare Collective interfered in the match and absolutely ruined the spectacle.
This completely ruined a great match, and at a time when the women’s division needed a shot in the arm. They had so far failed to excite the AEW fans but it looked like a turning point for the division.
Luckily AEW would drop the group soon after and Statlander would move onto bigger and better things.
AEW Revolution 2020
At AEW Revolution 2020, Kris Statlander got her second opportunity at the AEW Women’s Championship. This time, she faced a new champion, as Nyla Rose had dethroned Riho to become the companies second ever champion (and the first ever transgender champion in major wrestling promotions).
This would be the last AEW show in front of a live crowd for a long time, due to the COVID pandemic precluding fans from travelling to the shows for a number of months.
Statlander once again failed to win the match but put on a fantastic show that showcased her incredible power moves and in-ring talent. It gave the crowd hope and showed them that she would one day be an AEW Women’s Champion – she just had too much talent.
Arcade Anarchy
While not a match she was an active participant in, one of Kris Statlander’s biggest moments was during the legendary Arcade Anarchy match in March 2021.
She had been out of action with a torn ACL since June 2020 and was slated to return any day now – but nobody have excepted her electric return and eruption from the crowd.
The Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy) and Miro & Kip Sabian battled off in an arcade-based match which played on Miro’s character at the time.
As Penelope Ford (Sabian’s wife) attacked Orange Cassidy, she rose from an arcade machine to launch an attack at the “Super Bad Girl” to help her team win the day.
Trent and his mom Sue also made their returns during that match.
The Fans Turn On Ruby Soho
In the semi-finals of the Owen Hart Cup, Kris Statlander faced Ruby Soho. The two women were big faces in the women’s division and AEW expected a split crowd for the match.
How wrong they were. The fans got behind Statlander in a huge way, booing Soho and making it clear that the Alien wrestler was their favourite.
There was shock and awe at the end of the match when Soho picked up the win. The crowd were apoplectic, demanded to see Statlander victorious despite her defeat.
This did wonders to rock Soho’s confidence, who went into the final match against Britt Baker a shadow of her former self, while Statlander had never been so popular in her life.
Sadly, injury would soon hit just as she was getting a huge push and she would not be able to capitalise on this momentum.
Kris Statlander’s Biggest Match Was Against Jade Cargill
After nearly a year out of the ring with an ACL injury, Kris Statlander returned to AEW at Double or Nothing 2023.
She aappeared after Jade Cargill defeated Taya Valkyrie to defend her TBS Championship, continuing her ridiculous undefeated streak.
The crowd exploded when Kris Statlander answered Jade’s open challenge, and quickly defeated the star to win her first title in AEW – the TBS Championshp.
This match was short, but was one of the best matches of her career. The crowd were completely and utterly on her side, and her ending Jade Cargill’sn undefeated streak garnered one of the biggest pops of the night.
During her entrance, Kris Statlander used American Sign Language (ASL) to say “Mama’s Home”, a clear message to the rest of the AEW roster.