AEW Announces Injury To Kris Statlander
Kris Statlander had been on absolute roll in recent months, notching seven consecutive wins since her loss to Ruby Soho on the May 27 edition of "AEW Rampage." Despite her previous unsuccessful attempts at capturing championship gold in AEW, the rising star seemed prime for a title run and appeared to be on a collision course with AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill — Statlander and the recently-debuted Athena have been embroiled in a feud with Cargill's Baddies stable.
Statlander's ascension in the AEW women's division could be attributed, in large part, to her metamorphosis from her "Galaxy's Greatest Alien" character to the "More than a Woman" persona, a change that she felt was necessary. In an interview with Steel Chair Magazine, Statlander revealed that the change of was "100 percent" her own decision, noting that she "was never really being fully taken seriously" while portraying a wrestler who hailed from the Andromeda Galaxy. "I wasn't sure what was holding me back, maybe it was because I was too fun, too lovable, I guess, too goofy and easygoing," she said.
Whether it's a result of her new gimmick or not, the recent string of victories catapulted Statlander to the second position in AEW's women's division power rankings as of last week. However, in the latest rankings released August 10, Statlander had suddenly been bumped off the list altogether, prompting fans to wonder if she's dealing with an injury.
Big kick, bad landing
On last night's "AEW Dynamite: Quake at the Lake" special, it was confirmed by AEW that Statlander is indeed out with an injury. The announcement was made by Tony Schiavone in a backstage segment where he informed Toni Storm that she was now the #1 contender by default due to Statlander's injury. Although Schiavone didn't provide any further details, fans on social media believe Statlander tweaked her knee in her victory over Sierra on last week's "AEW Dark." In a video clip from the match shared by AEW's Twitter account, Statlander can be seen landing awkwardly after connecting with a running kick, a move that earned her the win but appears to have cost her some time.
The backstage segment with Schiavone also seemed to set up a potential championship bout between Storm and AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa at the upcoming All Out pay-per-view. The two women have been tagging for several weeks under the name ThunderStorm, and seemed conflicted when told by Schiavone that they were going to have to do battle for the women's title soon. As for Statlander, fans can only hope the injury isn't too serious — she's 18 months removed from her return from an ACL tear that put her out of action for over a year in 2020.