Why Kris Statlander Hasn't Been Seen On AEW, Explained
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Ever since its inception, the AEW roster has displayed some of the greatest future stars of professional wrestling. With a roster full of incredible talent, one of the standouts of the promotion has easily been Kris Statlander. Trained at Create A Pro Wrestling, Statlander made her professional wrestling debut in 2016 and was signed to AEW in 2019. She has consistently displayed tremendous power, athletic ability, and talent in the ring. However, major injuries during her time in the promotion have caused plans for her to be put on hold at various points. This includes a 2022 ACL tear that kept her sidelined.
Kris Statlander Has Had ACL-Related Injuries Twice
Unfortunately, Statlander has seen ACL injuries on both of her legs during her time in AEW. The first occurred in June 2020, which saw her ACL on her left leg injured. She then made her return to the promotion in March 2021, coming to the aid of Best Friends and attacking Penelope Ford. She then returned to active in-ring competition in April. However, 2022 would see Statlander suffer an injury on her right leg, but this time it was a full tear of her ACL and lateral meniscus. It has been the reason for her absence on AEW television for the last few months.
Statlander has provided updates regarding her injury at various points. She did undergo surgery in order to repair her leg. However, her timeline for returning is uncertain. In December 2022, she posted on Twitter regarding her status at the time, writing that “No I am not cleared yet.” As of this writing, Statlander is still injured and has not been seen on AEW programming.
Kris Statlander Is One Of AEW's Most Talented Competitors
Statlander has consistently shown that she is one of the best wrestlers on the entire AEW roster. Over her time in the promotion, she has wrestled many great matches. Before her first injury, she had wrestled for the AEW Women’s World Championship against Riho on an episode of Dynamite and also at Revolution 2020 against Nyla Rose. She also competed against Hikaru Shida, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., and Penelope Ford. This was all prior to her first injury, but after her first return, she had achieved even more success.
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Statlander made her AEW return on the March 31st, 2021 edition of Dynamite, attacking Ford from inside a claw machine during Arcade Anarchy. This made her an official member of The Best Friends faction. “The Galaxy’s Greatest Alien” then went on to wrestle in even more high profile matches. She wrestled Baker for the AEW Women’s World Title at All Out 2021. She also wrestled two mixed tag team matches with Orange Cassidy against the teams of Baker and Adam Cole, as well as The Bunny and The Blade. Statlander was also a part of the TBS Championship Tournament and The Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament. Statlander wrestled matches against Leyla Hirsch, Red Velvet, Jamie Hayter, and more.
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Prior to Statlander’s injury, she was involved in a feud with Athena against Jade Cargill and The Baddies. She had also undergone a gimmick change for this feud. She dropped the alien gimmick, no longer introduced as being from the Andromeda Galaxy, and renamed her finishing moves. The Big Bang Theory became Friday Night Fever. Statlander’s new persona was that of “More Than A Woman.”
Kris Statlander Is A Star In The Making In AEW
With Statlander’s recovery time being unknown at the moment, fans patiently await the day that she makes her triumphant return to the ring. Undoubtedly, Statlander has shown time and time again that she is one of the best up and comers in AEW today. She possesses all the skills and abilities necessary to be a top name in professional wrestling. Fans have seen her put on, consistently, some of the best matches of the night in the ring.
Unfortunately, injuries are an inherent part of professional wrestling. But, Statlander has shown, like with her first return, that she was able to come back even better and stronger than before. When she does come back, perhaps she will challenge for either the TBS Championship or the AEW Women’s World Championship. With such a talented women’s division in the promotion, the sky’s the limit for the matches that she will be able to have when she returns to AEW.
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Despite not being seen on television for months, fans are still excited for Statlander and what comes next when she is back wrestling. When she returns, whenever that day may be, fans cannot wait for what comes next for one of AEW’s greatest rising stars.
