Kris Statlander
Kristen Stadtlander[1] (born August 7, 1995) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Kris Statlander. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling where she is a member of the Best Friends stable, and is the current AEW TBS Champion in her first reign. She has also performed on the independent circuit.
Kris Statlander | |
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![]() Statlander in March 2022 | |
Birth name | Kristen Stadtlander |
Born | [1] West Islip, New York, U.S.[1] | August 7, 1995
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | |
Billed from |
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Trained by | |
Debut | November 2016[4] |
Early life and training
Statlander was born in West Islip, New York on Long Island.[1] After working professionally as a stunt double,[3] she began her professional wrestling training under Pat Buck and Brian Myers at the Create A Pro Wrestling Academy in Hicksville, New York in 2016.[5] Statlander later became the first female graduate of the academy.[6]
Career
Beginnings (2016–2019)
Statlander made her professional wrestling debut in November 2016.[4] Statlander made an appearance for WWE on an episode of SmackDown Live that aired on April 9, 2019, teaming with Karissa Rivera in a losing effort against the then-WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Billie Kay and Peyton Royce.[7] In June that same year, she competed at an event for the promotion Beyond Wrestling in an intergender match against Joey Janela in a losing effort.[8] She made her final appearance for Create A Pro Wrestling, the promotion under which she trained, in December 2019.[9]
All Elite Wrestling (2019–present)
![](../I/Kris_Statlander_Feb_2019.jpg.webp)
Statlander made her debut for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on November 19, 2019, competing in a tag team match alongside Big Swole against Riho and Britt Baker on Dark, where Statlander and Swole were defeated.[10] In December, AEW announced that Statlander had signed with the promotion.[11] Following her signing, she defeated Baker on the December 18 episode of Dynamite to become the No. 1 contender for the AEW Women's World Championship.[12][13] Statlander competed against Riho for the AEW Women's World title on the January 8, 2020, episode of Dynamite, where she was defeated due to interferences by Brandi Rhodes, Awesome Kong, Mel, and the debuting Luther.[14] She received another opportunity to compete for the title on February 29, 2020, at Revolution, this time against new champion Nyla Rose, where she was once again defeated.[15] In June 2020, Statlander suffered an ACL injury in her left leg during an episode of Dynamite.[16]
Statlander returned from injury alongside Trent Beretta on March 31, 2021, helping Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy defeat Miro and Kip Sabian on Dynamite.[17] In September at All Out, she challenged Baker for the AEW Women's World Championship but was unsuccessful.[18] In November, Statlander–along with Trent, Taylor, Cassidy, and Wheeler Yuta–joined the New Japan Pro-Wrestling-based stable Chaos.[19] In August 2022, Statlander suffered a completely torn ACL and lateral meniscus in her right leg during a match on Dark and stated she would need an indefinite amount of time to recover.[20]
Statlander returned at Double or Nothing in May 2023, appearing after a match between then-AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill and Taya Valkyrie in which Cargill retained her title. She answered Cargill's open challenge to an impromptu match and won, ending Cargill's 60-match undefeated streak and obtaining the AEW TBS Championship.[21]
Professional wrestling style and persona
Statlander originally employed an alien gimmick,[22] which she attributed to her being "a big science nerd".[23] Under this character, she was nicknamed "The Galaxy's Greatest Alien" and billed as having come from the Andromeda Galaxy.[2][13] Statlander changed her gimmick in 2022 since she felt that with the previous gimmick "I was never really being fully taken seriously", calling the previous character as "too fun, too lovable, I guess, too goofy and easygoing".[24]
Statlander uses a 450° splash and an inverted piledriver as finishers, respectively called Area 451 and the Big Bang Theory. With her change in gimmick, Big Bang Theory was renamed Friday Night Fever, referencing the song "More Than a Woman" by the Bee Gees, which she had used as her theme early in her career.[25][26]
Championships and accomplishments
![](../I/Kris_Statlander_as_Beyond_Wrestling_Treasure_Hunter_winner_2019_(cropped).jpg.webp)
![](../I/Kris_Statlander_-_Independent_Wrestling_Champion_(cropped).jpg.webp)
- AAW Wrestling
- All Elite Wrestling
- Create A Pro Wrestling
- Beyond Wrestling
- Treasure Hunter Tournament (2019)[30]
- IndependentWrestling.TV
- Independent Wrestling Championship (1 time)[31]
- New York Wrestling Connection
- NYWC Starlet Championship (1 time)[32]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 26 of the top 150 female wrestlers in the PWI Women's 100 in 2021[33]
- Sports Illustrated
- Ranked No. 6 of the top 10 women's wrestlers in 2019[34]
- Victory Pro Wrestling
- VPW Women's Championship (2 times)[35]
- Women Superstars United
- WSU World Championship (1 time)[36]
- Interim WSU World Championship (1 time)[37]
- WSU Spirit Championship (1 time)[38]
References
- "Kris Statlander". Wrestling Data. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- Reneo, Juan C. (June 21, 2021). "AEW Dark Elevation results: Jack Evans vs. Matt Sydal". F4Wonline.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- Crockett, Paul (April 23, 2019). "Generation Next 2019: Three Independent Starts Ready to Break Through". PWInsider. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- Tony Schiavone; Aubrey Edwards (June 15, 2020). "Kris Statlander". AEW Unrestricted (Podcast). All Elite Wrestling. Event occurs at 18:36–18:56. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- Robertson, Alexandra (April 13, 2019). "Kris Stadtlander: The Alien in and out of the ring". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- Castillo, Alfonso A. (October 18, 2018). "WWE all-women's show at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum motivates local grapplers". Newsday. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- Lambert, Jeremy (April 9, 2019). "Kris Statlander & Karissa Rivera Work WWE SmackDown Live Against The IIconics". Fightful. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- Cardoza, Adam (June 12, 2019). "JOEY JANELA VS. KRIS STATLANDER, LAX, TOM LAWLOR & MORE: 6/12 BEYOND WRESTLING UNCHARTED TERRITORY EPISODE 11 LIVE REPORT FROM WORCESTER, MA". PWInsider. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- DeFelice, Robert (December 22, 2019). "Kris Statlander Credits Wrestling With Saving Her Life in Farewell Speech To Create-A-Pro Wrestling". Fightful. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- Lambert, Jeremy (December 9, 2019). "Brandi Rhodes Confirms Kris Statlander Has Signed With AEW, Big Swole Confirms Signing". Fightful. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- Currier, Joseph (December 9, 2019). "AEW officially confirms signings of Kris Statlander and Big Swole". F4Wonline.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- Brookhouse, Brent (December 18, 2019). "AEW Dynamite results, recap, grades: Dark Order makes presence felt, Chris Jericho taken to the limit". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- Ashly, Kristen (December 18, 2019). "Kris Statlander Earns AEW Women's World Title Shot". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
- Strode, Cory (January 8, 2020). "Complete AEW Dynamite TV Report". PWInsider. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- Barrasso, Justin (March 1, 2020). "The Right Time For a New World Champion: Takeaways from AEW's Revolution". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- Satin, Ryan (June 14, 2020). "Kris Statlander Confirms ACL Injury, Says She'll Be Out Of Action "For Awhile"". Pro Wrestling Sheet. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- DeFelice, Robert (March 31, 2021). "Trent, Kris Statlander, Trent's Mom Return, Help Orange Cassidy And Chuck Taylor Win Arcade Anarchy". Fightful. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- Powell, Jason (September 5, 2021). "AEW All Out results: Powell's live review of CM Punk vs. Darby Allin, The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros in a cage match for the AEW Tag Titles, Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage for the AEW Title, Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander for the AEW Women's Title, Chris Jericho vs. MJF". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- Guzzo, Gisberto (November 10, 2021). "Orange Cassidy And Best Friends Accept Kazuchika Okada's Offer To Join CHAOS; Tony Khan Comments". Fightful. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
- Lambert, Jeremy (August 13, 2022). "Kris Statlander Confirms Extent Of Knee Injury, Set To Undergo Surgery". Fightful. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
- Powell, Jason (May 28, 2023). "AEW Double Or Nothing results: Powell's live review of MJF vs. Darby Allin vs. Jack Perry vs. Sammy Guevara in a four-way for the AEW World Championship, The Elite vs. BCC in Anarchy in the Arena, Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm for the AEW Women's Title, Jade Cargill vs. Taya Valkyrie for the TBS Title, Adam Cole vs. Chris Jericho in an unsanctioned match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- "Análisis y Predicciones: AEW Double or Nothing 2020". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). May 3, 2020. Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- Toro, Carlos (June 16, 2020). "Kris Statlander Reveals Origin Of Alien Gimmick, Says She's Never Seen Star Wars Or Star Trek". Fightful. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- "Kris Statlander Says She Discovered Owen Hart Later On, Wasn't An Influence". 411Mania. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- Thompson, Andrew (June 11, 2020). "POST NEWS UPDATE: Linear TV Network wanted to secure the rights to WWE's VOD content for ten years". POST Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- Powell, Jason (May 23, 2020). "AEW Double Or Nothing results: Powell's live review of Cody vs. Lance Archer to become the first TNT Champion (Mike Tyson presents the belt), Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee for the AEW Championship, The Elite vs. The Inner Circle in a Stadium Stampede match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- "AAW Women's Championship". Cagematch.net. December 28, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- "CAP Television Championship". Cagematch.net. July 21, 2019. Archived from the original on August 28, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- "Inaugural CAP TV Championship Tournament (2019)". Cagematch.net. July 21, 2019. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- "Treasure Hunter Tournament (2019)". Cagematch.net. February 24, 2019. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- "Independent Wrestling Championship". Cagematch.net. May 26, 2019. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- "NYWC Starlet Championship". Cagematch.net. February 23, 2019. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- "The PWI Top 100 Female Wrestlers 2020: Full List". Wrestling Travel. October 15, 2020. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
- Barrasso, Justin (December 31, 2019). "The Top 10 Women Wrestlers of 2019". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- "VPW Women's Championship". Cagematch.net. June 10, 2017. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- "WSU World Championship". Cagematch.net. October 18, 2019. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- "WSU World Championship". Cagematch.net. October 18, 2019. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- "WSU Spirit Championship". Cagematch.net. March 2, 2019. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
External links
![](../I/Commons-logo.svg.png.webp)
- Kris Statlander's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database
- Kris Statlander at IMDb