Kris Statlander has officially returned to AEW, but what does the future hold for this great wrestler? Well, there is plenty of speculation about it at the moment.
Kris Statlander Returned, But What Is Her AEW Future?
The return of Kris Statlander was a little weird according to fans. In fact, she did not make a singles return, but interfered in a tag match.
Statlander came out as a literal jack in a box to take on Penelope Ford. But what does this all mean for her future?
In 2020, Statlander suffered a torn ACL. Unfortunately, the injury put her on the bench for the better part of a year.
The return of Statlander brought many questions however. After all, she was on the top card of the women’s division when she left.
Now, she returned during the Arcada Anarchy match. During this match, she joined forces with Best Friends and Orange Cassidy.
Fans are wondering if she will be joining the faction for the foreseeable future. Others wonder if this may have been the ideal time to reintroduce her to the crowd.
While the direction of Statlander is not clear, rumors have been circulating regarding another faction. This would not surprise us, as the women’s division has been getting a build over the past couple of months.
Of course, the biggest question is if she still is a big contender for the women’s title? After all Statlander returned as a face character.
Face Versus Face
Now, there is a clear problem with Statlander going for the title. The current champion Hikaru Shida is the biggest face of the women’s division.
Statlander is popular, but would a face versus face match be enough to invoke interest in the women’s division.
At the moment, strong booking for the women’s division is absolutely essential. Of course, Statlander and Shida could put down a four to five star match if let loose.
But their wrestling skill is not the problem, it is the backstory. Naturally, an epic match also has a decent story behind it.
It is difficult to build a proper feud between two faces. While there is mutual respect in the ring and some outstanding skill, I fear a match between Statlander and Shida would be too soon.
For this match to work, Shida or Statlander would have to turn heel. If done correctly, this feud could run for months without people getting bored!
In the meantime, Statlander must also make her way back to the top. Of course, she no longer has anything to prove in the women’s division.
Shida doesn’t have anything left to prove either, so it will be interesting to see the ideas of wrestlers come to our screens in the coming weeks.
At the end of the day, it is difficult to imagine Statlander in any other place than a title shot.
But who knows, maybe AEW wrestlers come up with a lovely spin so this match could happen in the months to come?