AEW have signed future star Kris Statlander, per Brandi Rhodes
Wrestling fans have been wondering when AEW would sign another wrestler to their women’s division, and now they have their answer as Kris Statlander has been officially added to the roster.
There were rumors that All Elite Wrestling were on the cusp of signing Kris Statlander after WWE NXT were late to offering her an official contract. Statlander had appeared in two AEW matches before these rumors surfaced, so a signing seemed almost inevitable.
Last night, Statlander defeated Hikaru Shida in singles competition for her first win with the company, which led David Bixenspan to ask if Statlander had indeed signed an official deal. The win seemed to signify a signing.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden responded, informing fans that Brandi Rhodes told him that Statlander has indeed signed with the company. Snowden recently did an excellent interview feature with AEW’s Chief Brand Officer, where she mentioned having a say in the decision to sign Statlander.
And it is a marvelous decision. Statlander has been one of 2019’s biggest breakout stars on the independent scene, shining on Beyond Wrestling’s weekly show “Beyond Uncharted Territory”. She could have been a big signing for NXT, but she’ll be an even bigger addition to the AEW roster, where she can help lead the women’s division.
Statlander has “future star” and “future champion” written all over her, and AEW fans couldn’t get enough of her performance in her first appearance as an officially-signed talent against the equally great Shida.
Next. Rhea Ripley is getting her title match. dark
Our Josiah MacDonald rated the match highly in his review of the show calling the match a star-making performance for Statlander, who is now 1-2 in AEW. Her losses both came in tag team competition, but beating Shida, whom she partnered with in her most recent tag team loss, bodes well for her prospects heading into 2020.
Statlander is a massive signing for AEW’s Women’s Division, which will hopefully add more talented wrestlers like her when the calendar flips to 2020. And again, she made quite the impression on Dynamite last night.