AEW: 3 reasons why Kris Statlander must win the Women’s Title

The future of the AEW Women’s Division

Since debuting in All Elite Wrestling, Kris Statlander has really started to make a name for herself. Appearing on episodes of AEW Dark on YouTube, fans quickly took to her. Her performances have been very impressive and she really has yet to miss a step in the ring. She also brings a lot of enthusiasm, energy and intensity to the AEW Women’s division.

So why is she the future of the AEW Women’s division?

Well for my money Kris is the complete package, she has the look, the character, the personality and the athleticism. If you combine all these elements you have something incredibly special in professional wrestling.

Women’s wrestling in general has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, I think someone like a Kris Statlander who has that “it” factor is someone who could elevate Women’s wrestling even further.

I personally believe the AEW Women’s division has come under unfair criticism in recent weeks. I think the division is packed full of fantastic wrestlers and athletes. Which is only further cemented with the recent additions of Statlander, Shanna, Big Swole  etc.

However, I do believe the division needs to be showcased a lot more than it currently is. The lack of TV time the women get compared to the men really hurts the overall product, especially when you consider the likes of the aforementioned incredible new additions to the roster.

The lack of TV time for the women’s wrestlers is a criticism Kenny Omega addressed recently when speaking to the Wrestling Observer – (transcript via Fightful)

"We haven’t been able to focus on women as much as I’d like. Some of it has been availability. We have girls signed and hopping on board. I hate to say “Wait till 2020,” but I can safely say in 2020 there are going to be interesting and exciting signings that will shake up the division. As soon as we have a women’s tag division, that will balance (things) more and give the women more of a stage. Once there’s that ‘thing’ for them to fight for, you’re going to see more time devoted per episode for the women."

I agree with the sentiments of Kenny Omega. It’s clear the women’s division needs more TV time dedicated to them on a weekly basis, I don’t think the time they get currently is fair considering the amount of talented individuals on the roster. The talent is there, but the time to flourish is not.

I believe the array of talented new signings will be a huge success for AEW and will really help to elevate the women’s division. Riho has herself been a fantastic champion who, again, I believe receives a lot of unfair criticism from fans online. A few people have argued that they don’t see her as a “believable champion,” which I don’t necessarily agree with.

Her matches against the likes of Emi Sakura and Britt Baker have really impressed me, I have found them to be very enjoyable and never once have I questioned how good she is or how “believable” she is as a champion. I think she has been absolutely killing it as the Women’s Champion.

However, all things considered, given just how talented Kris Statlander is in the ring, the uniqueness of her character and how charismatic her performances can be and have been previously, I see her as a perfect fit to become the next AEW Women’s Champion.