Kris Statlander owes a lot to MJF for helping her AEW career get started.
During an interview on the Under the Ring podcast, Statlander recounted how she first got brought into AEW. Statlander credited MJF for being "probably the biggest" proponent she had recommending her to the company. Statlander thinks that, if it wasn't for MJF's recommendation, she probably wouldn't have gotten to join AEW so early into her career.
Statlander said:
I feel like it all kind of happened so suddenly. I remember I was at this point in my independent career where I was having like six matches a week and I was wrestling like four or five days a week. And I was very tired but very busy and very excited. I got the email [from AEW] to come do a dark match and be an extra. It was in Nashville, so I remember I was like, 'Oh, that's kind of a far distance, but if they're bringing me in, sure. I absolutely am not going to say no to that.'
I remember I showed up, I did some of the training with the girls. I feel like, pretty early in the day, they started discussing about possibly bringing me in and I was like, 'I haven't even had my match yet.’ Like, if anything, I was just like, 'Don't you want to see me wrestle first?' Because, I don't know, I just feel like -- in my opinion, I'm like I want to see how a person works before I bring them into a company. But I know that I had some people recommend me and looking out for me. I hate to give him credit, but I know MJF was probably the biggest one. So I do have a lot to owe him, unfortunately. But he's been there for me a lot as a friend. I think if he hadn't recommended me as someone to bring in, I probably wouldn't have gotten that opportunity so early on. I'm sure it probably would have happened eventually. I would hope it would have at least. But, yeah, it just kind of just happened out of nowhere. The first day that I was there, it was kind of like, ‘We're gonna bring you in.' And I was like, ‘Alright, let's do it.’
Statlander and MJF are both from Long Island, New York and trained at the Create A Pro Wrestling Academy.
Statlander made her AEW debut in late 2019. After setbacks due to torn ACLs in both 2020 and 2022, she currently holds the TBS Championship. Statlander retained the TBS title against Jade Cargill on last Friday's episode of Rampage and against Britt Baker on Saturday's episode of Collision.
A mixed trios match with Statlander, Orange Cassidy & Hook facing Anna Jay, Matt Menard & Angelo Parker has been set up for Rampage Grand Slam. The special two-hour episode is being taped in Queens, New York on Wednesday and will air on TNT this Friday night.
MJF is defending his AEW World Championship against Samoa Joe on Dynamite Grand Slam this Wednesday.
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