Kris Statlander Reveals Her Thoughts On The Death Riders And Why All Out Is One Of Her Favorite PPVs

"I feel like All Out is one of my favorite pay-per-views to always be a part of. There's just something about the vibe of it that is just so aggressive and daring and just genuinely like almost hardcore, but also that was kind of [what it was] last year. Everyone was very deranged last year. We don't know what was going on in the water at AEW last year," Kris Statlander said.

Aggressive and hardcore are certainly the right words to use. At last year's All Out 2024 event, Statlander went to war with her former friend and tag team partner, Willow Nightingale in a highly acclaimed Chicago Street Fight that featured broken light tubes, splits on thumbtacks, and most importantly, an incredibly relatable story of jealousy, friendship, and betrayal.

Over the past few months, Kris Statlander has made efforts to reconcile with her ex-friend but her former friend has remained distrustful, still vividly remembering Statlander's violent betrayal following Nightingale's loss of the TBS title at Double Or Nothing 2024.

When asked about why she thinks fans are still so invested in the ongoing saga between the pair formerly known as Staturday Nightingale, Kris identified authenticity as the difference maker in their rivalry.

"I do think the hardship of going through jealousy when someone's doing better than you, when someone's shining more than you, that's a very real feeling. Wanting to see people make up, but seeing constant battles of other people interfering, that's life. This is a real life beef, story, drama, whatever you want to call it. This is real life stuff being hashed out in front of everybody to see…It's more than just the wrestling, and I think that's why people care so much about it."

 "I also think that, at least with that match [at All Out 2024], her and I know that we're both a little sick in the head. We're crazy when it comes to doing weapons and hardcore stuff. We've done stuff like this together on the independents years ago, so that's not really new for us. Obviously, we're going to take it way past the limit when we had the platform to do so."

What is Kris Statlander's current relationship with Death Riders?

A major topic of discussion in AEW this year has been the (assumed) association between Statlander and the Death Riders, a group that claims to be invested in helping some of AEW's young stars reach their full potential, most recently recruiting Daniel Garcia. Jon Moxley has taken a particular interest in Statlander, often interrupting her backstage segments to offer words of encouragement and ensuring that she received the $100,000 she won in a four-way match on Collision.

Wheeler Yuta, her former comrade from their time in Best Friends alongside Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta, and Chuck Taylor, has also taken an active role in trying to recruit Statlander to the Death Riders. When we asked her about her current headspace as it relates to the Death Riders, Kris Statlander kept her answer short and sweet.

"One quote that is very popularly said amongst wrestlers is that ‘a lot of people are going to give you advice, and it doesn't mean you have to listen to everybody, but you just pick and choose what you like and you see if it sticks and you see if it works’," she said.

"Personally, I don't think taking advice from someone [Jon Moxley] who has been one of the top guys consistently for all six years of the company, if he's going out of his way to give me a little tidbit of information, I don't think that's necessarily ill-advised. And that is all I will say on that."

Statlander's thoughts on the AEW women's locker room

Kris Statlander was one of the first women signed to AEW in 2019 and has seen the roster steadily grow with talent and expertise. As one of the OGs of the women's division, she's enjoyed being able to interact with many of the newer additions to the roster and looks forward to mixing it up with women she hasn't been able to wrestle one-on-one yet.

"I have been very much enjoying, as much as it pains me to admit it, tagging with Harley [Cameron]. It's been pretty fun. Megan Bayne is one of my most equal opponents, even though I've never beaten her. I saw a GIF or something the other day where they were like, every time Megan and Stat are in the ring together, it's like Goku and Vegeta. And I was like, "I am Vegeta, and I love being Vegeta.” That's totally fine with me. I will lose, but she will always push me to be better until I do beat her one day."

"It took until earlier this year in the Owen Hart Cup for me and Jamie [Hayter] to have a singles match for the first time ever. I would love to do more of that. Toni Storm and I have never had a singles match. We have only ever been in a triple threat to qualify for the first gauntlet. I do have a pin over her in that, but she and I have never had a singles match together," Statlander said.

"Deonna [Purrazzo] is someone I've never wrestled. Who else? I just had a whole list. Mina [Shirakawa]. Mina and I always say we want to wrestle each other. I haven't had a singles match with [Queen] Aminata in a very long time. That would be fun. Who else haven't I wrestled? Thekla, I haven't had a singles match with Thekla. There are so many girls that I've never had singles matches with that I've been involved with or have come across in some other form of a match."

More than a woman indeed

In May of 2023, Statlander returned from her second major ACL injury at Double Or Nothing 2023 to become TBS Champion and end Jade Cargill's historic 508-day reign. Since then, she's been one of the company's most dependable performers and has competed in several of the longest (and most critically acclaimed) women's matches in company history.

Despite her success over the past two years, Statlander isn't satisfied and she's eager to add even more accomplishments to her impressive resume.

"I personally believe that I worked so hard on my recovery from my injuries that I am more athletic now, post two knee surgeries, than I ever was as a gymnast before, somehow. I don't think I could have gotten to this level had I not had to go through my injuries because it really reframed my mind of not just being a wrestler, but being an athlete. It changed the way I trained. It changed the way I viewed how to do my matches," she reflected.

"I don't think there's really ever a point that I will ever be satisfied with what I've accomplished because there's always so much more to do. There's always so many more people to wrestle. There's always so many more titles to win if you idolize being a champion so much. I just think that there's always going to be a bigger purpose going forward."

AEW All Out 2025 takes place on Saturday, September 20th in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and will air live on PPV on HBO Max and other PPV providers at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT.