Kris Statlander’s journey to becoming one of AEW’s premier female wrestlers and the first woman to hold both the AEW Women’s World Championship and the TBS Championship has been much tougher than anticipated. She faced significant setbacks due to two torn ACL injuries in 2020 and 2022, which kept her out of action for a total of 590 days. Many questioned whether she could bounce back from such severe injuries.
Statlander herself shared her feelings during an appearance on “The Masked Man Show,” revealing that her first ACL tear felt like “the end of the world.” Wrestling has always been central to her life, and because the injury came amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, her options for recovery were limited. Despite this, the experience had a silver lining as it gave her the chance to fully focus on rehabilitation and regaining her wrestling fitness.
When she suffered the same injury a second time, Statlander initially felt that same despair. However, she relied on the resilience and knowledge gained from her first recovery, which helped her regain confidence and determination. She concentrated on rehab and training, eventually feeling stronger and more fine-tuned as an athlete than ever before.
Statlander explained, “When it happened the second time, I thought, ‘It’s the end of the world again. I can’t believe we have to go through this again.’ But then I thought, ‘Okay, I went through this before. I knew I could do it again.’ I also focused on rehab and making sure I could do all the things I used to do. Having been through it all, I feel like I’ve really learned to fine-tune my training, and I feel like a better athlete now after recovering from knee surgery.”
(Fan Take) Kris Statlander’s story of resilience is a powerful reminder of the physical and mental challenges wrestlers face and overcoming them grows their legacy. For AEW fans, her comeback not only promises thrilling performances but also inspires hope and determination within the sport.
