Kris Statlander worried all day about winning the TBS Championship from Jade Cargill.
After spending a year out of action due to a torn ACL, Kris Statlander returned to AEW at Double or Nothing 2023. She answered the challenge of Jade Cargill, promptly handing the champion her first loss and taking home the TBS Championship.
Kris Statlander sat down on Close Up w/ Renee Paquette and was asked about her TBS Championship victory over Jade Cargill.
She explained how she spent the whole time worrying that she would trip up and mess up the match. Luckily Kris Statlander didn’t and became the TBS Champion that night. While she wasn’t emotional about winning the belt, it was seeing others supporting her that finally set Kris Statlander off.
Kris Statlander On Winning The TBS Title
“It was one of those things—you show up, wait all day, so much anticipation, and then it’s over in the blink of an eye.”
“So many people asked, ‘Did you hear the crowd out there?’ I was like, ‘No, I couldn’t hear anything.’ I was just worried about tripping during my entrance. I stumbled a little bit and thought, ‘Great, this is all downhill. I’m going to mess this up. I’m a loser.'” Kris Statlander said.
“But then I got to the ring, and it went fine—actually, more than fine. I won the belt, so it went great. It was one of the first times I personally thought, ‘Oh, maybe I’m getting the recognition—not necessarily that I deserve, but that I’ve been craving.’ It felt like something the fans had wanted for a long time, too. It was such a good moment—like, ‘Yeah, everyone’s kind of leaving happy at this point.'”
“I’m very thankful for everyone who was on my side when that happened. That was such a great moment for me. A couple of people even told me they cried for me, and I don’t get emotional over wrestling a lot. I didn’t get emotional about winning the TBS Championship—I got emotional about the support I had.”
