Folks, grab your space helmets because AEW’s resident extraterrestrial, Kris Statlander, is heading for a major character shift! On Friday’s AEW Rampage, Statlander sent shockwaves across the wrestling galaxy by announcing that her partnership with Stokely Hathaway had officially crash-landed. That’s right—the quirky, hard-hitting alien-turned-human powerhouse is back on her own. But don’t worry, she didn’t have long to enjoy her newfound independence. Current AEW TBS Champion Mercedes Mone and her muscle, Kamille, appeared faster than a UFO sighting to let Statlander know who’s really running things around here.
According to Fightful Select, Statlander is getting ready for a fresh babyface run, which is likely a cosmic reset after months of playing the heel. And with a title shot against Mone in her future, the stars are aligning for Statlander to reclaim her spot among the fan favorites. Mone, for her part, has been steamrolling the AEW women’s division, boasting high-profile wins over Britt Baker at All In and Hikaru Shida at All Out. But now it looks like the boss will have to face off against Statlander, who’s clearly no longer interested in sharing the spotlight with her former manager.
Speaking of Stokely Hathaway, the man seems to be moving on quicker than a stolen spaceship, having been spotted at AEW Dynamite watching Private Party take on The Young Bucks. While it’s unclear if Hathaway is looking to align with the tag team, one thing’s for sure: he’s not managing Statlander anymore. The writing was on the wall after Hathaway’s ego got in the way during their last big match at All In, where Statlander and Hathaway lost to Willow Nightingale and Tomohiro Ishii. (Yes, folks, Tomohiro Ishii pinned Stokely Hathaway. We’re still laughing.) That loss was the final straw, leading to the inevitable fallout between Statlander and her increasingly glory-hogging manager.
For Statlander, this break is both personal and professional. She’s been with AEW since 2019, initially aligning with Best Friends before transforming into a more grounded, hard-hitting persona. But after some time off following her match with Nightingale at All Out, it looks like Statlander is healed, refreshed, and ready for her next big challenge: taking down Mercedes Mone. As she transitions back to babyface territory, the AEW roster better watch out—Statlander is ready to take over, no Hathaway required.