Folks, sometimes things in wrestling are exactly what they seem. No betrayals. No backstage feuds. No dramatic steel chair attacks in catering.
That seems to be the case with AEW manager Stokely Hathaway, who quietly disappeared from TV last year, leaving Kris Statlander to fly solo without so much as a dramatic breakup promo.
Naturally, wrestling fans assumed the worst. Did he get fired? Was he secretly training for a shocking in-ring return? Did he start managing Orange Cassidy and just forget to show up to work?
Nope. According to Fightful Select, Stokely Hathaway is just… taking time off.
A Partnership That Ended Faster Than A Squash Match
Hathaway’s stint managing Statlander ended after she defeated Willow Nightingale at AEW All Out, which—let’s be honest—isn’t how these manager-wrestler storylines usually wrap up.
- No betrayal.
- No teary-eyed farewell speech.
- Just one day they were together, and the next, Statlander was feuding with Mercedes Mone over the TBS Championship.
Statlander even went on record in November, blaming Hathaway for costing her a CMLL Women’s Title shot—which is a classic way to dump a manager without having to share custody of the entrance music.
Where’s Stokely Been?
Well, unlike in WWE—where he was Malcolm Bivens and spent time in NXT—Hathaway has options.
Before stepping away, he:
✅ Managed Jade Cargill.
✅ Created The Firm (remember that? No? That’s okay).
✅ Played a fake Board of Directors member in ROH.
Basically, he’s been one of AEW’s most entertaining talkers, and if/when he returns, he’ll instantly have a place somewhere—because, let’s face it, there’s always a faction that needs a mouthpiece.
Final Thoughts: No Drama, Just A Break
No backstage heat. No power struggles. No secret alligator farm keeping him away.
Just a well-earned break, which, let’s be honest, is a foreign concept in wrestling.
The only question left is: when Stokely Hathaway returns, who will he talk into greatness next?