Kris Statlander Was Worried She’d ‘Shockmaster’ Herself During Arcade Anarchy Match, Talks Pairing With Best Friends

In a recent interview on AEW Unrestricted, Kris Statlander discussed being paired with Best Friends and Orange Cassidy, her return during the Arcade Anarchy match, and much more. You can read her comments below.

On being paired with Best Friends and Orange Cassidy: “I feel like the whole, me and Orange Cassidy type of thing has been – we’ve talked about doing this since before both of us were signed with AEW where we had done a mix tag team match together. We had wrestled each other twice actually. Our characters are just so similar and complement each other so well that it had to come to fruition at some point. When I first got signed, we were doing a whole lot of skits on BTE and everything. We were told it would never happen on TV. This is going to stay on BTE because of personal reasons. Not our reasons, but it was just something that wasn’t wanted for TV.

“Then, the fact that how we made me join them and it becoming my actual return, it’s still incredibly mind-blowing to me. How often do you see a woman wrestler return in the men’s main event gimmick match to team up with them and save them? When does that happen, ever? It never does. It was a huge moment for me, but I didn’t realize it. I thought I was just doing a goofy ass spot right here, but it was to make amends with friends that I haven’t been here for this whole time. I think it was really cool how it all actually happened, and the fact that it is actually happening now. I feel like now that it is being seen what we are doing, it’s like, why haven’t we been doing this all along?

On busting through the glass during the Arcade Anarchy match on AEW Dynamite: “I don’t even know where to start with that because I know that was originally supposed to be Orange Cassidy’s spot. That I don’t get because he was in the match. How would he not be in the match and enter it and Chuck would just be getting double-teamed the whole time, and then Orange Cassidy popped out? To me, that didn’t make sense. But I don’t write or book anything. When I got cleared and was told that week that I was doing something – I got cleared the Tuesday we fly out to go to tapings and I was not expecting anything to happen at all. I know they were talking about teasing a return. I just got told I was gonna be in the machine, and I was so worried the plexiglass wasn’t gonna come off.

“And then I was worried I was gonna Shockmaster myself getting out of the claw machine. So I was like, great, I’m going to make my big return – because my leg can’t bend all the way with a brace on, so I was like if my foot gets stuck and I fucking eat shit, oh god’. Like I was so worried that I was going to face plant, but they told me that they were going to put a step in there for me and that I would be able to grab onto the top. It was hot in there too. I was in there before they did entrances. I was in there the entire match. So, suffering. There would be times where Penelope [Ford] would walk over to me, ‘Hey, do you hear the you suck chant? They’re talking about you.’ Then she would walk away.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit AEW Unrestricted with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.