Kris Statlander Declines Death Riders, Sets Terms of AEW Title Reign Before WrestleDream

Statlander presents her title run as self-directed following a decision to reject faction control.

Overview

After her first successful defense in September, Statlander says she turned down an approach from the Jon Moxley–led Death Riders and criticized how Wheeler Yuta is used within the group.
She is booked to defend the AEW Women’s World Championship against former titleholder Toni Storm at WrestleDream 2025 in St. Louis on Saturday.
Statlander won the championship by upsetting Storm at AEW All In: Texas earlier this year, becoming the first woman in AEW to have held both the Women’s World and TBS titles.
In interviews on Close Up with Renee Paquette and with Yahoo Sports/Uncrowned, she described AEW as a “do or die” environment that helped her lock in for the spotlight.
She highlighted a winding path to the top that included two ACL tears and an early plan to be a stunt double curtailed by the cost of a SAG-AFTRA application fee.