Kris Statlander will have to wait a bit longer to get a shot at the AEW Women’s Championship due to being pulled from the “Homecoming” edition of AEW Dynamite.
According to an announcement by the AEW social team, Statlander is no longer challenging Riho for the title on this week’s show due to prior commitments. (While it wasn’t stated in the announcement, Statlander is advertised for a match Bar Wrestling’s Rosé Parade in Los Angeles the same day.) Riho will still defend the title on the show this week in Jacksonville, but it will be in a 4-way match against Nyla Rose, Britt Baker and Hikaru Shida.
Statlander will still get her title shot a week later, as she will face the winner of the 4-way match on January 8 in Southaven, Mississippi. Statlander earned her title shot after defeating Britt Baker in a number one contender’s match on last week’s episode of Dynamite.
Update: Tony Khan and Bar Wrestling have since commented on the booking change, posting the following statements on their respective accounts:
Rather than force Kris to choose between her title shot or keeping her word on a commitment she made before signing here, we’re allowing her to do both. The champion Riho will defend vs. #2 Britt/#3 Shida/#4 Nyla in a 4 way title match. The winner defends vs. #1 Kris on January 8
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) December 27, 2019
Losing @callmekrisstat would’ve been a big blow to us not only financially with travel and replacement costs but also quality of talent loss. Thank you to Kris for keeping your bookings next week with @beyondwrestling and with us and to @AEWrestling for caring about independents. https://t.co/gEJLLL7ZjJ
— Bar Wrestling (@BarWrestling) December 27, 2019
Other matches and segments still being advertised for the 1/1 episode of Dynamite include:
- Cody versus Darby Allin
- Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks versus PAC and the Lucha Bros
- Jon Moxley’s response to Chris Jericho’s offer to join the Inner Circle
- MJF reveals his stipulation for his future match with Cody
- Taz will appear
Read More: Report: All Elite Wrestling Considering On-Air Commissioner Role
However, we are excited to announce that Kris Statlander will face the winner at the #AEW Anniversary edition of Dynamite Wednesday, Jan 8th in Southaven, MS. Tickets for both shows can be found at https://t.co/5WsWwyDkwZ
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 27, 2019
