Kris Statlander Opens Up About Partnership with Stokely Hathaway and Ongoing Rivalry with Willow Nightingale

Kris Statlander, a former AEW TBS Champion, has had an interesting journey in AEW. Initially part of the Best Friends stable in 2021, she later formed a friendship with Willow Nightingale. In 2024, Statlander and Nightingale reluctantly accepted Stokely Hathaway as their manager, but Hathaway and Statlander eventually betrayed Nightingale to pursue their own path.

Now working exclusively with Hathaway, Statlander has gained insights into her new partner’s personality. In a recent podcast interview, she described Hathaway as hard-headed and opinionated, but also acknowledged his beneficial role in ensuring they accomplish their goals. The duo’s relationship has evolved from a manager-wrestler dynamic to a tag team, competing against Nightingale and Tomohiro Ishii at AEW All In London. Despite their loss in that match, with Ishii pinning Hathaway, the event has set the stage for continued rivalry between Statlander and Nightingale.

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