Kris Statlander: Mercedes Mone has ‘motivated me in ways I could never explain’
Feuding with Mercedes Mone was a very rewarding experience for Kris Statlander.
Statlander and Mone faced off twice on pay-per-view in 2024 with Mone winning both matchups. The two then renewed their rivalry at AEW Full Gear 2025 with Statlander getting the victory this time. All three bouts were highly regarded with Statlander and Mone working well together as opponents.
On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Statlander explained that she doesn’t ever really look for chemistry with opponents. Instead, she just approaches each match trying to be as giving as possible and find ways to mesh with the person across the ring from her. But Statlander does think fans would point to Mone as the person she has the best chemistry with. Statlander loved working with Mone and was motivated by how talented and dedicated she is.
“I feel so weird about this chemistry question — I’ve actually gotten this a few times — because I don’t ever really look for chemistry with someone. I look for myself being the best performer for my opponent,” Statlander said. “And I feel like kind of putting that pressure on myself to be that person for them kind of just helps me mesh with a lot more people than as opposed to being like, ‘Well, I’m just going to do whatever I need to do and then hope that everyone is on the same page.’ And I’m not saying I’m the only one that does it, but I feel like my approach is a little bit more like, ‘Let me be there for you.’ Yeah, I try to be [very giving]. And I feel like that kind of helps [in] general.
“I know a lot of people are probably going to say Mercedes. And, you know, I love working with her. She’s motivated me in ways that I could never explain, because of just her talent and her passion for wrestling also. But I don’t know. I feel like I try my best to work well with a lot of people and to be someone that people want to work with. So that’s more rewarding to me than, you know, any title really could be. The fact that people want to work with me is very special.”
The third match in the Statlander vs. Mone trilogy happened last November during Statlander’s AEW Women’s World Championship reign. Statlander recently dropped the belt to Thekla on the February 11 episode of Dynamite.
Mone has been on hiatus from AEW since the end of 2025 but looks poised to return soon. She’s already been announced for a slate of upcoming indie dates in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Poland, and Canada.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.