Why AEW Star Kris Statlander Wants To Win The Owen Hart Tournament

2024 marks Kris Statlander's second entry into the women's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. As Statlander points out though, her previous stint, which occurred in 2022, materialized under some rather unfortunate circumstances. With that, in addition to her 2023 omission, in mind, Statlander is even more motivated to come out on top of this year's tournament.

"I wasn't supposed to be [in the 2022 tournament]. That's what the salt in the wound is a little bit, is that I was a backup plan for the first one," Statlander said on "AEW Unrestricted." "Second one, I was a champion at the time, but I still don't see why I couldn't have just gone for it. Might as well add another notch in my belt, but it's fine. People were too intimidated because I was on a winning streak at that time. So this is the first time I'm actually entering in the tournament to be there [as a] contestant. And I am not taking that lightly..."

As Statlander alluded to, her initial run in the women's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament came after Hikaru Shida sustained an injury that rendered her unable to move forward in the action. As a result, Shida was replaced by Statlander, who took on Red Velvet and Ruby Soho in the quarter and semi-final rounds, respectively. Statlander then reigned as the TBS Champion in the midst of the 2023 tournament.

Looking ahead to the 2024 iteration, Stalander is aiming to make history by becoming the first woman to win the women's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament as well as both the TBS and AEW Women's World Championships. Should Statlander conquer the forthcoming tournament, she will then earn the opportunity to challenge for the AEW Women's Championship at AEW All In.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "AEW Unrestricted" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.