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Kris Statlander arrived in AEW in 2019 and caught some early criticism. In a company that mostly sold itself on its in-ring wrestling action over sports entertainment, her role as an alien seemed out of place. However, unlike wrestlers like Leva Bates, who ended up buried thanks to her librarian gimmick, Kris somehow got her alien gimmick over with the fans. Most of that had to do with her in-ring skills and infectious personality.

Kris used the alien gimmick for how she dressed. The ring announcer would say she was from the Andromeda Galaxy. She would act awkward, and one of her defining traits was to "boop" someone on their nose. Over time, she showed she was going to fight hard and not allow her gimmick to define her. When Kris hooked up with The Best Friends and Orange Cassidy, her popularity skyrocketed, and while she has since given up the alien gimmick, it still played a large part in her career to this point.

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How Did Kris Statlander Come Up With Alien Gimmick?

Kris Statlander as an alien in AEW

When Kris Statlander came out in her alien themed wrestling attire and face paint, most fans had no idea what to think. One assumption was that it was a gimmick pulled from science fiction, whether Star Wars and Star Trek or possibly a lesser-known property. That assumption is false. Statlander appeared on The Wrestling Inc Daily Podcast and explained that the alien character had nothing to do with paranormal or UFOs, or any sort of science fiction. Statlander just has a lot of love for space.

"It just is forever and no one knows where it came from. No one knows where it starts or ends," Statlander said in the interview. "There's so much mystery behind it, and it just fascinates me. And I've always loved just general science as well growing up. I got this space tattoo. So I'm committed." Statlander also said that she is an odd person and anyone who knows her would say that. "If you really want to make your brain hurt, just think about space and try and figure it out. I feel like sometimes, that's how I am. If you try to figure out what I'm all about... because I don't even know sometimes. It's just so random and odd." She said that helped her create the alien persona.

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Kris Statlander Responds To Alien Gimmick Criticism

The Alien Kris Statlander in AEW

While Kris Statlander won fans over, she tore her ACL and had to take time off because of her injury. She made her return and found she had to win fans over once again. People reacted negatively to her alien gimmick, wondering again why she used it and how it fit in to the athletic competition AEW promoted. Instead of rejecting the gimmick, she instead pushed it and tried to make fans understand her character better. She described this in one episode of the AEW Unrestricted podcast with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards.

"I know there’s a lot of criticism about ‘how is she an alien? All she does is have some dots and lines on her face and stuff like that," Statlander said. "So I wanted to make it more visual for fans to kind of understand a little bit better. Just because I say I’m an alien or whatever, you can interpret whatever you don’t know, however, you want. If that’s how I interpreted it, that’s fine. It’s my take on it.” She also said that people who thought her alien gimmick was "dumb" had that right. "That’s fine. You don’t have to like it. It doesn’t mean I’m a bad wrestler or anything. I don’t even care if people don’t like the character," she said. "It’s what I feel comfortable with portraying myself, but if you think I’m a good wrestler, that’s all I care about. That’s all I need to hear.”

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Why Did Kris Statlander Ditch The Alien Gimmick?

Kris Statlander in AEW

However, there came a point where Kris Statlander realized she needed to put the alien gimmick behind her. In May 2022, announcers no longer mentioned that she was an alien or from the Andromeda Galaxy. She took on the role of a more serious wrestler and began feuding with Jade Cargill. For why she ditched the alien gimmick, Statlander told Steel Chair Magazine that "presenting myself differently was something that I wanted to do, it was 100 percent my decision. I wasn't sure what was holding me back. Maybe it was because I was too fun, too lovable, too goofy and easygoing... I got tired of people looking down on me and making fun of me... Being 'more than a woman' alludes to being different and that's really what I'm all about, just being okay with being different but in a more serious way."

Sadly, in August, she tore her ACL again, so when Kris Statlander returns she will have to start over again. Whether she brings back the alien gimmick or not remains to be seen.