When Kris Statlander and Jade Cargill took the ring for a TBS Championship rematch on Rampage, few fans in the arena knew it would be the last time they would see the latter in an AEW ring.

Now sure, by the time the match actually aired on television, that perception had changed pretty considerably, as the rumors of Cargill's free agency and significant interest from WWE had come to light, but when Cargill and Statlander threw hands for the second time in four months, there was a still a chance she could re-sign with AEW, which forced Tony Khan to book the match in such a way that the reigning champion went over but didn't burry her foe in such a way as to end their contender status once and for all.

Discussing what might just be her final match ever with Cargill in an appearance on Instinct Culture with Denise Salcedo before AEW Full Gear, Statlander revealed the “bittersweet” feelings she has taking part in the bout, as she was both excited to work with “That B**ch” once more, even if their time together was fleeting.

“It was terrifying to try and fill the shoes of such a star, that first night that it happened when I first became the champion,” Kris Statlander said via Fightful. “It was so exciting to be back and be part of the roster and an active wrestler again, of course, but there is so much pressure that comes with being a champion, being a worthy champion, and you don't realize it until you have the belt in your hands. Once the belt is in your hands, the target is on your back, and everyone has a much closer eye on you. Being her last match, it felt bittersweet because I felt there was so much more I could have done with her. I feel like we really helped each other a lot, and I'm just really proud I got to be the last match. I think it was a very fitting sendoff.”

Did defeating Cargill really put Statlander over to the degree fans were expecting? Did the first singles loss of Cargill's wrestling career – in AEW or otherwise – feel like a significant thing? Or was TK's long-lasting efforts to make Cargill into his version of Goldberg ultimately squandered, as he gave literally hundreds of hours of television to a performer who ultimately opted to leave for greener pastures shortly thereafter? Well, considering many, if not a majority of AEW fans would like to see the title changed once more, giving the belt to “Tiny Taker” herself, Julia Hart, it's worth wondering if Statlander was already over and her return would have been a big deal even if it didn't come with a surprise Double or Nothing victory over Cargill. Food for thought.

Orange Cassidy believes Kris Statlander is Elite.

While the decision to have Kris Statlander end Jade Cargill's run in AEW will certainly become more and more of a conversation point among fans once she debuts in WWE, especially if Full Gear sees a third TBS Champion named alongside matches featuring Toni Storm, MJF, and Kenny Omega, there's one performer who is proud of everything the “The Galaxy's Greatest Alien” has accomplished: Her Best Friend Orange Cassidy.

Preparing for his own match at Full Gear, wrestling John Moxley for the International Championship for the second time in as many Pay-Per-Views, Cassidy stopped by the Under The Ring Podcast and had nothing but nice things to say about Statlander as a wrestler and a friend.

“Kris Statlander is very special because she's part of our little stable, and her and I have become very good friends,” Orange Cassidy said via Fightful. “She's in a very similar spot that I was when I had my first title run. So we can kind of lean on each other and help each other out. It's not really so much that I'm mentoring her, we're just bouncing ideas off each other. It's also very easy when Kris Statlander is one of the best professional wrestlers in the world to be like, ‘Oh, hey, you should do this,' and she does it incredibly. I'm not really doing too much; she's already figured it out.”

Despite having just seven years of professional wrestling experience on her resume, much of which came as a member of the AEW Galaxy, Statlander has established herself as one of the hottest female performers in professional wrestling, with PWI ranking her the 18th-ranked female wrestler in the world today. Whether her title reign ends at 175 days, or extends into December at Worlds End or even into 2024, Statlander's accomplishments are impressive.