When news broke that Jade Cargill was almost certainly heading to WWE after finishing up her contract with AEW, Tony Khan found himself in an unusual spot because, technically, she still had one match left on the books, as that week's Rampage had a pre-taped rematch between on the books between “That B**tch” and Kris Statlander for the TBS Championship.

On paper, this made for an awkward moment for the promotion, as fans not only could easily find out how the match ended if they wanted to online – Cagematch posts results to pre-tapped shows just as much as live shows – but now the effort lost all of its drama for those who still enjoy watching each week, as what looked like a legit 50-50 bout was now more or less a farewell to a star built up for three years only to leave before she could behind a second storyline within the company.

And yet, for Cargill and Statlander, the future didn't prevent them from working a great rematch in the moment, as the duo delivered a great effort that legitimized the current champ and treated the former one with respect on her way out.

Talking about the match in an appearance on Under The Ring, Statlander appreciated that she was finally able to work a legit bout against Cargill and hopes that fans appreciate it too.

“I'm glad the match finally happened,” Kris Statlander said via Fightful. “It's something that I've been wanting for a while. There has been a lot of discourse about me not being a true champion, that it wasn't a true open challenge that Mark put out. I feel there is a lot to prove, and we're going to prove in this match. It's not just about me, it's about her also. It's a special thing. It's a very special match. It's something we both wanted, and a lot of people wanted to see. Going into it, we both had something to prove, and it helps raise the stakes a little more. If you missed it, you should watch it.”

While the build-up to the match could have been better, in the end, it did what it needed to do; Cargill is gone, Statlander looked like a star, and one question bugging folks in the back of their minds was definitively answered, even if it had a bittersweet aftertaste.

Kris Statlander credits MJF for helping her land in AEW.

Elsewhere on her Under The Ring appearance, Kris Statlander talked about another one of AEW's signature champions, MJF, who, despite his character, actually helped her get a foot in the door with Tony Khan's company in a way that she likely couldn't have on her own.

“I feel like it all kind of happened so suddenly. I remember I was at this point in my independent career where I was having like six matches a week, and I was wrestling like four or five days a week. And I was very tired but very busy and very excited. I got the email [from AEW] to come do a dark match and be an extra. It was in Nashville, so I remember I was like, ‘Oh, that's kind of a far distance, but if they're bringing me in, sure. I absolutely am not going to say no to that,'” Kris Statlander said via F4W.

“I remember I showed up, I did some of the training with the girls. I feel like, pretty early in the day, they started discussing about possibly bringing me in, and I was like, ‘I haven't even had my match yet.' Like, if anything, I was just like, ‘Don't you want to see me wrestle first?' Because, I don't know, I just feel like — in my opinion, I'm like I want to see how a person works before I bring them into a company. But I know that I had some people recommend me and looking out for me. I hate to give him credit, but I know MJF was probably the biggest one. So, I do have a lot to owe him, unfortunately. But he's been there for me a lot as a friend. I think if he hadn't recommended me as someone to bring in, I probably wouldn't have gotten that opportunity so early on. I'm sure it probably would have happened eventually. I would hope it would have at least. But, yeah, it just kind of just happened out of nowhere. The first day that I was there, it was kind of like, ‘We're gonna bring you in.' And I was like, ‘Alright, let's do it.'”

A graduate of Create A Pro Wrestling Academy in New York, Statlander learned the ropes – literally – with multiple future AEW stalwarts, with MJF, Max Caster, “Smart” Mark Sterling, and Bear Bronson all on the school's alumni page. If MJF was willing to advocate for the future Best Friends member when he barely had any clout, then who knows, maybe he isn't so bad after all?