AEW’s Kris Statlander To Be Featured In ‘The Masked Wrestler’ On IWTV

Currently injured AEW wrestler Kris Statlander, who recently competed at AEW Double or Nothing against Penelope Ford, will be featured as a panelist on the forthcoming hybrid wrestling/reality competition show The Masked Singer.

The Masked Wrestler is the latest innovative concept from IWTV owner/director Gerard Durling, in conjunction with Coal Creative, with a single-elimination tournament boasting eight of America’s top independent wrestlers. Pro wrestling’s answer to the FOX hit show The Masked Singer, The Masked Wrestler will showcase weekly matches between masked performers—in place of vocal performances—with the loser forced to unmask.

“The Masked Wrestler disguises the identities of eight of today’s top independent wrestlers in a single-elimination tournament to determine who will be crowned ‘The Mystery Opponent’ and earn an IWTV Independent Wrestling Championship opportunity,” read a press release on the IWTV website.

“The catch: if you lose in the tournament, you must reveal your identity.”

Panelists for the show were announced on October 1 as independent wrestlers Mr. Brickster (I Love New York) and Billy Dixon (Paris is Bumping) will join Statlander on the panel.

Statlander suffered an ACL injury on the June 6, 2020 broadcast of AEW Dynamite while teaming with Hikaru Shida against Nyla Rose and Ford.

“So far so good! It’s a long process and extremely challenging mentally and physically at times,” said Statlander of her ongoing recovery.

“There are small victories everyday where I can do a little bit more than I could the day before—and that what keeps me going. I miss wrestling terribly and can’t wait to be stronger than ever once I get back in the ring.”

Statlander also discussed her experience with the unique concept, which she feels will inject some much-needed creativity into the wrestling business.

“I was a little bit confused at the idea initially, but once it was fully explained, I was excited to be a part of something new and innovative because so many things have already been done before in the wrestling industry,” said Statlander.

Statlander makes the perfect panelist for this space as she is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of creativity within wrestling. Her gimmick is essentially that she is an alien from outer space, an idea that is so outside-the-box that pro wrestling traditionalist and AEW announcer Jim Ross became audibly miffed on commentary (NSFW) while play-by-play announcer Excalibur attempted to explain the character to him.

Statlander has shown tremendous promise in the ring to pair with her unique gimmick. She currently holds an impressive 7.24 total match rating (out of 10) on wrestling database Cagematch.net. Statlander believes The Masked Wrestler will similarly combine the two dynamics of an innovative concept with strong pro wrestling.

“It’s still the wresting that we all know and love, but we don’t know if the wrestlers under the masks are people we love or not. So, you may realize that when a person’s face and unique personality are hidden, you could actually feel differently than you did before—and not in a bad way. It’s very cool to just focus on the pure wrestling aspect of the action.”

“I think the best way to describe the experience is that you can expect the unexpected. It was a new experience for all of us doing it, and it will be really cool to see how fans react. I think fans will enjoy the mystery of it and testing their knowledge of the wrestling scene as they try to figure out who is who. It certainly adds an extra layer of fun.”

The Masked Wrestler premiered on IWTV on October 14 and will air Wednesday nights at 10 pm EST.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.