Into the Abyssal Cage: Kris Statlander’s Brutal "Blood & Guts" War

AEW Dynamite | November 12, 2025

For months, Kris Statlander had been vocal about her desire for AEW’s women’s division to embrace the extreme. In interviews leading up to Dynamite, she openly called for "more street fights, more blood and guts," arguing that the women’s roster was ready to go to war. On November 12, 2025, she got exactly what she asked for—and perhaps more than she bargained for.

In the first-ever Women’s Blood & Guts match, Statlander didn’t just participate; she became the anchor of the match’s most violent chapters. Here is a breakdown of her harrowing experience inside the double cage.

The Weapon of Choice

While others entered with chairs or bats, the AEW Women's World Champion entered the fray wielding a pool cue. It was a fitting choice for a powerhouse brawler—a blunt instrument meant to break. Statlander wasted no time, shattering the cue over the back of the imposing Megan Bayne, instantly signaling that she was not there to wrestle a technical match; she was there to survive a fight.

The "Bed of Nails" Nightmare

The defining image of Statlander’s night—and arguably the entire match—came at the hands of Marina Shafir. In a sickening escalation of violence, Shafir dragged Statlander out of the cage structure entirely. At ringside, Shafir revealed a board embedded with a bed of nails.

“Honestly, it was kind of shocking. It was just like, ‘Oh, I'm on a bed of nails at this point.’ Then I remember I rested my head for a second and I was like, ‘Well, there's a nail in the back of my head. Let me pick my head up.’ Then here comes Marina, then she walked away. I tried to relax for a second again, then I felt a nail in the back of my head. I was like, ‘Nope, what are you doing? There's a nail in your head right now.’ It wasn't the most comfortable thing I've ever laid down on.

I remember I saw some people talking about it online, and they were being like, ‘Oh, when the nails are that close together, it doesn't actually puncture the skin.’ I was like, ‘The nails are not that close together. These nails are in my back right now.’ And that’s why I posted a picture of what my back looked like online. I was like, ‘Yes, there is a physics way to make it happen where if it's really dense, sure, it won't puncture you as much. But this is not that.’

Those nails were in my back. They were in my head. I am scarred up right now from it.”

Source: The Masked Man Show

War with Mercedes Moné

The match also served as a violent prelude to Full Gear, highlighting Statlander’s intense rivalry with TBS Champion Mercedes Moné. The two engaged in a chaotic brawl that saw them scale the cage wall.

• The High Spot: Statlander utilized her raw power to hoist Moné onto her shoulders while precariously perched on the cage mesh. She delivered a massive Samoan Drop through a table at ringside, a move that decimated both women but proved Statlander’s willingness to sacrifice her own body to hurt her rival.

• The Reversal: Earlier in the ring, Statlander attempted a Tombstone Piledriver onto a title belt, only for Moné to reverse it into a tornado DDT.

The Bitter End

Despite Statlander’s heroic endurance and offensive flurries, her team (comprising herself, Jamie Hayter, Mina Shirakawa, Toni Storm, Willow Nightingale, and Harley Cameron) ultimately fell. The loss came not by pinfall, but by emotional exploitation. The opposing team (Shafir, Moné, Bayne, Hart, Blue, and Thekla) brutally tortured Mina Shirakawa, forcing "Timeless" Toni Storm to surrender the match to save her friend.

Statlander, battered and recovering from the bed of nails and table spots, was forced to watch the surrender—a psychological blow compounding the physical one.

The Aftermath

Leaving the arena battered, bleeding, and "banged up," Statlander’s performance was widely praised as a breakout moment for her toughness. She entered the cage wanting to prove the women could handle the main event spotlight and the violence that comes with it. By the time she walked out—scars and all—she had undeniably proven her point.

The focus now shifts to Full Gear, where she must defend her AEW Women's World Championship against Mercedes Moné. If Blood & Guts was any indication, Statlander is willing to endure hell to keep her crown.