Kris Statlander Defeats Ruby Soho to Retain AEW TBS Championship at All Out 2023
September 4, 2023
Kris Statlander beat Ruby Soho at AEW All Out on Sunday to retain the TBS Championship.
Statlander hit the Saturday Night Fever for the pin to keep her title belt. Right before the finisher, Toni Storm emerged from under the ring and stole spray paint from Soho, who was about to use it on Statlander with the referee distracted by Saraya.
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Statlander took advantage of the situation by landing her finisher on a distracted and confused Soho for the victory.
With her Outcasts stablemates Saraya and Toni Storm focused on the AEW Women's World Championship heading into All In at Wembley Stadium in London, Soho spent the past couple of weeks calling out Statlander for a shot at the TBS title.
After watching Saraya win a four-way match at All In to win the AEW women's world title in her home country of England, Soho was finally given the opportunity to add another championship to the group if she could take down Statlander at All Out.
Statlander missed nearly 10 months of action with a torn ACL before returning to the ring at Double or Nothing in May.
After Jade Cargill defeated Taya Valkyrie to retain the TBS Championship and remain undefeated, Statlander shockingly showed up and challenged Cargill to an impromptu match for the title.
That marked the first singles loss of Cargill's career, and it ended her 508-day reign as the inaugural TBS champion.
Cargill took some time off after the loss, and Statlander proceeded to defend the title on numerous occasions on Dynamite, Collision and Rampage, beating the likes of Nyla Rose, Anna Jay, Taya and Mercedes Martinez, among others.
As for Soho, she had come close to winning championship gold on numerous occasions since joining AEW in 2021, only to fall just short each time.
Sunday at All Out represented arguably her best chance yet to win a title, especially with The Outcasts having momentum on their side coming out of All In.
Instead, Statlander retained and continued her three-month run as TBS champion, leaving Ruby to search for answers once again.
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