Overview
- On Jan. 28, 2026, the champion defeated Thekla on AEW Dynamite to keep the AEW Women's World Championship.
- The bout was billed as Statlander's fifth title defense and her first of the new year.
- Thekla controlled long stretches with strikes, submissions and a ringside assault that produced multiple near-falls.
- Statlander closed with a gut-wrench powerbomb into Wednesday Night Fever for the pin.
- After the match, The Babes of Wrath celebrated in-ring as Bayne and Ford appeared on the ramp for a tense stare-down.