WWE NXT Superstar Chelsea Green spoke with ComicBook.com for an interview to promote the Battle Royal match that will take place on tonight’s NXT episode. The winner of the match will go on to challenge NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley at TakeOver: Portland.
Green said that she has evolved as a wrestler working since joining WWE NXT. “Every single year, I go through once the new year hits, I go through this moment where I kind of think about how far I’ve come and what’s changed,” the former Impact Knockouts Champion said.
She said that her character’s biggest evolution has been from the time she started NXT until now. I’ve been working through who I am and how to show the fans and the audience who I am in a genuine way, she said.
Green hopes that fans will see the different sides of her which she has been trying to put into her character to show to the fans.
“So, it’s been kind of a different sort of evolution this year, but I’m loving it and I’m still figuring it out. And maybe in a year, you can ask me the same question, and I’ll have a totally different response. You know?”
Green also has plans to be a fighting champion when she wins the Battle Royale and defeats the NXT Women’s Champion. She said that she will do what she did on her time on the independent scene, which is to be a fighting champion.
Green’s said goals for 2020 are to win the NXT Title and be the face of the company. “I want to be the face of this brand in any way possible, and if I have to do double duty and triple duty, and be on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT in the same week, your girl will do it.”
On tonight’s episode of NXT, Green will participate in the Battle Royal along with Mercedes Martinez, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Xia Li, Vanessa Borne, Dakota Kai, Kayden Carter, Mia Yim, Santana Garrett, and Shotzi Blackheart. The winner will then go on to face Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women’s title at Takeover: Portland on February 16, 2020, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Chelsea Green made her return to in-ring action after being sidelined due to a broken wrist that resulted in her getting surgery.
She did so by teaming up with Deonna Purrazzo and lost to Lacey Lane & Kacy Catanzaro at Saturday’s NXT event in Venice, FL at the Venice Community Center. This served as the second match on the card.
This marks the time that she’s worked a match since suffering the broken wrist during a dark match at the March 13th NXT TV tapings where she defeated Jessie Elaban.
Before she signed with WWE in October 2018, Green established her name while competing under the Impact Wrestling banner as Laurel Van Ness where she was a Knockouts Champion.
WWE NXT Venice, FL Results
Jeet Rama defeated Dexter Lumis
Lacey Lane & Kacy Catanzaro defeated Deonna Purrazzo & Chelsea Green
Cezar Bononi defeated Ridge Holland
Mansoor Al-Shehail defeated Denzel Dejournette
Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch won a four-way elimination tag match
NXT newcomer Chelsea Green broke her wrist at Wednesday night’s TV tapings from Full Sail University. The injury took place mid-way through her NXT TV debut. She was able to complete the match, but is scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday morning.
She posted a message on social media detailing the situation.
“Today I had the opportunity to wrestle for the first time at Full Sail for WWE NXT after years of dreaming of it! Wow, it was everything I had imagined it would be!!!? Of course, with this job comes occupational hazards. Unfortunately, I broke my wrist mid-match & will require surgery first thing tomorrow morning. It sucks. I’m upset, I’m angry, I’m sore… but I’ll be back soon. This is just a tiny bump in the road to many goals I have set for 2019!”
It’s an unfortunate setback for the talented performer. However, it seems like she is keeping a good attitude about things.
Chelsea Green’s Road To WWE
Chelsea Green was trained by Lance Storm and made her professional debut back in 2014. She has wrestled for various promotions including Lucha Underground and Impact Wrestling, where she is a former Knockouts Champion (as Laurel Van Ness).
Green has actually made a few WWE TV appearances before. She was part of Tough Enough Season 6. That cast also included Velveteen Dream, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. She also portrayed Daniel Bryan’s physical therapist back in 2014.
– Chelsea Green signing with WWE was confirmed on Thursday as the organization announced the latest batch of talent to join the Performance Center. Green’s NXT debut is imminent as she is scheduled to appear at two live events next week.
Green announced tonight on Instagram that she will appear at Thursday’s show in Cocoa, Florida and Friday’s show in Largo, Florida.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpIcBvIHzTV/
– Rusev and Lana will appear on a future episode of Drop the Mic on TBS, which pits celebrities against one another in a comic battle rap competition. Lana revealed the news today on her Instagram Story.
– Ahead of WWE Evolution, Alexa Bliss is Lilian Garcia’s next guest on Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia. Alexa is teaming with Mickie James at the all-women’s pay-per-view and she will discuss her match against Trish Stratus and Lita. The interview will be available starting Monday.
Rumors were confirmed yesterday after WWE uploaded an official post to WWE.com highlighting their newest batch of NXT recruits.
One of those is former Impact Wrestling performer, Chelsea Green. She performed for Impact as the “hot mess,” Laurel Van Ness. She has also performed for Lucha Underground and recently wrestled in front of 10,000+ fans at the historic All In event.
Taking to Twitter, Green was ecstatic as she proclaimed, “WE DID IT!!!”
“Years of blood, sweat & tears have been she to take this picture. Thank you @wwenxt @wwe for giving me this opportunity to show the world the Hot Mess.”
WE DID IT!!! Years of blood, sweat & tears have been shed to take this picture. Thank you @wwenxt@wwe for giving me this opportunity to show the world the Hot Mess. Let the hard work begin. See ya at the top! pic.twitter.com/u6VK3h1bfV
Green was trained at Lance Storm’s Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary. She was a participant on the 2015 season of Tough Enough and is dating WWE superstar, Zack Ryder.
NXT Talent
Joining her in the recent batch of NXT signees are indie sensation, Matt Riddle, Mia Yim, Humberto Carillo, Luis (Punishment) Martinez, Daniel Vidot, and Jordon Omegbehin.
Matt Riddle debuted at NXT’s recent TV tapings. There has been rampant speculation that his first feud with the company will be against the Knockout Artist, Kassius Ohno at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
There is no word yet on when the “Hot Mess” Chelsea Green or any of her NXT cohorts will be making their television debuts.
The future looks bright as ever as WWE welcomes the latest class of recruits to the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Matt Riddle: The “Super King of Bros” is a former UFC fighter turned pro wrestler. He’s been a standout performer on the independent scene for the past several years. Riddle made his first appearance for WWE at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn during SummerSlam weekend and is now a full-time member of the NXT roster. Click hereto learn more about Matt Riddle.
Mia Yim: Mia Yim has competed in the Mae Young Classic tournament two years in a row. She’s a former Impact Wrestling Knockout and is set to make her NXT debut on next week’s broadcast.
Chelsea Green: Another former Impact Wrestling Knockout, Green was trained at Lance Storm’s Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary. She was a participant on the 2015 season of Tough Enough and is dating Zack Ryder.
Humberto Carrillo: Third generation luchador from Monterrey, Mexico. Carrillo is the latest product of the famed Garza wrestling dynasty and is best known for his work as the masked superstar Ultimo Ninja.
Luis Martinez: Formerly known as Punishment Martinez in Ring of Honor, Martinez was trained at the Monster Factory wrestling school in in New Jersey. Raised in New York and Puerto Rico, he won last year’s ROH’s Survival of the Fittest tournament.
Daniel Vidot: Vidot is a former professional rugby player from Queensland, Australia. He’s been in talks with WWE since 2014 and has received several tryouts throughout the years.
Jordan Omogbehin: Big J.O. is a 7-foot-3, 370-pounder from Nigeria. He played played college basketball at the University of South Florida and Morgan State University in Baltimore before getting into wrestling.
Visit WWE.com for more information about each new recruit.
After being spotted at the WWE performance center last week, former Impact Knockouts Champion Chelsea Green has found her way to the latest NXT tapings as well.
Green was spotted backstage at the latest NXT tapings and below is a photo of her hanging out with MJ Jenkins, Kacy Catanzaro, and Deonna Purrazzo before yesterday night:
Though as we noted before, Chelsea’s status is still a mystery and despite the rumors and her spotting at the performance center, so far no trusted source has confirmed her reported signing with WWE.
Update On Kevin Owens’ Surgery
We noted before how Kevin Owens revealed on Twitter that he recently underwent a double knee surgery after being written off TV on Raw last week.
WWE.com provided some update on his surgery, revealing that he underwent the procedure on Tuesday. The site also says that currently there is no timetable on Owens’ return.
The last report on his comeback said that Owens is expected to stay out of action for somewhere between 4 to 8 months, meaning he may miss WrestleMania next year. We’ll keep you posted on an official timeframe for his return.
Chelsea Green looks like she might be WWE bound. The 27-year-old has been spotted at the WWE Performance Center and has reportedly been training there the last week.
“Chelsea Green was training at the Performance Center this past week,” wrote Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. “I think anyone who saw her at All In from WWE would have wanted her in.”
The 27-year-old participated in the well-reviewed fatal 4-way match won by Tessa Blanchard at All In. Madison Rayne and Dr. Britt Baker DMD were the other two in the match.
With many assuming Green has signed with WWE, it should be noted that she briefly worked for the company before.
Chelsea Green WWE
Green actually ended up working for WWE just months into her wrestling career in 2014. WWE needed Rosebuds for a house show in Canada and brought in Green since she was trained by Lance Storm at the Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary. From there, Green was cast as Daniel Bryan’s scandalous physiotherapist.
“I started in January and by August I was already cutting a promo on Raw,” Green said.
She was on the Edge and Christian podcast earlier this year and mentioned the first promo she ever cut was with Stephanie McMahon on Monday Night Raw.
Chelsea Green turned a lot of heads at All In last weekend. The “Hot Mess” participated in the well-reviewed fatal 4-way match along with Tessa Blanchard, Madison Rayne, and the fastest rising dentist on the independent scene, Dr. Britt Baker DMD.
Now 4 years into her pro-career, Green is a former Knockouts Champion and was ranked #26 in the PWI Female 50 rankings last year. Her career in wrestling began in rather unique fashion, however. Just months into her pro-career, Green was admitting to having an affair with Daniel Bryan live on Monday Night Raw.
Green was a guest on the most recent edition of Edge and Christian’s podcast and told the story of how she was given the role of Megan Miller on WWE programming. Miller was Daniel Bryan’s storyline physiotherapist in the summer of 2014.
Chelsea Green On Role As Daniel Bryan’s Physiotherapist
Green is from Victoria, British Columbia. The coastal city is also where Taya Valkyrie is from. As Taya would years earlier, Green also decided to train at the Storm Wrestling Academy in Calgary. Storm’s school has an excellent reputation and as such WWE will reach out periodically for his students if they need extra performers.
“I started in January and by August I was already cutting a promo on Raw,” Green said.
Green was touring through Canada and got a call to be a “Rosebud”. Green dropped what she was doing and joined WWE at their house show in Vancouver. In the back that night, she overheard WWE offer another indy wrestler a larger role on Raw. Green knew this Canadian indy wrestler didn’t have a passport and wouldn’t be able to work the show, however.
“What she didn’t tell WWE is that she didn’t have a passport. So she said ‘yeah’ but I’m standing beside her and I know she doesn’t have a passport,” Green said.
Eventually, Green was given a call and offered the spot. She was called into an office with Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Stephanie to talk about the role of Daniel Bryan’s physical therapist. She admitted that she would likely feel more pressure if she met the same three today.
“If I met them now my knees would be shaking,” Green said. At the time, she says, she was just trying to be professional.
Chelsea says her performance on the August 11th, 2014 Raw was the first of her sports entertainment career. It can be viewed below:
Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Chelsea Green was the latest guest on the Women’s Pro Wrestling Weekly show on AfterBuzz TV.
Green spoke about a variety of topics, including training under Lance Storm, her experience during and after competing on WWE Tough Enough, her Laurel Van Ness character in Impact Wrestling, dating Zack Ryder, if she’ll be participating in WWE’s second Mae Young Classic women’s tournament and more.
Audio of the appearance can be heard at the bottom of this article. Here are some highlights sent in by the show’s producers:
Whether She Goes Back To Train With Lance Storm:
“At first, since I have been wrestling for about 4 years now. For the first couple of years, I would go back often, even if it was just for a day to help out another girl to help out in his class, or to brush up on a move that I wanted to learn. Now, because I am based in Orlando, Florida compared to being based out in Canada, I don’t have that opportunity as much. However, whenever I do have a chance to go back to Calgary, I go back and visit him because honestly, as many lessons as I have learned, traveling and meeting new people [to train with], Lance Storm knows everything. I swear to you, any question you can have about moves, psychology, gimmicks, the history of Pro Wrestling, he knows. Lance Storm is an encyclopedia of wrestling knowledge. He really drills the necessities into you so that when you go out there you won’t do stupid things. You just start from the basics, which is amazing.”
Her Influences After Leaving Storm’s Wrestling Academy:
“I would say, because people don’t know this about me, but I knew nothing about Pro Wrestling. Not a thing. I had never seen a Pro Wrestling ring until I was maybe around grade 11. Lance Storm taught me everything that I know. Then, when leaving ‘Storm’s Wrestling Academy,’ I would say that the person who taught me the most after leaving the school would be [Former WWE Intercontinental Champion] Billy Gunn because he influenced me on Tough Enough, and now I am really close with his family. He always gives me great advice. The other person would be [Former WWE Women’s Champion] Gail Kim because she helped me get the job from Impact Wrestling. She trusted and supported me, as well as elevated me along the way as I went.”
Lessons Learned Being In The Pro Wrestling Business At This Stage Of Her Career:
“What happened was, I did Tough Enough, and when I got kicked off and didn’t get a contract, I thought—and this was naive of me, but I assumed that they would see how much that I loved this and how quickly I learned, and that no matter what even when I left I would be receiving a contract, so when I left Tough Enough and sat on my couch for about a month or two as I waited and waited and never received a call, I kind of had to think outside the box and had to think, okay, now what? I am now stuck in Canada. I am not legally allowed to work in the United States. I really don’t know what I am doing, and for the amount of time that I spent being on Tough Enough, I really wasn’t wrestling.
I had to come up with something different. I asked myself: where are people going to generate a buzz to make a name for themselves? The two places I thought of were Mexico or Japan. I worked on trying to get to Mexico, which was the first thing that I really wanted to do, but a couple of my girlfriends thought that I should learn how to wrestle before I go to Mexico, so I should try out in Japan. That is how I kind of got over there in Japan. I still didn’t really know what I was doing, but with the language barrier over in Japan, they don’t know that you don’t know what you are doing, so every crazy move that I wanted to try, they were like, okay, let’s try it. That is how my confidence and move-sets grew by trying things that I wouldn’t have tried had I been here in the United States.
Coming Up With The Laurel Van Ness Character:
“I started on Impact Wrestling as just a typical mean girl, Regina George [character in Mean Girls movie] knockoff. I was bored with it. I feel like that is what every girl falls into when they are trying to be a heel girl character. I just find it overdone, and unless you can do it really well it becomes overdone. They kind of threw me a bone when they gave me a storyline with [Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion] Allie and husband Braxton Sutter where I was able to get married. As we were planning this marriage segment and I am going to be left at the altar, I thought to myself, okay, how can I make this as dramatic as possible and make this as different and ridiculous. At this stage, nobody is talking about my character. Nobody is talking about a girl that is a typical blonde, mean girl that is on television. That is just not something people care about.
When we got into doing the segment on television, I was the most dramatic human on the planet. I would stay crying. I would drink champagne. I would throw flowers around, and when I got into the back when the segment was done, Dutch [Mantell] was there saying, “oh my gosh, that was absolutely brilliant!”. “We need to film something, anything, where you are continuing on this mental breakdown.” That is what it looks like you are doing in the ring, you are having a mental breakdown. So, we sat down in the makeup room and I sat on the floor and he told me to smear my lipstick, and I said that it isn’t going to work because my lips are my skin color so it’s not going to work. He told me to put on red lipstick, but I told him that during the scene I didn’t have red lipstick on, he said to me to put it on and smear it. He then told me to wet my face a little so my makeup can be smeared. He said to act crazy and sing a song and do something crazy.
I am sitting there with makeup smeared, sitting on the ground with no shoes on. Being an absolute nutcase. I am not joking, I didn’t think that it was ever going to be used, but all of it aired and it was one of the most-watched segments of that year. From there, we just carried on the craziness.”
Chelsea Talks On Her Boyfriend, Zack Ryder And How He Helped Develop Her Laurel Van Ness Character:
“I think the great thing is about my character is that talking with someone, someone always has some sort of suggestion because they can relate my character with a crazy ex-girlfriend, or a psycho mom or psycho sister, or a drunk-hot mess that they saw at the bar last week. You can relate it to whoever you want. With that comes these amazing suggestions from people. I get caught up in this character thinking that I have to go one way or another to the point that I believe that I need to be this drunk girl that never wrestles, but my boyfriend [Zack Ryder] takes a step back and says to me that I can take this character into whatever direction I want it to go.
I should also stop making the character drunk, but instead, I should make her a psycho. You need a snapping point, and with that snapping point how would the crowd know that I snapped? He suggested having my lipstick slipped to me and that becomes my ‘thing.’ That is my weapon so the crowd knows that this is it, she is turning it up, and the match doesn’t become what it was before. Those little kind of pointers is where he helps me with. Where in the match I should make it happen and where it should happen, but I mean, really, there are fans that help me with this. There are fans that help me with certain suggestions where even I hadn’t thought of it and I end up using it.”
Chelsea Talking About Dating Zack Ryder:
“I mean, at first we based on our relationship on everything but work, and I think that is what helped us and how we fell in love because on our first date we didn’t talk about wrestling. Like I said, I don’t know wrestling. I don’t know the things he has done in the past. He tells me stories, but I am not sitting there thinking that I already knew that and that I was watching it on YouTube. I genuinely have no idea, but I love it and am interested in it.
Of course, it is hard when we are on the road. Last week he was in Europe so we didn’t see each other for several weeks, but on the other hand, we are both doing the same thing and we are doing this together on the same team. I know what he is going through when he can’t call me and vice versa. I believe it is the best thing in the world to trust each other. I know when he is not texting me, I know he is busy at work and I am busy too, so it’s great. It’s hard. It’s a job, but that is kind of what every relationship is and you just try to make it work.
This past week it was harder than usual because he wasn’t home all week while I am sitting at home Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thursday, but the minute the weekend hits I am off to the Indie shows, I am off doing business so it is totally fine. It definitely is tough when one person is really busy and the other is sitting at home, but we rarely have that, so we have been lucky.”
Has WWE reached out to her regarding the second inaugural Mae Young Classic:
“I have not been contacted yet. I don’t know if you know who Britt Baker and Santana Garrett are. We stay in contact and there are no secrets with us girls. We tell each other exactly what is happening. What conversations we have had with WWE, but none of us have heard anything. I know that a lot of girls, a lot of buzz about it, where they have heard from people in the Performance Center, but I have not heard anything about it. I am keeping myself really busy at the moment, and it is really full. That way, if they don’t call, I am not worried about it, and if they do call I would be totally excited, but either way, I’m happy because I am busy.”
Get it all on this week’s brand new episode of AfterBuzz TV’s WPW Weekly. Two words for you…DOWNLOAD IT!
James Ellsworth and Chelsea Green (FKA Laurel Van Ness) are calling out “Blackcat Events” for non-payment. The company booked several talents for Meet and Greets over WrestleMania weekend but at least two of them are now claiming the company never paid up.
The promotion Tweeted out the following a couple of weeks ago which only recently caught the eye of one of the performers who is claiming the company never paid them.
James Ellsworth also chimed in to mention he has not been paid and his phone calls are not being returned:
Truth is, you still owe me, @ImChelseaGreen and other $$ and you won’t return calls, texts and have us blocked on all your social media, and will have me blocked after this tweet, loser https://t.co/USGGNfgsjn
According to Black Cat Events in the above Tweets, the company attempted to run an event over WrestleMania weekend. Evidently, the event did not go ahead as planned.
In a later Tweet, Green revealed that Rikishi was another talent which did not get paid by the promotion:
If Black Cats is claiming the event never went forward, talent is still owed their deposit unless specifically mentioned in the contract. In this case, however, it looks as though Green did not get her deposit ahead of time. She posted an exchange she had with the promoter online:
Here ya go! I believe this goes under the category of “LIAR”… or “FRAUD” if you’d rather that? @BlackCat_Events this was right before you ghosted, and right after your third excuse for not paying us. pic.twitter.com/Y0wCoc4MIr
The Black Cats page then made some very derogatory comments about Green. One comment, which has since been deleted, was captured via screenshot by a quick-thinking Chelsea Green fan:
Chelsea Green finished up with Impact Wrestling at the promotion’s January tapings in Orlando.Lately, Green has been wrestling for Shimmer and Wrestle Circus.
– WWE announced Saturday that the seven Superstars who will compete in the Men’s Elimination Chamber Match at WWE Elimination Chamber will face off in a Gauntlet Match this Monday night on Raw. Ahead of the Gauntlet Match, Finn Balor proclaimed in this video below that he’s not the underdog. Rather, he’s “over, dawg.”
Bates faced Deonna Purrazzo, Christi Jaynes, and Ryder’s girlfriend, Chelsea Green, in a Fatal 4-Way Match. During the match, Bates kicked Jaynes with the Broski Boot.
– The dark match prior to Tuesday night’s Impact Wrestling tapings from Orlando Chelsea Green of WWE Tough Enough fame defeat Mickie Knuckles, who wrestled for TNA a few years back.
– Next week’s Impact will feature Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy in a Six Sides of Steel cage match. Based on the booking at the tapings, the match appeared to be set up as the blowoff to their feud.
Former WWE Tough Enough contestant Chelsea Green recently spoke with the folks at After Buzz TV about her elimination from the show, her relationship with Tanner, her ankle injury and more. Below are some of the highlights from the interview, which you can check out in full above.
On her WWE Tough Enough elimination: “When I woke up this morning I think it had sunk in a little bit more. Of course I’m upset but I feel better than I did last night. I’m just gonna keep training, get back in the ring and I’m just using this as a stepping stone to improve and better myself.”
On dealing with the ankle injury: “I was put into this competition late and I didn’t have time to take a month off. So I knew that I just had to tape it up, put a brace on it and get back out there and do as much as I could and do it to the best of my abilities and I think I did pretty well.”
On her relationship with Tanner: “We were having a good time. We’re stuck in the barracks, we just need to have a good time. Sometimes I had good times with Tanner, sometimes I had good times with the girls and you saw in the hot tub, we were just having fun.”
– The woman who played Daniel Bryan’s physical therapist on RAW, Megan Miller, was independent women’s wrestler Chelsea Green, who trained one time under Lance Storm in Calgary.
– After the RAW cameras went off the air, Vince McMahon came out and joined the Hulk Hogan Birthday Celebration, which was shown on the WWE Network.
