Chelsea Green recently appeared as a guest on the popular INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet podcast for an in-depth interview covering all things pro wrestling and WWE.
During the discussion, the WWE Women’s United States Champion spoke about how she found out she was going to win the title, her USA-inspired gear and fans wanting another match between she and Penta.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview where she touches on these topics with her thoughts.
On winning the Women’s US Championship: “So the funny thing about WWE is they never really want to tell you something, because card subject to change is real. That’s what they always say, card subject to change. Because anything can happen outside of the ring, inside, on social media, public perception, anything can change. I can’t tell you how many times I have shown up to work thinking I was going to do one thing and we have gone completely the other way. It’s happening right now, my phone is going off, ‘Change of plans.’ We’re always rewriting the show, and it goes all the way up until we’re live. Even then, things change as we’re live.
So they kind of started telling me, people kept acting like I knew I was gonna win and talking to me like I knew I was winning, so they’re just talking to me like, okay, and then we’re gonna do this and this. I’m like, Okay, so I think I’m winning, but I don’t want to ask anyone because that’s embarrassing. ‘Um, hey, by the way, am I winning?’ What if I’m not? What if I’m totally misinterpreting all this? So they did this to me for I would say a month of talking to me like I was winning without actually knowing. Michin also kind of told me, ‘Hey, by the way, it looks like you’re winning so let’s plan this match with that in mind.’ We kind of spoke about that a week before and I was like, okay, but I want to build the match not like that. I want to build the match so that anyone could win at the finish, and then whoever wins we just sneak one out on the other one.
So I think we did a good job of that, but as we were walking to the ring to go through things I was being filmed. So that’s a big telltale sign, you’re being filmed for something WWE. So they had me walk to the ring, and then they had this very, very, very awkward moment between me and Shane Helms where he basically told me that I’m winning, we were just all downplaying it big time and it was very awkward. I hope that footage comes out, because Triple H is sitting there watching us have the conversation, but he’s not telling me. But obviously he decided it, and I’m like this is so weird that he’s watching me react. So I’m trying to be excited, but I’ve also kind of known and hoped that this was gonna happen, and then I’m also like but if I react too big is that kind of icky? I’m so excited I’m winning, do you know what I mean? A lot of emotions were going through me and I’m not a very emotional person too, so that doesn’t help the reaction. So it was very awkward. So I hope that moment airs somewhere. I hope you guys all get to see that.”
On her USA-inspired gear: “So again, when I found out that there was going to be this path to the United States Championship, Matt and I sat down and we’re like okay, if I was the winner of this inaugural title, I can’t have the title make me, I have to make the title. What can I do? I knew I wanted to take some inspiration from King Booker and stuff like that. We kind of went through all these different iterations and it all came so quickly. I truly hadn’t come up with a game plan, because you’re not gonna really come up with a game plan for this hopeful thing.
So I kind of had floated a bunch of ideas by and then all of a sudden, oh my gosh, here I am. It’s Long Island. I won it, now what? I had to make a decision very fast because creative asked me, What do you want to do for your celebration? That was my entry into this is what this title is going to be. This is what Chelsea is going to bring to the table as the first-ever United States Women’s Champion. It had to be something special and I’m like I’m going to be the President. I’m going to be so delusional, but topical, this is what’s happening right now in America, let’s be the President. Let’s not call it a celebration. Let’s call it an inauguration, and I need a stamp. I need a presidential seal.
So I designed the Presidential seal and from there, it just snowballed. What I like to do with these characters is I don’t flesh out the entire character. I like a good backstory, but I just know this is kind of what I want it to look like, somewhat. Then every week someone gives me a new idea, just like the hot mess, like with the bride every week someone gave me a new idea and I was able to incorporate that into the character. And then with that you have the future laid out. So you’ve got your backstory already, and then you start to go from there and build the blocks to the future of this championship or this character.”
On fans wanting another match between Chelsea Green and Penta: “I did not realize that that would [gain traction]. I mean, it got some traction when it first aired but not the way it has now. Oh my goodness, it’s crazy to see how much steam it has picked up in the past couple of years. And then obviously, when he signed with WWE, we ran into each other in the hall in Toronto and he was like, ‘You and me, rematch?’ I’m like, I don’t think so, pal. I think we’re good. We did our one match, and everyone loves it, let’s not.
But I do remember having the match and coming back, and everyone at Lucha Underground was so kind to me, so kind. I was hired at the end of the season. I came in, I killed Sexy Star off, and then I teamed up with Marty and me and Penta had this crazy match. That’s what dreams are made of. I didn’t even have to put the work in. They worked all season to make this unbelievable show and I just came in and had this match with one of their top stars. I would have hated me, but they were so kind and so sweet to me and they all gave me these big hugs.
I’ll never forget John Morrison being like, ‘Chelsea, I’ve never seen you wrestle like that, ever. I’ve already texted Matt and told him how incredible that was.’ I was like, oh okay, wow, thank you. That’s very nice. I thought he was being dramatic. Then of course, I never watched myself, so I see clips, but I never watched the match. Now I’ve basically watched it because my God, people this year have been showing me every single move I did. I’m like, damn.”
