Chelsea Green's Entire Wrestling Timeline Explained
WWE released dozens of performers and backstage personnel during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The women's division was especially hurt, losing individuals like Toni Storm, Dakota Kai, Taya Valkyrie, Mia Yim, and many others. Chelsea Green was in the same position, released from the company on April 15, 2021. Green's release was a surprise, as she seemed to fit the mold of what WWE looks for in its superstars.
However, Green didn't let that stop her as she put together one of the best runs of her career. So much so, there are growing rumors that she may be one of the next names to return to WWE. If that return does occur, Green's career arc continues to evolve as an intriguing story that involves some of the biggest organizations in the industry. Her resume includes big matches against some of the top names in women's wrestling that fans would expect to see, but also includes some hidden gems against the likes of Pentagon.
Chelsea Green's story in professional wrestling isn't complete, but it's one that features a lot of twist and turns that makes her an interesting person to keep an eye on in the future.
Chelsea Green's Origins and Training with Lance Storm
According to Cagematch as of 2022, Green has eight years of wrestling under her belt. Before diving into the first match on her ledger, it's important to note that her trainer of record is none other than Lance Storm. Storm's 26-year career saw him pick up championships in ECW, WCW, and WWE. He spent time training several names that fans will recognize, including the likes of Tyler Breeze, Peyton Royce, Dolph Ziggler, Chris Masters, and many others. Green is among that group and speaks highly of her time training with Storm.
"He starts from day one from the basics and he builds from the ground up," Green said in an interview with Spencer Love in 2021. "I think that's why everyone that comes out of Lance's has a great mind for wrestling and is able to build a perfect, basic match. Lance teaches you how to entertain and how to build a match that people are going to want to continue to see."
Training under one such a successful wrestler with extensive experience in major organizations helped establish the beginning of Green's career. She spent the first two years performing across Canada, before making her way into the United States and beyond.
Green's first matches, debuts in US & Japan
Green's first match occurred back on May 31, 2014, at ECCW Better Than You 2014. It was there that she teamed with Brady Malibu and MR2 in a losing effort against Billy Suede, Kenny Lush, and Nicole Matthews. She continued across the Canadian independent scene with promotions like High Impact Wrestling, Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling, Vancouver Island Pro Wrestling, and others.
On June 26, 2015, Green took part in a one-day tournament for the vacant ASW Women's Championship. She defeated Gisele Shaw in the finals to pick up the first championship in her professional career.
Her time in Canada continued throughout 2015, as the next year she would debut in major promotions both in the United States and in Japan.
That first opportunity in the US came on January 1, 2016, when she took on Jade (now known as Mia Yim/Minchin) on TNA "Xplosion." In the months that followed, Green shared the ring with some of the top names in women's wrestling. Not only did she appear in TNA, but she had multiple matches in Stardom through January and February of 2016. Those matches include names that fans will recognize such as Io Shirai, Momo Watanabe, Mayu Iwatani, Deonna Purrazzo, Awesome Kong, and many others. This type of exposure helped lead into her signing with major companies in the United States.
Breakthrough run with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling
Green officially signed with Impact Wrestling in June of 2016. She joined the ranks under a new name, Laurel Van Ness, and was slotted high on the women's roster from the onset. She took part in a number one contendership battle royal, a match that was won by Gail Kim. From there, she and Kim entered a feud where Kim came out victorious. For a brief time, she was grouped with Allie, Maria Kanellis, and Sienna as a group that was focused on taking Kim out as champion.
It was during this stretch of time with Impact where Green would start to use her "Hot Mess" gimmick, where she would wrestle in a disheveled wedding dress. There was even an entire wedding segment where Braxton Sutter rejected Green, causing her to fall deeper into the dark side. Some of her main feuds during this time were against Allie (now known as The Bunny), Madison Rayne, and Brandi Rhodes.
Green would close out 2016 with another stint in Japan, taking multiple matches in Stardom. She and Santana Garrett teamed together during the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League tournament, but were unable to make it out of Block A. They were defeated by the teams of Thunder Rosa and Holidead, and Hiromi Mimura and Saori Anou.
Knockouts Champion to Lucha Underground
Chelsea Green continued as one of the central pieces of the Impact women's division but was unable to secure the Knockouts Championship after multiple opportunities. That would change in November of 2017, when Green was involved in a tournament to crown a new champion when Gail Kim was forced to vacate the title.
In the first round, Green won a triple-threat match against Madison Rayne and KC Spinelli. She and Rosemary faced off in the finals of the tournament on November 8, 2017, and Green came out victorious. She would hold onto that title for 65 days, along the way picking up successful defenses against Allie and Kiera Hogan. Allie ended her run, taking the title on January 12, 2018.
Green's time with Impact came to an end on January 15, and she would go in an interesting direction. She returned to the independent scene, performing for some well-known promotions in the United States. This run included matches against Priscilla Kelly (now known as Gigi Dolin) in Major League Wrestling, Shotzi Blackheart in Destiny Wrestling Organization, and Britt Baker in Rise Wrestling.
The last match she had before joining WWE NXT stands out on the list. Green took part in television tapings for Lucha Underground. Under the name Reklusa, she and Pentagon Dark had a nearly 10-minute matchup in Season 4 of that show. It was her only in-ring appearance for Lucha Underground.
Signing with WWE in 2018
The WWE came calling for Chelsea Green's talents in 2018, and she signed with the company in August. She reported to the Performance Center with a class that included Matt Riddle, Damian Priest, Humberto Carrillo, and Mia Yim.
Green's WWE NXT in-ring debut came on October 26, 2018, in a defeat at the hands of Deonna Purrazzo. She remained on the losing side of many of her initial matches in WWE. That streak saw her drop matches to Aliyah, Xia Li, and a tag team of Io Shirai and Kairi Sane. Her first victory came on December 15, 2018, when she and Lacey Lane (now known as Kayden Carter) defeated Reina Gonzalez (Raquel Gonzalez) and Vanessa Borne. She followed that up with her first singles victory against Jessie Elaban. Green was preparing for her television debut but suffered a bad injury in a dark match against Elaban. That broken wrist continued to plague her throughout much of her WWE run, and even after leaving the company.
She returned to the NXT Live match tour for several months after recovering from the broken wrist. She was paired with Robert Stone, who was her manager until Green fired Stone during a backstage segment, signaling what looked to be a move to the main roster.
WWE Main Roster Callup
Green's initial appearance on the WWE main roster was a singles match against Charlotte Flair in December of 2019.
Green spoke highly of that moment as one that stood out in her career. "It was really cool to look back on the moment and see the pictures and see that when Charlotte and I stood next to each other in the ring," Green said to Spencer Love. "It was two tall, pretty built women that can put on a fight. And then to then a couple of months down the road, [to] be able to team with her was -– it was really, really cool ... it was something that will go on my resume and kind of my track record."
Green had two matches on "WWE Main Event." She defeated Sarah Logan and lost a match to Natalya. She participated in the 2020 Royal Rumble. She eliminated Dakota Kai and was eventually tossed out by Alexa Bliss, lasting only 12 seconds. She returned to WWE NXT, and her brightest moment came when she and Flair joined forces. After that match, she split from Stone and it looked like she was headed to the main roster full time.
Green was suddenly added to the Survivor Series qualifying match on the November 13, 2020, episode of "SmackDown." She was booked to win that match but suffered another broken wrist that caused an audible to be called for the ending. This would be her final match in the promotion, as she was released on April 15, 2021.
Post-WWE run in Impact and the Indie scene
Chelsea Green stayed busy after her release from WWE. She made her first wrestling appearance in July, returning to Impact Wrestling to team with Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder. The two were paired together for a series of mixed tag team matches. They took on teams that included Jordynne Grace, Petey Williams, Tenille Dashwood, and Brian Myers. She and Cardona, whom she married in 2021, were a big talking point across much of the indie wrestling scene. Cardona was featured heavily by GCW and Green was right there with him along the way. For example, in August of 2022 Nick Gage invaded a vow renewal ceremony between Cardona and Green, attacking Cardona with a light tube and pizza cutter.
In 2021 and 2022 she appeared in 26 different promotions. Along the way, she and Deonna Purrazzo held the Impact Knockouts Tag Team titles for 56 days. They picked up the belts with a win over Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie on August 12. They lost those titles back to Valkyrie and her new partner, Jessicka. Her most recent match was on the losing side of a triple threat match for the NWA World Women's Title where Kamille defeated Green and KiLynn King.
During the November 10 episode of "Impact Wrestling," Green was shown walking out of the arena, only to stop and tell Deonna Purrazzo that she's "going home." This was her last scheduled booking with the company.
Rumored WWE Return
With Triple H in charge of WWE Creative and Talent Relations, there has been a concerted effort to rebuild the women's division. Multiple names that were released in the last two years have come back to the promotion, adding much needed depth to the division. Both PWI Insider and Fightful Select reported that WWE discussed a return for Green. Bill Pritchard of WrestleZone spoke with her about that possibility in November of 2022.
"With WWE, I'm really glad that I left on good terms, although I was sad that I didn't get to fulfill myself creatively as a wrestler. I still had a great relationship with Triple H. I had a great relationship with Vince, so I am really happy that I'm able to hold my head up high knowing there's an opportunity for me to possibly go back if they decide it's the time and the place," Green said to Pritchard. "I have unfinished business at WWE, period. It would be nice to close the WWE chapter with another run or another storyline, but that's not my choice. That's theirs."
Green would be a strong addition to the roster, especially as the promotion heads into the 2023 edition of the Royal Rumble in January. There's a need for a stronger roster to fill out the women's rumble match.