Chelsea Green went blonde to stand out on WWE Tough Enough, and though she didn’t win, she’s sticking with her pro wrestling career — and the hair colour.
“When I left Tough Enough Top 40, I knew I needed a change,” Green admitted to SLAM! Wrestling. “Something that would make me stand out and give me more of an edge. So I thought, what is the total opposite of my look right now — blonde!”
Since leaving the show, Green hadn’t heard from World Wrestling Entertainment and stated that “if they want to sign competitors I’m sure they will,” but she is now focused on defending her Girls Gone Wrestling (GGW) Ladies Wrestling Title at the Scottish Cultural Centre in Vancouver, BC, on September 11th, against Malia Hosaka.
“I know that whatever happens on September 11, it is going to be a good fight,” Green strongly declared. “I will not give it up easily. I know Malia will come into this match strong, and she will definitely hit hard, but she will have to knock me out to take my belt from me.”
The upcoming challenger, veteran Malia Hosaka, felt that Green will gain a great deal working on the independent scene.
“While it’s everyone’s dream to work for WWE, what she will gain is to actually wrestle and work with a variety of talent on all stages; in my opinion it will make her a better wrestler and not just eye candy in the ring who has to have everything choreographed; she will learn to follow, lead and carry the match,” Hosaka said. “She will leave without the GGW title, but she will be a better wrestler after September 11.”
Reflecting on being part of All Star Wrestling’s GGW, Green expressed great pride.
“Any company that gives women the opportunity to thrive, I am all for! I truly think women are only getting stronger as the years go by. If you take a look at WWE NXT, we have some of the best athletes in the world in that company. They are setting the bar higher and higher every time they step into that ring. Not only in wrestling, but in other sports as well we have women that are exceeding expectations. I am so happy to be a part of this revolution and it only makes me more hungry to succeed and out train all my competition.”
The 2015 edition of WWE Tough Enough had plenty of controversy. Yet, only someone such as Green really has a true idea of what it was like to to be a competitor on the show.
When she was interviewed via email Green declared that the female contestants were not encouraged to argue amongst themselves for the cameras. “When you are stuck in a house with people, drama happens organically! There is no denying that all of us fought like sisters, but we also had a lot of amazing times together. At the end of the day, we were competing against each other, so fights are going to happen.”
Disagreements also happened between the competitors and the judges as did when The Miz told Green that he expected more from her due to her background. While Green acknowledged that she understood The Miz’s perspective, she, also, felt she was giving it everything she had.
“Not only did I give 110% every time I got into the ring, but I did it with one ankle,” explained Green. “The feedback is always a little confusing, because emotions are running so high.”
In fact, the 24 year old, 5-foot-7 Green has only been wrestling for about a year and a half. She got her start while she was living in Calgary in 2013 and “wanted to try something crazy and new.” Her wrestling name was Jaida.
“I watched wrestling growing up but I didn’t know much about the business. I decided one day to meet up with Lance Storm and check out his school. When I walked into the Storm Wrestling Academy I knew instantly that I had to give this a shot.”
According to Green, Storm taught her everything she knows. “Not only has he taught me the basics of wrestling and the psychology, he has also taught me a lot about the business side of things and the locker room etiquette.”
From there Green went on to have her first ever match in Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW).
“I was wrestling in a tag match versus Nicole Matthews, the current SHIMMER champion, and it was terrifying but absolutely amazing,” recollected Green.
In Matthews’ opinion, Green has a lot of potential, “but what has stricken me more than her wrestling ability, or dedication to the gym even, is her absolute determination to make herself a success. She is incredibly driven and that is very obvious in her willingness to travel wherever for an opportunity, and in her social media savvy.”
Green’s first big break in WWE wasn’t Tough Enough, though. In 2014, she was cast as Daniel Bryan’s physical therapist as part of the ongoing storyline between Brie Bella and Stephanie McMahon.
“I was so lucky to be in the right place at the right time for the Megan Miller opportunity,” remarked Green.
“I happened to be an extra that weekend for Adam Rose, as a Rosebud. The spot for Megan Miller came up and I was asked if I would like to do it. Of course, without hesitation I said yes, but I had no idea how huge the storyline really was, or whether it was meant to run longer, or if that’s what was planned, but I loved every minute of it! I don’t know if it necessarily helped me out on Tough Enough, but the experience gave me extra confidence going into each challenge.”
Heading into Tough Enough, Green felt that her background helped her because as she elaborated, “I was able to walk into every training session feeling confident that I could outperform the other girls.”
During the airing of Tough Enough one relationship that was featured was between Green and fellow competitor Tanner Saraceno. When asked whether she had developed any feelings for Saraceno, Green pointed out that all of the competitors were stuck in the same house for months “so we all were having fun and I had some fun with Tanner.”
As viewers may have noticed Green’s relationship with Tough Enough judge Paige came across at times as strained. At one point during the series Paige heavily criticized Green for when she said, “I am not a fan of Amanda, in any sense of the word, but it is about team work and if you and I were in the ring together, I know I am better than you so I would come down to your level and bring you up. That is what teamwork is.”
Naturally, the question had to be asked about how she felt about Paige’s criticisms, as well as, Paige’s decision to save competitor Giorgia Piscina which played a role in Green’s elimination from the show.
“Everything that the judges critiqued me on and criticized me for, I took into consideration and made the necessary changes,” affirmed Green.
“At the end of the day, I performed as well as I could in the ring. That’s what this competition was about. I don’t disagree with Paige’s choice to save Gigi. When I left, I told the WWE Universe that if I wasn’t going to win, I hoped she would. I think I deserved to be in this competition until the end, and I was not happy at all to go home. But Gigi won a lot of challenges, and she was a tough girl.”
With respect to the public vote Green was very direct in her response.
“I won’t lie, of course I felt robbed when I was voted out by the WWE Universe, but in the end, all we have as wrestlers are our fans… So if they aren’t on my side anymore, then I shouldn’t be in this competition. It’s simple.”
Since leaving Tough Enough, Green has kept in touch with almost every person on the show, though, “there are a few who I speak to less than others, but I still follow them via social media.”
This interview was conducted prior to the final episode of Tough Enough, so Green was asked which of the finalists, Amanda or Sara, she hoped would win. Green stated she supported both, though, for completely different reasons.
“Sara and I got along well from the start, she is an easy person to hangout with. I supported her because she truly is a great girl. Amanda, was a fighter and I loved that about her because I am the same way. We butt heads because we both can’t stand losing, and I supported her for that.”
For Green probably the most important thing she learned from Tough Enough was how mentally strong she was which is something she said she will never forget.
“Right now, my main goal is to get into WWE NXT, but as I wrestle around North America, I want to start making a name for myself and making a mark in women’s wrestling.”
RELATED LINKS
