Chelsea Green, 34, knows all about the power of female friendship.
The WWE wrestler has been in the business for more than a decade, starting on the independent scene before working her way up to being crowned WWE’s inaugural women’s US champion. While she has since dropped the title, she now regularly appears on SmackDown, WWE's professional wrestling television programme, as the leader of the Green Regime, a villainous stable, providing plenty of entertainment thanks to her comedic timing.
Alongside her journey to the top, Green says one of the things she’s most grateful for is the friends she's made along the way - and the common interests and professional goals they share.
“Deonna Purrazzo has been my best friend since I started wrestling, and definitely Maxxine Dupri,” Green tells The National. “I love my new friends Nia Jax and BFab and then, my indie girl, Santana Garrett.”
wrestler
As talent in the industry continues to grow, it’s not surprising to hear about the bond formed through a shared love of the sport. That sense of unity has been mirrored by the steady rise of women’s wrestling in recent years. Green credits the shift to changes at the very top, with Paul “Triple H” Levesque coming on as creative content officer.
Green adds the shift isn’t just about making headlines, but a fundamental change in how women are positioned within the company, helping to alter both expectations and momentum.
“That's the amazing thing about working under Triple H. He really, really does love women's wrestling, and we've seen that with Evolution 2, and now with the Royal Rumbles. Just look at all the firsts the women have had. The opportunities now are endless, especially in 2026,” says Green.
“I feel like we have no ceiling to shatter any more. There are no limitations. The handcuffs are off, and we're able to do basically anything. But, at the end of the day, we're always going to fight for equality, for equal pay, for more time in the ring, for the same opportunities that the guys get, but we're not fighting an uphill battle. We're fighting and we're getting those things.”
That sense of momentum has also given Green the confidence to lean fully into what she believes sets her apart: her character work. Returning to WWE in 2023 after departing the company in 2021, she says, brought clarity about how she wanted to define her legacy in the ring.
“I quickly realised when I got back to WWE that my niche and what made me special was my character work, so that's what I want to be remembered for – whether it's within that championship or within AAA, within WWE, or overall in wrestling,” she says. “I just hope that people realise there is a place for everyone, but you have to create that path.”
Rather than chasing technical perfection, Green says success comes from recognising individual strengths and committing to them fully.
“You have to know what you're good at, you have to know what makes you special, and what makes the fans tune in to watch you,” she says. “Hopefully, you know, in years to come, when people think of Chelsea Green, they think of the greatest entertainer. I don't need to be the greatest wrestler.”
When asked why she can't be both, she says, with a laugh: “Well, you know, we've got one of those. That's Rhea Ripley.”
Green credits much of her on-screen evolution to collaboration within WWE’s creative system, describing it as a collective effort rather than a solo vision. “Anything within WWE and within the creative team is always going to be a collaboration,” she says. “All my writers have helped me, even my co-workers add little bits and pieces to the lore of this character.”
That flexibility allows her persona to shift week to week, depending on inspiration and storytelling needs. “Every week is something different, but you're going to be entertained. That's the beauty of having a whole machine behind you,” she adds.
While fans are hopeful about seeing Green paired on screen with her husband Matt Cardona after he recently returned to the company, she says there is no urgency to make that happen. “I truly have no preference. I love what I'm doing and would never want to ruin what I have going now just so I could be with my husband,” she says, noting that both currently have strong individual storylines.
For Green, longevity in wrestling comes from embracing the experiences outside the ring as much as inside it. “Your road to get here is what makes you special, male or female,” she says. “You need to make sure you're always pursuing other hobbies, things that are going to broaden your horizons and also create a resume that's undeniable.”
That philosophy paid off during her recent title run, which she describes as one of the most rewarding periods of her career. “All you can dream of is that you're going to come out to a reaction,” she says. “That the crowd is going to want to see you work. For me, that was the best moment, just having the fans care.”
As for what still sits at the top of her wish list, Green doesn’t hesitate. “It would be a triple threat match in Canada,” she says. “Me versus Nattie versus Trish Stratus.”
