Chelsea Green devoted the biggest win of her WWE career to the person who most publicly said she wasn’t cut out for it. But underneath her dig at Michael Hayes, WWE’s vice president of creative writing and booking, was genuine appreciation.
Green shocked the field at SummerSlam on Sunday, climbing the ladder to become the interim WWE women’s champion. She overcame three former women’s world champions, among others, in a defining moment for one of WWE’s most popular underdogs. Then Green took the microphone on the post-show and dedicated the win to Hayes.Â
There was context behind the quip. Hayes drew criticism after Netflix’s “WWE Unreal” showed him arguing that Green wasn’t suited for the main event scene. Green clearly didn’t forget about it, but she doesn’t share the resentment some fans have toward him.
“That clip on ‘Unreal’ is part of why I’m sitting here with this title on my shoulder right now. But I want to make sure everyone knows Michael Hayes has supported me since the minute I got to WWE,” Green told CBS Sports on Wednesday. “He’s the only person that is so blatantly honest, so blunt that he always, always provides the truth, whether I want to hear it or not.”
Hayes’ comments “lit a fire” under Green, though Hayes shouldn’t take credit for her ascent. Green’s success is a testament to her hard work and enduring fan support. Her remark on the post-show was as much a friendly dig as it was a victory lap. She’d already spoken with Hayes since “Unreal” aired and felt his comments were unfairly amplified by the show.Â
“He can dish it, but he can also take it,” Green said. “I sent him a text this morning, ‘Have you seen that I dedicated the title to you?’ He loved it. He was laughing. He is such a good sport. And I wish that what he said wasn’t cropped and edited to make it seem like that’s all he said because I know in my heart that he probably had a million kind things to say about me.Â
“At the end of the day, what he said was the truth. It was the truth in that moment. It was his truth. It was Creative’s truth. It might have been Triple H’s truth, I don’t know. I’m totally glad he said it. No regrets.”
What made it to air was blunt. Hayes said Green “is not built for, nor should she be in a Charlotte Flair or Tiffany Stratton role, because Chelsea’s job is to help make those people.”Â
Sunday offered an obvious rebuttal. Green beat both Flair and Stratton in the ladder match to win the interim championship. But the aftermath said as much about Hayes’ original assessment as the result did. Fan footage showed Flair and Stratton hanging back after the match, applauding as Green celebrated.
“When I saw that angle. It was very sweet because, at the end of the day, I love the love and support I get from my fans, but what really matters is the love, support, and respect that my coworkers and peers have for me,” Green said. “Because if I wasn’t a good person, if I hadn’t lifted them when they needed it, if I wasn’t bumping for them and helping their storylines progress, I don’t think they would be doing that for me.
“I’m so glad that a fan caught that moment for me and that I was able to see it because there’s so much that was going on in that moment. But what really matters is that people in this business like me enough to stick around and watch me win the title.”
Much of Green’s success in WWE has come from making the most of whatever she’s given. It’s the same quality Hayes highlighted, even if his conclusion about where Green belonged on the card missed the mark. Now, Green finds herself in uncharted territory while still the underdog in some respects.
Her interim championship was introduced after WWE women’s champion Rhea Ripley was sidelined with an injury. Ripley is expected back soon, putting the two champions on course for a title unification match. Unlike UFC, where interim champions are common and often carry an asterisk, WWE has never had an interim champion on its main roster. Nobody really knows yet how the distinction will be treated, but Green isn’t especially interested in the qualifier.
“It feels like the real deal to me,” Green said. “And you know why? It’s because of the reaction I got when I pulled the title down. That is a moment I cannot wait to tell my future kids about. It’s a moment I know my mom, my dad, and my sister will replay in their heads forever.”
There will be plenty of time to argue about what an interim WWE women’s champion means once Ripley returns. Green spent long enough hearing about where she did and didn’t belong. She’s not interested in diminishing the moment that now belongs to her.
“I saw so many videos of reactions, fan reactions, and it just further proves that they think this is the real deal. Why would I act like it’s anything but that?” Green said. “I know the word interim is like getting to people, but it’s not getting to me. It’s permanent to me.”
