Chelsea Green Reveals Unexpected Reaction To Nia Jax Match

Chelsea Green believes suffering a broken orbital bone ultimately helped turn around the early stages of her WWE Women’s Championship reign.

Green captured the Interim WWE Women’s Championship in a ladder match at WWE SummerSlam while Rhea Ripley was sidelined. She then suffered the orbital injury on the August 7 episode of WWE SmackDown, putting her title reign in jeopardy.

During an appearance on NotSam Wrestling (see video below), Green reflected on the emotional segment with SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis that followed, where she was given 30 days to get medically cleared rather than being forced to relinquish the championship.

“It was definitely bigger than whatever was to come,” Green said. “I think we all felt where it was going that week after SummerSlam where I had a very lame promo and it kind of led into a couple of lame moments. Then, that broken orbital bone was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me because of that promo.”

Green credited Aldis with helping her put the segment together, explaining that they spent significant time working out the emotions and pacing.

“Nick and I spent a lot of time on that promo. I’m very thankful for Nick Aldis because he helped me write that one and he helped me write the follow up a couple of weeks later,” she said.

“It hit because we were able to go through the emotions and change of pace and the ride we wanted to take them on. ‘What’s the angle, but how do we get there making them think we’re going to take it off me?’ That’s the crucial moment in that promo.”

Green ultimately received medical clearance and made her first successful title defense against Nia Jax on the September 11 episode of SmackDown in Mexico City, despite still dealing with the broken orbital bone.

While Green was pleased with the match and the reaction from the live crowd, she joked that the response online was considerably different.

“I thought it was a banger of a match, but the internet told me otherwise [laughs]. One thing about them, they stay humbling me. For 13 years, I can’t get a big head,” she said.

Green recalled advice from Matt Cardona, who once told her, “Nobody tweets about a good flight.”

“When Matt said that, I was like, ‘You are right.’ My friends are also very real with me, like Jordynne Grace, very real, whether I want to hear it or not. She told me she liked the match. That’s who I trust,” Green said.

“She would tell me [if she didn’t like the match]. She would tell me in-depth. The problem is, I always preach that if I’m going to believe the good stuff, I have to believe the bad stuff. I do stand by that, but right now, I better not believe anything.”

Green added that the contrast between the enthusiastic response inside the arena and the criticism she saw afterward online was difficult to process.

“It feels real personal, especially when Mexico City tells you that it was amazing and they are loud the whole time and you come back feeling like, ‘Yes, I just entertained the shit out of them,’” she said.

“Then, you get a whole different opinion elsewhere. It’s very jarring.”