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Doing something as extensive as Netflix's behind-the-scenes series Unreal can be daunting, as it was for WWE star Chelsea Green. The new documentary chronicles her journey to WrestleMania 41.
For Green, who aspires to have her own reality TV series someday, she was as open as usual in the five-part documentary series. Like most of the public, she hasn't even seen it yet. Granted, it was her life, so she knows what happens on her end.
“Of course, I saw the trailer, and I have been with them since they've been filming — they started as we ushered the new RAW-Netflix era in all the way to WrestleMania [41], and I was filmed the entire time,” she explained. “So I know what went on in my life.”
Still, Green reinforces that she has always been an open book for fans. That helped her get acclimated to filming a documentary like WWE: Unreal.
Chelsea Green's fear of ‘cancel culture'
“I feel as a wrestler, I've been so open for the past 10, 11 years,” said Green. “You guys know my relationship [with fellow wrestler Matt Cardona], you know that I'm building a new home, you know my dogs, I basically have posted everything for 10 years. So, I'm not really worried about that.”
However, what does scare her is the idea of “cancel culture.” Fear not — Green doesn't do anything cancelable or offensive in WWE: Unreal, but it's still a worry she has, and other reality TV stars face the same thing.
“There's this tiny part of me that is worried because of cancel culture,” Green conceded. “We love to rip someone apart, and we love to find things that they've done in the past that could hurt their future.
“We've seen that in these latest seasons of Love Island. It's really affected the mental health of a lot of the contestants. That's something that I think about often. However, it is what it is,” she continued.
Green will never give up being an “open book.” In turn, she holds herself accountable for her actions. “I'm gonna have to take full accountability if something comes my way,” Green acknowledged.
Could WWE's Chelsea Green get her own reality show after Unreal?
It's been years since WWE produced reality series like Total Divas (and its Total Bellas spin-off). However, Green is keeping up hopes to lead Green with Envy (the name of her old podcast) or 50 Shades of Green — her two phenomenal title pitches (make it happen, Netflix!).
The reason is that it would allow WWE fans to see another side of Green. While she's a self-proclaimed “open book,” Green has friends who aren't in the wrestling business. It would also include more of her relationship with Matt Cardona, who WWE fans knew as Zack Ryder.
“If I were to have my own reality TV series [that] was just about me, I would want it to focus more on my family and friendships in Canada,” Green revealed. “I think everyone knows my friendships here; all my best friends here are in wrestling or [were] in my bridal party.
“Everyone knows Santana Garrett, Deonna Purrazzo, McKenzie Mitchell, Sydney Zmrzel, who is Maxxine Dupri in WWE, [and] Taya Valkyrie.
“They know my best friends, but you don't get to see the island that I'm from in Canada. You don't get to see how I grew up, [or] the relationship between me and my husband and his family. All those things are things I would love to incorporate in my reality show that I'm coming up with right now,” Green continued.
Did Matt Cardona see her historic US title win?
One of the pivotal storylines revolving around Chelsea Green in WWE: Unreal is her not making the Survivor Series: WarGames card. The PLE — which emanated from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada — was a homecoming show of sorts for Green, who was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
However, she did not make the cut. WWE made it up to her by having her become the inaugural Women's United States Champion at the December 2024 Saturday Night's Main Event, which took place in her husband's hometown of Long Island, New York. Of course, Cardona was known as the “Long Island Iced Z” on social media during his rise to fame in WWE.
He is not shown in Unreal, which was more than likely due to him not being under contract with WWE. Green revealed he actually wasn't there in person for her big moment. That's because he had a prior commitment he could not get out of.
“[Funnily] enough, that was the one GCW [Game Changer Wrestling] show that he could not get out of,” she revealed. “He was in LA, but because it was in Long Island, his whole family was able to be there.”
Green's family was able to make it out as well. She called it the “best” experience. And while Cardona could not be there, his family's attendance was “the next best thing.”
It was also a fitting way to win her first WWE singles championship. “How perfect is that? The fact that I was supposed to win it in my hometown, and it didn't happen, and then I was able to win it in my husband's hometown. I think it was meant to be that way,” Green said in retrospect.
‘Great things will come to those who wait'
Many moons ago, Paul “Triple H” Levesque promised, “great things will come to those who wait.” He was talking about LA Knight, who is still waiting for a proper main event push. However, the sentiment applies to Green as well.
WWE: Unreal doesn't show much of the month between Survivor Series: WarGames and Saturday Night's Main Event. Green detailed the “stressful” experience of being “in limbo” for a month.
“It's a little stressful because you're trying to keep your cool,” she recalled. “I thought I knew I was winning it. [Now,] I wasn't sure. And then I'm not on Survivor Series, and I'm not sure what's next for my career.
“Limbo is hard in wrestling. It's very high-anxiety, even for a girly who isn't very anxious,” she continued.
Ultimately, Green is happy with how everything shook out. “Look, I can't complain, because look what happened,” she said optimistically.
How did Chelsea Green's WWE return happen?
Nearly two years after her initial WWE release, Green returned at the 2023 Royal Rumble. She was infamously eliminated within five seconds by Rhea Ripley in the women's battle royal.
This caused Green to start her “Karen” gimmick, where she complains to Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown general managers Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis.
Green has perfected the role, adding small wrinkles to the character. After winning the Women's United States Championship, Green began a gimmick that she was the “head of state.” Piper Niven, her tag team partner, serves as her bodyguard. They have since been joined by Alba Fyre, filling out the “Secret Hervice.”
Blame the dirt sheets for this “Karen” gimmick. Green recalled reading reports that she was supposed to be a “Karen” upon her return.
This was news to Green, who was going to re-debut in about two hours. “Nobody ever told me,” said Green. In a true example of method acting, Green went to WWE's higher-ups, just as her character would (albeit more respectfully), to ask about it.
The report was true — which is not always the case with dirt sheets — but Green embraced it. “I said, ‘Okay, if that's the case, let's scrap my debut and let me go out there and go in and out in three to four seconds and let me be angry. Let that be the first thing fans see. Let me complain about that,'” Green remembered.
“They went back to the drawing board; they rearranged some of the numbers in the Rumble, and they came back to me and were like, ‘Okay, you can do it.'”
The rest is history. “We never spoke about it again,” and Green has continued playing the character two years later.
In Chelsea Green WWE trusts
The landscape of WWE's creative forces changed in between Chelsea Green's tenures with them. Vince McMahon infamously stepped down as CEO and chairman of the company in June 2022 after the hush-money allegations came out.
He would later return as executive chairman in January 2023, overseeing the TKO Group Holdings merger with Zuffa (who own UFC), before resigning in January 2024 when the Janel Grant lawsuit arose.
In his absence, Triple H became the chief content officer of WWE. His role is explored in WWE: Unreal, and he oversees the company's creative direction.
Green noticed a substantial change after her return. “When I came back, I did notice a sense of trust,” Green revealed. “They trusted in me that I knew what this character was gonna be, that I knew what I wanted to say in promos and how I wanted to bring that [the Chelsea Green character] to the screen that I didn't feel before.”
Granted, Green didn't get a fair shot last time around. So, Green wouldn't rule out that she could have had that freedom in the previous regime.
“That's hard to say because I didn't really have a run on the main roster [before],” she admitted. “Who's to say that they wouldn't have trusted me then? Unfortunately, I broke my arm and didn't get the chance.”
Could Chelsea Green win Royal Rumble or Money in the Bank?
In wrestling, there are several positions on the card. WWE's main event scene is filled with Superstars like Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and John Cena. On the women's side, you have Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, and Jade Cargill, to name a few.
Then, there's the midcard, where Green resides. Midcard wrestlers may occasionally get a world championship shot, but others remain there.
One way to get yourself into the main event scene is by winning a Royal Rumble or the Money in the Bank ladder match. These matches occur annually, so Superstars have a chance every 12 months to earn a championship match.
But could a character like Green's find a way to win either one? A Royal Rumble or Money in the Bank win is appetizing for fans. Green sees some opportunities for potential storylines in both.
I suggested she wins Money in the Bank and holds it for 364 of her 365 eligible days to cash her contract in, which she loved. She suggested cashing it in “the minute before I have to give it up.”
The art of losing
Even if she wins, the art is in her character losing. While Green has held championship gold, she knows that her character is not meant to be atop the main event scene.
“To be honest, I don't necessarily think the humor is in being champion,” she reasoned. “I think the humor is in, like you said, winning a Royal Rumble, winning Queen of the Ring, winning the briefcase at Money in the Bank. I think that's comedic.
“The chase is comedic because once you win, there's something about a little hot girl as a champion, acting perfect — it's not that funny. You wanna see the flaws in characters, and comedy is in the flaws.
“So to have a character like me, who constantly loses, [win it] brings my character back down to earth where I'm more relatable instead of being a superhero hot girl with a tiny outfit,” Green continued.
Chelsea Green knows WWE already has its fair share of superheroes. She doesn't need to overcrowd that space with her presence. So, she'd rather be comic relief.
Her humbleness shows in the fact that she's willing to fail her Money in the Bank cash-in (“The more I lose, the funnier it is,” Green explained). None of the past women's briefcase holders have lost their cash-in match — Naomi was the most recent to successfully do it.
“The dream would be to hold it for, like you said, so long and to be so obnoxious and then to fail miserably,” Green said.
Special gear
In WWE: Unreal, Green shows off her extensive collection of wrestling gear. Of course, wrestlers need several outfits unless they're someone like Roman Reigns, who typically sticks to the same style.
Green has plenty more left in the can from her Women's United States Championship reign, calling this her “main problem.” Perhaps the solution is for Green to regain her title.
“The funny thing is, when I lost the United States title, I had a whole drawer of United States gear,” revealed Green. “So, right now, I am in this hilarious position of, ‘Do I continue to wear United States gear even though I'm not the champion?' ‘Do I try to figure out a storyline for that?' So, we'll see.”
Additionally, Green has gear that is “reminiscent” of her purple WrestleMania 39 gear. However, she stayed tight-lipped about when she would break those out.
“I have amazing sets of gear put aside,” she said. “[There's] a very beautiful purple one that's reminiscent of my Hollywood WrestleMania purple gear that I would love to wear. So, there [are] some options.”
What's next for WWE's Chelsea Green?
Green may also have another career path: acting. She got the acting bug after playing Laurel Van Ness during her TNA run. Green then began taking acting lessons in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic and after she was released from WWE.
She is already laying the foundation for a jump to Hollywood. Green has filmed parts in a Canadian show called Hate The Player, a biopic of track athlete Ben Johnson. She also filmed an episode of Blue Ridge and a Christmas movie in 2025. “The ball is rolling,” as she puts it.
However, Green is cool with paying her dues on her way up to the top. She is self-aware enough to know that she may not be immediately catapulted to the MCU upon her arrival in Hollywood.
“I am not afraid to start small and build up and hopefully get better and progress,” Green explained. “I don't need to start out as an Avenger, you know? I'm totally okay doing these small roles and taking my time, learning this new skillset, and hopefully, we just keep building a resume and I end up with my dream role.”
What is her dream role? “I think my dream role would be like Charlize Theron in Monster,” Green revealed. While that's a high goal, Green has shown her resilience. Anything is possible with the hard work she puts in.
Plus, she knows it takes time to get to Theron's level. “That takes decades of work to get there,” Green said. And ultimately, Green is fine with whatever way her acting career goes.
“If I'm a Hallmark star, I would be more than happy with that,” Green concluded.
For now, she will continue being one of the most entertaining stars WWE has to offer. Chelsea Green has found her niche, and there's no better role player in WWE right now.
WWE: Unreal will be released on Netflix on July 29.
