During the second season of Netflix’s docuseries/new layer of kayfabe WWE UnReal, which was released in January, long-time WWE producer Michael Hayes was portrayed as a bit of heel. This is better than how fellow producer Brian “Road Dogg” James was depicted, which was as a bit of an idiot. But I digress…
One of the things Hayes said that got him the most heat was about Chelsea Green:
“Chelsea is so entertaining. But she is not built for, nor should she be in the Charlotte Flair role or Tiffany Stratton.
Because Chelsea’s job is to help make those people.”
Green’s strengths as a performer are pretty obvious to anyone who’s watched what she can do with a few seconds of screen time or a soundbite. To date, she has not had an opportunity to work as a non-comedic wrestler or in a main event spot, and perhaps Hayes is right that she wouldn’t be suited for that role even if she got the chance. But hearing an entrenched member of the WWE creative team put a ceiling on her like that — especially in comparison to two talents some fans believe have gotten too many opportunities — did not go over well with the UnReal audience*.
Hayes’ comments either didn’t go over too well with the two-time United States champion, or Green decided to see if she could turn it into her version of a YES! Movement or Kofi-Mania. On SiriusXM’s Reality Checked, she said:
“It’s crazy because I’m a self-aware human being, so I know my place on the totem in this fake hierarchy that is wrestling.
“But to actually hear it, to actually hear that there was a ceiling put on me, it’s different. You can’t help but be pissed off and a little upset and just aggravated at the fact that you thought that there was maybe a chance that there wasn’t that ceiling, that maybe it was all in your head, and then it was confirmed. It wasn’t confirmed to me, it was confirmed on national television.”
Now Hayes is the one being interviewed, by The Undertaker on his Six Feet Under podcast. The Fabulous Freebird took issue with how Netflix edited the interview his quote about Green was taken from, but stood by his evaluation — and hinted that his comments could be used for an angle that moves her up the card:
“I’ve talked to Netflix about this because when we did that interview, and I recall this specifically, that when we started the interview, the first thing I said was, Chelsea is as good or as talented and entertaining as anyone we have. But, of course, that never saw the light of day. That was on the cutting room floor because if you’re going to make me a heel, that’s the best way to do it, to say she’s not good enough. And that’s not really what I was saying.
“I don’t regret what I said because her role at the time I said that, and even right now, is not the top role. It is to help make other people. And as you know, we all know that we’re only as good as the people that help make us.
“With that said, if Chelsea caught fire because of this following and the support that she has, we’d go with that in a heartbeat. Look at Daniel Bryan. Look at Kofi Kingston. When they both caught fire, we went with it. Whether some people up top agreed with that or not, they went with it because that’s what the people wanted. We’re not there right now with Chelsea.
“and quite frankly, I feel, just my opinion, the people that support Chelsea now, if we start pushing her, would fade because she’s getting pushed from the machine. If she’s getting a push from the machine, then she doesn’t need my help… You see people get behind people the office isn’t getting behind because they feel they can make a difference and make a change. Chelsea is amazingly talented and amazingly entertaining. She can handle anything, but that’s the role she’s in, right now. Not necessarily her fault. To her credit, she knows her role, she does it and plays it with a smile.
“I spoke what I felt to be the truth. All the truth is not out there, that’s okay. People have hated me since the beginning of time and if you ask me a question, I’m going to try to tell you the truth. I still fear that if we get behind her, it hurts that rebel support.”
For his part, Taker may have agreed with the “not there right now” part. But The Dead Man is currently helping shape WWE’s newest brand, Lucha Libre AAA, and he seems interested in helping Green get “there”:
“I think she, without a doubt, with just a hair more mean streak — I think she can be a top player. She has that thing, that ‘it’ thing. And I just think there’s a lot of great things coming for that young lady. I’m a big fan of hers.
“There’s certain organizations around that know how to use her. You got to go south of the border, you’ve got to go south of the border…”
We’ll see what’s next for Green when she makes a full return from a recent ankle injury. Being the focus of all this conversation can’t be a bad thing, though. What do you think Chelsea Green’s ceiling is in WWE? What do you think of Michael Hayes UnReal comments, or his explanation of them?
* Which in my estimation seems to mostly consist of existing WWE fans — and especially the more devoted, online kind. If there’s evidence the show has drawn many newcomers into our ranks, I haven’t seen it.
