• “I stopped trying to be a wrestler” – SmackDown Star On How She Got Over With Fans
Chelsea Green has become one of WWE’s most consistently entertaining performers, winning fans over through character work rather than relying purely on in-ring ability.
Speaking on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, the WWE Women’s United States and AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion explained how everything changed the moment she stopped trying to fit the mold of a traditional wrestler.
“I quickly realized that character work was my forte. I was trying so hard to be a professional wrestler. Then when I became Laurel Van Ness I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m doing way less work, and people like it way more. What have I been doing this whole time?’”
From then, it kind of spiraled and I realized, ‘Okay, if that’s what I bring to the table, then who cares if I win or lose?’ They’re not watching to see if I win or lose. They’re watching to see the ridiculous stuff that comes out of my mouth, the bumps that I take and stuff like that. Life has been so much better since I stopped trying to be a professional wrestler. It really is. It’s great.
I’m an actress, a glorified actress, a little bit of a stunt woman. And then, every now and then I do a roll up. It’s great. I love it.”
• Matt Hardy Says Vince McMahon Was Abusive With WWE Hall Of Famer
On his podcast, Matt Hardy said the following about Vince McMahon’s relationship with Jim Ross:
“I felt like Vince had a thing for putting people in positions that made them feel uncomfortable, and he kind of got off on that, in all honesty. That was like one of his things. And I felt like he did that with JR quite a bit. That became a regular, common thing there.
There were certain people I felt like, if you ever showed signs of weakness or said, ‘No, I don’t want to do that,’ or if you were outright uncomfortable with it, then he would push it even harder. I know there are some people that did get that.
I feel like anytime he put us in positions where, and I feel like sometimes he said, ‘if you don’t go into areas or positions where you feel uncomfortable, you will never grow.’ And in some ways, that is true. But in some ways too, I think he was abusive with it as well.
And JR probably was one of the guys he was more abusive with in many, many ways. There was this real weird rivalry between them in some ways.”
• “I was the only WWE wrestler in history to be asked not to participate in Make-A-Wish” – Mick Foley
Mick Foley revealed a surprising and little-known fact from his WWE career while speaking to fans at FanX Comic Conventions, admitting that he was once asked not to participate in Make-A-Wish appearances because of how frightening his on-screen character had become.
While answering a question about his famous catchphrases and the origins of his Mankind persona, Foley explained that the character’s unsettling presentation had an unintended real-world consequence, particularly when it came to children.
Reflecting on how genuinely scary Mankind was during his early WWF run, Foley said, “I scared the crap out of some of you when you were children. I know that for a fact.” He then revealed just how serious that perception became. “I was the only WWE wrestler in history to be asked not to participate in Make-A-Wish events,” Foley said.
Foley explained that this decision came during the period when Mankind was portrayed as dark, dangerous, and unpredictable, long before the character evolved into a more sympathetic and comedic figure. He contrasted that era with later years, noting that once Mankind softened, the issue faded. “Back in the day, he was dark and dangerous, right?” Foley said, explaining why the company felt his presence could be overwhelming for seriously ill children.
The revelation came as Foley was discussing how certain creative choices were intentionally designed to make audiences uncomfortable. He described how using cheerful language in a disturbing context helped elevate the character’s menace. “When you use bright friendly terms, but in a scary way, they’re even scarier. If I said, ‘Have a horrible day,’ you’d expect that. What if I said, ‘Have a nice day?’”
