Chelsea Green Talks Falling "Off The Grid" Last Year, Evolving As A Wrestler

WWE NXT Superstar Chelsea Green recently spoke with ComicBook.com to promote tonight's NXT episode, which will feature a Battle Royal to determine the "Takeover: Portland" opponent for NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley. Green will be joined in the Battle Royal by Mercedes Martinez, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Xia Li, Vanessa Borne, Dakota Kai, Kayden Carter, Mia Yim, Santana Garrett, and Shotzi Blackheart.

Green, a former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion and WWE Tough Enough participant, said her hard work has been worth it, and she's actually grown the most as a character since joining NXT. She also said she's definitely evolved as a wrestler, but she wants the fans to see the different sides she has.

"Well, I definitely evolved as a wrestler," Green said. "Every single year, I go through once the new year hits, I go through this moment where I kind of think about how far I've come and what's changed. And I would say that my biggest evolution character-wise has been from the time that I started in NXT until now. I've been working through who I am and how to show the fans and the audience who I am in a genuine way.

"I want you guys to see the fighter in me, and the athlete in me, and also the world traveler in me, and the friendly side of me, and all of these sides. So, I've been working really hard to figure out how to put that into a character and in front of you guys. So, it's been kind of a different sort of evolution this year, but I'm loving it and I'm still figuring it out. And maybe in a year, you can ask me the same question, and I'll have a totally different response. You know?"

Regarding tonight's Battle Royal, Green said she will have her eyes on everyone, but mainly Belair, LeRae, and Shirai. Green also said she has plans for the title once she gets it out of Ripley's hands – to be a fighting champion like she was on the indies.

"Well, I would be lying if I said that really I have no competition because I just told you that the roster was so stacked (laughs)," Green said. "I want to tell you that I don't have to worry about anyone, and that I'm the best and that I'm going to be standing there, the last woman in that ring. But we've got one of our strongest competitors, Bianca Belair. We've got one of our highest flyers in Candice LeRae. We've got Io, who is one of the best wrestlers, male or female ever. So, those are going to be kind of my three. My eyes are going to be on those three.

"But I do think that there are going to be a lot of women that you guys haven't seen that are going to shine, and so I'm going to have to kind of keep my eyes peeled on everyone. However, when I do win and challenge Rhea for the title, and take the title off her, or whoever it may be that I take the title off of, I just want to do exactly what I've done when I was on the independent scene, which is really just be a fighting champion. I want to continue to wrestle nonstop whether I have the title or not, and I'm not afraid of whoever it is that wants to step up."

Green admitted that she was a little off the grid last year, but said she can't wait to make her longtime fans proud, and bring in new fans to the mix when the year is over. Green said besides winning the NXT Women's Title, her other goal for 2020 is to be another face of the company.

"I really want them to say... Gosh, that's so hard,. because really what I want them to say is, well, I knew Chelsea was great and she just went another year proving it," Green said of the fans. "You know what I mean? I kind of had a bit of a... I fell off the grid a little bit for the last year and that's okay. I focused on myself. Like I said, I focused on building my character up and my confidence up. And I know how good I am, and I think that my fan base knows how good I am. And I just want to get back out there and prove to them that they stuck around and they waited for this moment, for this debut for a reason.

"And I think they will. I think that's exactly what's going to happen in 2020. And I would say my goal for 2020, aside from of course winning the NXT title, would just be to have my face plastered all over WWE. I want to be the face of this brand in any way possible, and if I have to do double duty and triple duty, and be on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT in the same week, your girl will do it."

Green made her official NXT TV debut last week by attacking Mia Yim and Kayden Carter after Yim's singles win. Green then stood with Robert Stone (Robbie E) on the stage as he announced that 2020 would be the year of The Robert Stone Brand, beginning with the signing of Green. Green said she's very proud to be working with Stone, and that their mutual respect is going to take them to the top.

"Well, aside from the fact that Robert and I go way back, we've known each other for a while. So, I trust him, he trusts me," Green said. "He makes the best business decisions, whether it's in wrestling, whether it's in life. I am very, very proud to have Robert representing me. I think he feels the same way, and that mutual respect is going to take us very far."

It's no secret that Green and WWE RAW Superstar Zack Ryder are currently engaged to be married. Green and Ryder share their relationship on social media and she has appeared on his Major Wrestling Figure podcast with Curt Hawkins, also revealing that she's a bit of a toy nerd, but not as big as Ryder. Green said she has embraced the toy stuff because it's something that Ryder loves.

"Yes. Honestly, that's exactly what it is," Green said of the fandom. "When I first met him, I'll never forget, he probably told me on maybe the fourth date, all about this toy obsession. But I did not realize how crazy it was until I moved in, and I kind of have helped him unbox his toys as you toy nerds would say. But I love it. At the end of the day, if you're passionate about something, be passionate about it. And be totally and ridiculously passionate about it. Because I think that that's what... I'm passionate about wrestling and now look, I'm totally ridiculously passionate about it. So, it's cool to me that he is so into something that I just had no clue even existed. So, I mean, there could be worse hobbies, right?"