WWE producer Michael Hayes has provided more insight into the comments he made about Chelsea Green during the Netflix docuseries WWE: Unreal.
In season 2 of the show, Hayes spoke directly to the camera and stated that while Green is entertaining, she was not on the level of the top stars in the diviion such as Charlotte Flair or Tiffany Stratton. The comments sparked backlash among the fanbase, with many online coming to Green’s defence following the comments. Additionally, in a follow-up interview, Green admitted that she was “a little upset” by what was said on the show:
“Okay, this is tea ladies, because I have not done media since this came out. This really, really ruffled some feathers. So one of the head producers of WWE, his name is Michael Hayes. He works very closely with our boss, Triple H, and he basically said [on Unreal] ‘Chelsea makes the most out of her time, so we don’t need to give her 30 minutes. We give her 30 seconds, and she does the same work, which is great because she’s not meant to be here for 30 minutes. She’s not meant to be the top girl. She’s meant to elevate all those girls to be in that top position, to be a main eventer.’ It’s crazy because I’m a self-aware human being, so I know my kind of place on the totem pole 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,” she continued. “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 that it was confirmed and it wasn’t confirmed to me, it was confirmed on national television.”
While speaking with The Undertaker on his Six Feet Under podcast, Hayes stated that he has talked to Netflix about the interview, as one crucial part was cut out:
“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.”
Michael Hayes Does Not Regret Chelsea Green Comments
Continuing, Hayes said that he has no regrets over what was said, adding that Green’s role is still to make other people as opposed to being at the top:
“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.”
Hayes did note that if fans really got behind Green, then there could be a possibility that the former Women’s United States Champion could be elevated up the card further. Hayes used the pushes of Daniel Bryan in 2014 and Kofi Kingston in 2019 as notable examples of this happening:
“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.”
Green is currently recovering from a broken ankle after suffering the injury in a match on SmackDown. Green has remained on TV while recovering from the injury.
H/t to F4WOnline for the use of transcriptions.
Featured image: WWE
