A pair of tournament matches have been made official for WWE Raw next week.
The June 8 episode of Raw is set to be held in Paris, France at Accor Arena. WWE has announced that King & Queen of the Ring will continue to play out with first-round matches in each tournament. On the men’s side, it will be Seth Rollins vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Talla Tonga vs. Ricky Saints. The women’s bout is Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green.
Both tournaments kicked off today with Oba Femi and IYO SKY becoming the first participants to advance to the semifinals. The remaining first round and semifinal matches will take place on Raw and SmackDown in advance of the June 27 finals at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia.
At stake in the tournament are World title shots at SummerSlam. Though Morgan is already the Women’s World Champion on Raw, her explanation for still participating in Queen of the Ring is that she wants to take everything she can.
Next week’s Raw, like today’s episode from Turin, has a special start time of 2 p.m. Eastern. It’s airing live on Netflix during WWE’s ongoing European tour.
WWE Raw (Monday, June 8) —
King of the Ring first-round match: Seth Rollins vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Talla Tonga vs. Ricky Saints
Queen of the Ring first-round match: Liv Morgan vs. Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Chelsea Green
Updated brackets for King & Queen of the Ring —
WWE King of the Ring 2026 bracket (Image credit: WWE)
WWE Queen of the Ring 2026 bracket. (Image credit: WWE)
WWE’s great Chelsea Green babyface experiment has begun.
Yes, Green is a good guy now.
I’m not saying that based on the reaction the Barcelona crowd gave to her on Friday’s SmackDown. We’ve seen Green get babyface reactions while being a heel character plenty of times.
But what we saw on Friday was different.
WWE wants us feeling sympathy for Chelsea, relating to Chelsea, and connecting with Chelsea.
What happened on WWE SmackDown on Friday?
For the most part, up until Friday’s show, Chelsea’s storyline with Tiffany Stratton was something similar to what you would see The Miz do. It’s entertaining and funny, but Chelsea was still a heel in that funny and entertaining role.
But there have been little hints dropped along the way that maybe we’re supposed to start relating with her a little bit.
There may have been earlier instances, but the first thing I picked up on was two weeks ago on SmackDown during Blake Monroe’s “SmackDown debut.”
Green walked up to Blake in the back and sort of posed face-to-face with her before Blake rebuffed her and walked out of the scene.
I thought to myself, wait a second, do they want me to feel sympathy for Chelsea Green?
Then on this week’s SmackDown, Green was backstage with Tiffany Stratton and had assumed that Stratton would accompany her to the ring for her match with Nia Jax later. However, Tiffany, in a polite manner, explained that this wouldn’t be happening.
And Chelsea looked sad.
So why are we seeing all these instances of Chelsea Green wanting to be friends with people only for those people not to want to be friends with her?
Then we get to the match against Nia Jax. Green is doing missile dropkicks, smiling up at the crowd, and wrestling in a very babyface manner.
After Lash Legend got involved, Tiffany Stratton had to do what was right and come out to help poor vulnerable Chelsea win the match.
But after Chelsea picked up the win, was her focus on how she had just pinned a former women’s champion? No, she only cared that Tiffany had come out to help her.
She wasn’t as excited about winning the match as she was that Tiffany was going to be her friend.
All of this is meant to make us feel for Chelsea, want what’s best for her, relate to her, and turn her into a big babyface.
Did Chelsea Green’s babyface run start with WWE Unreal?
Not long ago, there was a big brouhaha after Michael Hayes said on WWE Unreal that Chelsea Green is not a main eventer.
I have a theory, and perhaps others do as well, that this could have been a narrative WWE was pushing to see how fans would react. If there was backlash to Hayes’ comments and fans were like, “No, we love Chelsea, she could be a main eventer,” then it would let the company know that pushing her in that way could be successful.
And I think they got the reaction they were looking for, too.
Green as a babyface may be surprising to some because I think she is seen as similar to The Miz, and The Miz’s babyface runs have never lasted long. But I think it’s a little bit different with Green.
WWE fans en masse seem to recognize that she has been one of the most entertaining people on the WWE main roster ever since she’s been there. I’m certain she has haters on social media, but how often in real life have you ever heard someone say, “Man, enough with all the Chelsea Green already”?
That’s why when WWE goes to markets they are not in often, Green frequently gets a babyface reaction no matter how heelish she’s being at the time.
Will Chelsea Green ever win a world title?
If Chelsea Green is going babyface and she’s about to enter a new stage in her WWE run, the next question is whether that run could result in a world title.
Now, what that means for her or her fans, I’m not sure. It’s not like if Green never won a world title in her career, you would ever think to call her unsuccessful or something.
But if a babyface Chelsea Green catches fire in the way I think is at least possible, I don’t think a world title win within the next year is out of the question.
On social media today, Chelsea Green responded to the backlash she’s received over being included in UFC’s Freedom 250 Fan Fest.
It was announced on Monday that several WWE names will have meet and greets at the fan fest, which is happening in Washington, D.C. during the weekend of UFC’s White House event. Green is among those set to appear, and she’s received criticism from fans given that the political stances she’s publicly taken do not align with those of the current administration.
One fan on X accused Green of prioritizing money over her support of trans rights. In response, Green framed this appearance as a job obligation and said she will continue to advocate for the causes she cares about.
“Doing my job and supporting the community are not mutually exclusive,” Green, who is originally from Canada, wrote. “I’ll continue to do what I can to advocate for human rights whether you approve or not. [heart emoji]”
Green is one of the wrestlers that WWE most frequently uses for public and media appearances like this. Last year, she received similar backlash from fans for speaking positively about Hulk Hogan on the day of his death and not addressing the racism controversy that Hogan was involved in. That situation led to Green taking a social media break due to name calling and death threats.
WWE wrestlers at UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest —
Green, Charlotte Flair, The Miz, Trick Williams, The Usos, Tiffany Stratton, and Bron Breakker are the WWE wrestlers announced to appear at this event. It’s taking place from June 13-14, and having WWE stars present during the weekend is seemingly aimed at maximizing public interest given how significant this is to WWE & UFC parent company TKO. UFC is hyping its fight card as being the “most historic sporting event of all time.”
The fan fest will take place at The Ellipse just outside of the White House, with the June 14 fights set to be held on the White House’s South Lawn. At the fan fest, there will be a ceremonial weigh-in, live shows with UFC fighters, celebrity appearances, and live music including a concert by Zac Brown Band.
Doing my job and supporting the community are not mutually exclusive. I’ll continue to do what I can to advocate for human rights whether you approve or not. 💟
Chelsea Green is already returning to work less than two weeks after undergoing a heart procedure.
No longer on bed rest, Green has announced that she’ll be in Columbia, South Carolina for WWE SmackDown tonight. She and husband Matt Cardona were in Los Angeles on Thursday to attend the premiere of the new Star Wars “Mandalorian and Grogu” movie.
“From #TheMandalorian and Grogu premiere tonight in LA straight to #SmackDown in Charlotte!,” Green wrote.
Green underwent a procedure around the start of May to correct an abnormal type of heart rhythm known as SVT (supraventricular tachycardia). Though the issue was present for years, it was not caught by doctors until Green suffered an episode around WrestleMania 42 where her heart rate reached 228 beats per minute for a 15-minute stretch.
At the time of this procedure, Green was already sidelined with an ankle injury. She’s remained on SmackDown while injured and even appeared last week in a pre-recorded video where she continued her storyline with United States Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton, trying to make friends with Stratton despite Stratton rejecting her attempts.
Thursday was Cardona’s 41st birthday. He sent out a tweet overnight thanking everyone for the messages they’ve sent.
“Thanks everybody for the birthday wishes,” he wrote. “Had a great day with my hot wife. Flew to LA, ate steak and eggs, drank good coffee, trained legs, saw the new Star Wars movie, and now taking a red eye flight to #SmackDown.”
Thanks everybody for the birthday wishes. Had a great day with my hot wife. Flew to LA, ate steak and eggs, drank good coffee, trained legs, saw the new Star Wars movie, and now taking a red eye flight to #SmackDown.
One week removed from a heart procedure, Chelsea Green is already back up on her feet.
Green shared a new update today announcing that she is no longer on bed rest. She had an operation done on May 4 to correct an irregular heart beat known as SVT (supraventricular tachycardia), which is a common type of abnormal heart rhythm that starts in the upper chambers of the heart and causes it to beat too fast.
“1 week post op – off bed rest!,” Green tweeted this morning. “One thing about me: sitting still is my nightmare. Thank you to everyone who called, texted, dm’d, etc. I felt very, very loved this week.”
Along with the tweet, Green shared a photo of several flower arrangements that friends have sent during her recovery. One of the arrangements was from the “WWE: Unreal” docuseries team.
1 week post op – off bed rest! One thing about me: sitting still is my nightmare. Thank you to everyone who called, texted, dm’d, etc. I felt very, very loved this week 💓 pic.twitter.com/sH2pGYKb9m
Green had been dealing with this heart issue for some time, but it wasn’t found until she suffered an episode around WrestleMania 42 where her heart rate rose to 228 beats per minute for a nearly 15-minute stretch.
Despite being on bed rest, Green’s presence was still felt on SmackDown last Friday in the form of a social media video that aired on the show. Green — who has been trying to make friends with Tiffany Stratton — said she’s been attempting to reach Stratton but hadn’t heard back. She apologized that she couldn’t be there for Stratton’s Women’s United States title defense against Kiana James.
Green is a two-time Women’s United States Champion, with her second reign lasting from November 2025 to January 2026. An ankle injury has kept Green out of action since February.
Chelsea Green is doing well in her recovery after undergoing a procedure to repair an abnormal heart rhythm.
Earlier this week, Green revealed that she had an operation done after doctors found she had been dealing with SVT (supraventricular tachycardia). She’s had the issue for years, and an episode that took place around WrestleMania 42 led to doctors finally catching it. Green’s heart rate skyrocketed to 228 beats per minute during a nearly 15-minute stretch.
The former WWE Women’s United States Champion spoke with Busted Open Radio today and said she will soon be off bed rest. After that, she has one more week where she has to take it easy.
“I’m going back to bed rest. I’ve got one more day of bed rest and then it’s taking it easy for another week,” Green said. “I’m feeling good. My wounds are healing and my heart feels, like, heavy and my breathing is interesting, but we’re on the mend.”
Green posted a tweet on Tuesday saying that she would be back at work “very soon.” During the Busted Open interview, she joked that she is already pitching ideas and is willing to call into SmackDown this Friday if need be.
“Oh, you know, I will,” Green said about returning soon. “You know, I already pitched for this week. I can call in.”
When Green will be able to wrestle again remains to be seen. She was already out of action with an ankle injury when this heart issue was found. She and her husband Matt Cardona are both members of the WWE SmackDown roster.
The Cleveland Clinic describes SVT as a “common kind of arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm)” that starts in the upper chambers of the heart and causes it to beat too fast. In some cases, it can cause chest pain or dizziness. Medication or surgery are sometimes needed to correct the issue.
Chelsea Green is planning to be back at work soon despite recently undergoing a heart procedure.
On Monday night, the former WWE Women’s United States Champion revealed that she had undergone a procedure to correct an abnormal heart rhythm (SVT). Green had been dealing with the issue for years, and doctors were finally able to catch it and fix things.
Green sent out a tweet today noting that she had an episode around WrestleMania 42 where her resting heart rate skyrocketed to 228 beats per minute for a nearly 15-minute stretch. That ultimately led to Green undergoing this procedure, which was minimally invasive and should allow her to be back in WWE soon.
“After 10 years of dealing with it, we finally caught my SVT,” Green wrote.
“My latest episode during WrestleMania pushed my resting heart rate to 228 for almost 15 minutes. Yesterday, Dr. Girgis spent 3 hours working on me… and I had to be awake for the last hour of the procedure!! Thankfully it was minimally invasive and I’ll be back to work very soon.”
SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) is described as a “common kind of arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm)” that starts in the upper chambers of the heart and causes it to beat too fast. It can sometimes cause chest pain or dizziness.
Green has not wrestled since February due to an ankle injury. She and her husband Matt Cardona are both members of the WWE SmackDown roster.
After 10 years of dealing with it, we finally caught my SVT.
My latest episode during WrestleMania pushed my resting heart rate to 228 for almost 15 minutes. Yesterday, Dr. Girgis spent 3 hours working on me… and I had to be awake for the last hour of the procedure!! 😖… pic.twitter.com/WMypNQBXwB
An ankle injury has kept Chelsea Green out of action for months. But now she’s dealing with a much more serious medical issue.
Green made a post on Instagram noting that she had undergone a “procedure” on her heart, and she was ready to start healing.
The post showed Green smiling in her hospital bed, alongside her husband Matt Cardona. “After 10 years, doctors finally caught my SVT and I was able to get a heart procedure done!” she writes. “Three hours later and I’m on the mend.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a type of irregular heartbeat, also called an arrhythmia. It’s a very fast or erratic heartbeat that affects the heart’s upper chambers. SVT also is called paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia.”
Though Green gave no details on her procedure, it may have been an SVT ablation. “[SVT] ablation is a treatment for irregularly fast or erratic heart rhythms that affect the heart’s upper chambers,” the Mayo Clinic states. “It uses cold or heat energy to create tiny scars in the heart. The scars block faulty electrical signals and restore the heart rhythm.” This procedure typically takes three to six hours.
Green’s last match was a losing effort to Tiffany Stratton in an Elimination Chamber qualifier on SmackDown in early February, a match that also included Lash Legend. Since then she has mostly been seen in a wheelchair, being pushed around by Alba Fyre. With Fyre being released last week, Green appeared alone on SmackDown, popping out of her wheelchair and apparently forming an alliance with Stratton against Kiana James and Giulia.
Several people from around the wrestling world have commented on the WWE roster cuts that were revealed on Friday.
Chelsea Green sent a message to Alba Fyre after news broke that Fyre is departing WWE. She had been a member of the Green Regime and Green’s Secret Her-vice dating back to March 2025.
Green wrote of Fyre:
“You guys didn’t get to see how talented KLR is. I know you saw bits & pieces, but trust me, there’s so much more to her. She’s a fearless wrestler… I’m sad to not have her on my side but this is just the beginning for my girl. Thank you for having my back, Slaygent A. Love you!”
Piper Niven also sent a message to Alba Fyre, writing:
“Thank you for your Hervice Slaygent A 😢🫡 More than a wrestling soulmate, a hetero life partner if you will. A true pioneer and soon to be remembered as one of the greatest to ever do it. Run wild my demon Pirates 4 life 🏴☠️ “
New WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley also posted a message to social media on Friday. She wrote of the roster cuts:
“Today’s been a very sad day… Absolutely guttered for my friends and comrades 😔Worst time of the year. Go prove them all wrong! ❤️”
Nikki Bella also sent a message to Nikki Cross in the wake of her release.
“Heartbroken. Love you so much Nikki! Going to miss your energy, laugh, and light every time you walked into a room. Can’t wait to watch this next chapter. I know it’s going to be the best one yet!! N ♥️🙏🏼✨🤍🫶🏼”
You guys didn’t get to see how talented KLR is. I know you saw bits & pieces, but trust me, there’s so much more to her. She’s a fearless wrestler… I’m sad to not have her on my side but this is just the beginning for my girl. Thank you for having my back, Slaygent A. Love you!… pic.twitter.com/gJHULeh5T8
Heartbroken. Love you so much Nikki! Going to miss your energy, laugh, and light every time you walked into a room. Can’t wait to watch this next chapter. I know it’s going to be the best one yet!! N ♥️🙏🏼✨🤍🫶🏼
Just hours before WWE WrestleMania 42, John Cena opened up about Chelsea Green’s commitment to the business.
Speaking to The Undertaker and Michelle McCool on Six Feet Under, Cena discussed in detail how performers like Green successfully take an inch and make a mile out of it.
“There are performers like Chelsea Green, who is a great example, of taking an inch and making it a mile, and not being afraid to commit to what is right for business,” he said.
Cena became the face of WWE for over a decade, although he did not start at the top. Following an impactful debut against Kurt Angle, Cena found himself lost in the roster. However, he soon found the Dr. of Thuganomics gimmick, which helped his rise to the top.
Similarly, Green, although often used as a comedy wrestler on the card, knows how to make the most of anything she is given and is often heaped with praise by others.
Green suffered an ankle injury on the February 6 episode of WWE SmackDown during an Elimination Chamber qualifying match against Tiffany Stratton and Lash Legend. Despite the injury, she has continued to appear frequently on WWE and AAA programming since.
WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select reported on Thursday that WWE is optimistic Green could be cleared “sooner than later,” but it’s not clear if that will happen before WrestleMania. According to the report, Green was adamant that she remain an on-screen talent while out injured, and she’s expected to remain a featured character on both SmackDown and AAA as she continues to heal.
Most recently, Green appeared via video on week two of AAA Rey de Reyes on Saturday, claiming to still hold one-half of the AAA Mixed Tag Team titles since it was La Hiedra who teamed with Ethan Page when they were defeated for the belts by Mr. Iguana and Lola Vice.
This week’s March 21 episode of AAA on Fox marked the second week of the ongoing AAA Rey de Reyes event. A three-week event, last week, Dominik Mysterio defended his AAA mega title against El Hijo del Vikingo while El Grande Americano II won the Rey de Reyes tournament. This week’s event featured the follow-up from last week’s show.
In the first match of the night, Lola Vice, Mr. Iguana, and Rey Fénix defeated La Hiedra and Money Machine (Garra de Oro and Colmillo de Plata) in an almost 10-minute-long match. After the match, former AAA Mixed Tag Team Champion Chelsea Green delivered a message through a video segment.
Green believed herself to be still a champion and called out Ethan Page and La Hiedra for losing the titles. She claimed that she did not lose the championship and is still the title-holder.
“I never lost my Mixed AAA Tag Team Championship. I was injured. Ethan Page and La Hiedra lost the championship. Typical of a man to mess everything up,” Green said.
In the main event, Pagano and Psycho Clown vs. The War Raiders (Erik and Ivar) ended in a no-contest after things got chaotic toward the end. The final moments of the match saw the referee taking a bump and proceeding to stop the match. The two teams continued to brawl with each other before more referees swarmed the ring and tried to stop them.
However, things went downhill when both teams grabbed weapons from underneath the ring and started colliding with each other. The War Raiders clashed with steel chairs against Pagano and Psycho Clown’s kendo sticks. The segment concluded with all four men brawling with each other and going to the back.
In the final segment of the night, past winners of the Rey de Reyes tournament came out and graced the ring ahead of El Grande Americano II’s winning ceremony. Moments after Americano II delivered an emotional speech in Spanish, he was interrupted by Dominik Mysterio.
Mysterio challenged Americano for a fight before backing out of it. However, things soon took a turn when the Original El Grande Americano viciously attacked Americano II. The Original Americano followed it up by attempting to unmask Americano II, before Rayo and Bravo Americano interfered to stop the ambush.
After successfully crashing the ceremony, the original El Grande Americano stole the ceremonial winner’s sword and fled the scene.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is a big fan of current WWE stars Chelsea Green and Kevin Owens.
In celebration of 3:16 Day (March 16), Austin spoke with The Takedown on SI and had praise for both Green and Owens. He sees Green as “fearless” and willing to take chances, which Austin believes is an important element to the success of any wrestler.
“You’re an idiot when you first join the business,” Austin said. “You just are, unless you’re Shawn Michaels and you kind of get it from day one. When you’re starving and you’re making $15 and $20 a night, you realize that you better get good pretty quick and learn how to reach people on an emotional level, so you can start making some money. I think that Chelsea Green does that a lot of time. She’s pretty fearless out there. On a creative note, she’ll go for it, and it’s done well for her.”
Owens was Austin’s opponent when The Texas Rattlesnake came out of retirement at WrestleMania 38 in 2022. With it looking unlikely that Austin will ever compete in another wrestling match, Owens should forever hold the honor of being the last person to face Austin — one of pro wrestling’s greatest-ever legends.
Austin told The Takedown on SI that he sees Owens as a Hall of Fame-worthy talent. A couple months back, he checked in on Owens to see how he’s recovering from the neck surgery he underwent last year.
“I called Kevin a couple of months ago,” Austin said. “I think he’s got a great doctor, according to him, and I threw out a name that I’d heard good things about. I care about the guy. Love the guy. He’s a Hall of Fame talent. I don’t know how he banged his neck up, but he took a lot of bumps. He did a lot of stuff.
“It’s a rough business, right. No matter what style you work, you’re going to take a bump. And even the most simple bump can be the devastating bump. Although it looks normal, that sets off some chain reaction, or is the straw that breaks the camel’s back and there’s that injury. So, hey, injuries happen. I stay in touch with him a little bit and I wish him nothing but the best.”
It’s not yet known when Owens will be returning to the ring, but he’ll be featured as one of the coaches on the next season of WWE: LFG (Legends & Future Greats). The new season is slated to premiere on A&E on April 26.
Michael Hayes has reached out to apologize to Chelsea Green for comments he made on the second season of “WWE: Unreal.”
The Netflix docuseries included a clip where Hayes said that Green, while entertaining, is not built for a top role like Charlotte Flair or Tiffany Stratton. Hayes said Green’s spot in WWE is instead to make main event stars like Flair and Stratton.
On a new episode of the Nikki & Brie Show, Green noted that she and Hayes have spoken about the comments. Green also opened up about how much it meant to her to have The Undertaker push back against Hayes’ remarks. Undertaker — during an episode of his podcast where Hayes was the guest — said he thinks Green is underutilized and could be a top player in WWE.
“Michael Hayes has apologized to me and we’ve spoken about it and everything,” Green said. “But at the end of the day, I know that Undertaker has had my back because he booked me to win the Mixed AAA tag titles. So he has believed in me since before Michael Hayes said that. And someone of that like high caliber or high status in wrestling, like that means a lot to me. You know, he doesn’t waste his breath on anyone.”
Though Green knows she has her fans, it was really impactful to have a legend like The Undertaker being so vocal in his praise. He also sent Green a text sticking up for her.
“I know everyone says like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re so funny.’ Or like, ‘I watched you and that was hilarious.’ But there’s always the same girls that is everyone’s favorite wrestlers,” Green said. “Rhea [Ripley] is always going to be everyone’s favorite wrestler. Stephanie [Vaquer] is always going to be everyone’s favorite wrestler, right? And I’m used to that. And I support them. I champion them. They’re my favorite wrestlers too. But to hear Undertaker saying my name, sticking up for like little old me and saying it was such conviction, like he did not hesitate for a second. And he had told me that in the text.”
“We actually had this really cool grunge alternative character planned. We have a creative genius, Rob Fee, who is an LA guy and very much into the movie scene in LA. He works for WWE, and he helped me flesh out this character. I was going to be an LA girl from Silverlake. Grungy, smokes cigarettes. It was so cool and so different from who I am because I do feel like I’m a nerd wrapped in a different package,” Green said.
“When I came back, they were like, ‘Actually, today, you’re not going to that. Today, you’re just going to be (you).’ I’m like, ‘Oh shit. Who am I? What’s me? I’m just a white girl from Canada who wears sparkles.’ I was panicking. I was about to go to the Royal Rumble, and I read on the dirt sheets, right before I was about to go out for the Royal Rumble, maybe two hours before my debut, that they had talked about doing a Karen character for me. ‘This is not what we had spoken about, but this is something I can do,'” Green continued.
“I spoke to them and asked, ‘Can I just be in there for a record time?’ ‘Yeah, run in, and Rhea [Ripley] will toss you out.’ I looked at Rhea and said, ‘If you don’t get me out in record time, I’m going to be so upset with you.’ It was our funny thing. When I went in, we looked at each other like, ‘Let’s fucking go.’ She tossed me out, and I played up the Karen character. That snowballed into what it is now. That is how I am who I am now. The camera came on me after Rhea tossed me out, and I went into autopilot of who I thought this Karen character might be. I didn’t really have time to flesh that out. Week by week, we built on that, and nobody ever told me what they wanted out of it.”
Green entered number 20 in the Rumble and was eliminated within 00:05 seconds by Rhea Ripley, who eventually went on to win the Rumble that year.
