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Update On Former WWE Champion Suffering Injury On SmackDown

By John Canton • Published Feb 09, 2026 16:10 EST
WWE logo Chelsea Green Giulia

A former champion on the WWE SmackDown brand is recovering after an injury during a match. 

Chelsea Green competed in a triple threat match against Tiffany Stratton and Lash Legend on the February 6th edition of WWE SmackDown. Stratton won the match by hitting the Prettiest Moonsault Ever on Green, and now Stratton is in the Women’s Elimination Chamber Match on February 28th.

Unfortunately for Green, she suffered an ankle injury, but she showed her toughness by finishing the match.

Due to the ankle injury, Green wasn’t able to compete on AAA Lucha Libre on February 7th, so La Hiedra stepped in as Ethan Page’s replacement partner, and the team lost the AAA Mixed Tag Team Titles to Lola Vice and Mr. Iguana.

In an update, PWInsider reports that “the belief within WWE is that Green suffered a bad sprain but did not break her foot or ankle.” There’s no official word on how long she might be out of action.

Fightful Select confirmed that it was a sprained ankle that may cause Green to miss a couple of weeks, but it’s not likely to be a long-term issue. Green will get checked out again on February 9th to see that there’s no further damage to the ankle.

Writing on social media, Green posted a graphic photo of her ankle, along with some demands she has.

@WWE mgmt ‼️ Per your negligence on Friday, I will be sending a list of demands for this upcoming SmackDown.

List includes but is not limited to:
– fiji water
– wheelchair with a back warmer
– red m&ms
– a small man to push said wheelchair (must be in tuxedo & under 5’4)

Chelsea Green Gaining Support In WWE And From The Fans

In addition to the ankle injury, Fightful reported that the former 2-time Women’s US Champion Green has received a lot of support from WWE personnel regarding Michael Hayes’s comments about her on WWE Unreal. Green got a strong reaction on SmackDown, and it may have been a reflection of the story involving her and Hayes.

On WWE Unreal, Hayes said that while Chelsea Green is talented, she’s not built to be the main star of the women’s division like Charlotte Flair or Tiffany Stratton.

“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.”

After the airing of WWE Unreal Season 2 and those comments from Hayes, Chelsea Green spoke her mind about it and admitted she was p**sed off about what Hayes said.

“Okay. This is tea, ladies, because I have not done media since this came out. This really, really ruffled some feathers. He basically on ‘Unreal’ said, ‘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.’

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.

You can’t help but be p*ssed 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 it wasn’t confirmed to me. It was confirmed on national television.”

Former WWE superstar Maria Kanellis also defended Green, who replied that she loved Maria and appreciated the support.