WWE Superstar Chelsea Green on Her Lifelong Fandom for Chelsea FC

The first Women's United States champion – and the current AAA World Mixed Tag Team champion – watched on from the Dugout Club on Saturday as Chelsea recorded a 2-0 victory over Brentford thanks to goals from Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer. But before she took her seat, we spoke to the WWE superstar about her relationship with Chelsea, which extends far beyond sharing a name with the club... Chelsea, welcome to Chelsea! Let’s start with your relationship with the club, we understand it goes a long way back… ‘It does, I’ve been a Chelsea fan for life! My grandparents are British, my mum is British, my cousins and uncle are here, and I also lived in Devon when I was seven and eight years old. My family introduced me to football through Chelsea, although my grandpa was an Aston Villa fan and we had a little rivalry going. ‘I was always wearing Chelsea merchandise growing up and I had a Chelsea beanie, which was in this safety kit I had in primary school. These are things you have in case you have to shelter in place – pictures, granola bars, other emotional attachments – and in mine was a Chelsea beanie.’ Have you had the chance to visit Stamford Bridge previously? ‘No, this is my first live football match – and I don’t know what to expect. I think that's a beautiful thing. I’m going to have a drink, enjoy the game and try to be at one with the Chelsea supporters.’ You sent us a congratulatory message after we won the Club World Cup in the summer. Have you kept up with our fortunes since then? ‘I’ve tried to but it’s tough to watch the games as we are travelling to different countries and time zones across the world. But I’ve followed as much as I can and am so happy to be here at Stamford Bridge.’ The supporters here at Stamford Bridge are very passionate, and we know there is a huge emotional investment from WWE fans at live events. Do you feel there is a natural crossover? ‘Yes! The amazing crossover I've seen between football and WWE is the chants you guys have. They have trickled into wrestling now and we all love it so much. One of our favourite parts about coming to Europe are the football chants that we get now in the arenas.’ Is that the biggest difference you’ve found between English crowds and those in America and Canada? ‘I always say one of my favourite crowds is a crowd in England, because you guys are so diehard with your chants. You will be chanting for three hours straight and never get tired. That's an incredible talent in itself!’ You performed at Wembley Arena on Friday night. How did you find that experience? ‘I’d only ever performed at the O2 arena before, so I was really excited to come to Wembley and perform – and it did not disappoint. The fans were amazing. It was our first three-hour show in the U.K., and it was just really magical.’ Having family in England, do you get to visit regularly? ‘I do, yeah, I was here in December visiting family and then I was here when my mum got married in Devon in March!’ And how much do you love coming to London? ‘How long have you got?! I love the pubs, I love the food – I love Indian food, in particular, so I love coming here and having curries. I love your guys' culture, I love the history and things like that. We just don't really have that in America the same way, so I just love to come to London and walk everywhere and explore. It's the best.’ And finally, you’re known for always changing your ring gear. Will we see Chelsea and Chelsea collaboration maybe in the future… ‘So, I was actually getting one made up but it just didn’t quite come in time, which was a real shame as I wanted to wear my Chelsea gear. But I will definitely be representing in the future!’