10 Times WWE Turned Trash Into Treasure (... And YOU Didn't Notice!)

5. Chelsea Green's Return Was Perfect

Chelsea Green
WWE

One of the numerous talents released by WWE as part of their countless "budget cuts" in 2021, many fans were left hugely disappointed by Chelsea Green's long-rumoured return to the promotion at this year's Royal Rumble.

Of course, Green's return saw her enter the women's Rumble match and last merely five seconds before she was eliminated by eventual winner Rhea Ripley. And with that, the IWC joined together to lambast WWE for its handling of Chelsea and for giving the Canadian such short shrift in what was supposed to be her big moment.

While social media groaned in bewilderment, this all turned out to be a masterstroke from WWE.

By having Chelsea Green set a record for the quickest elimination in a women's Rumble, that gave the former IMPACT Knockouts Champion something to sink her teeth into. For those who'd seen Chelsea under her Laurel Van Ness guise, they were well aware of how great she was at going all-in on a character.

Sure, the 'Karen' iteration of Chelsea Green is clearly vastly different from the erratic, unhinged Laurel Van Ness, but Karen is something that's given Chelsea the chance to showcase how well suited she is to WWE's particular brand of sports entertainment.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.