What’s the story?
On the February 23 episode of Impact Wrestling, there will be a wedding between Braxton Sutter and Laurel Van Ness. For a number of weeks, Van Ness has been eyeing Sutter, trying to win over his affection. Sutter, however, has been more interested in Allie, Maria Kanellis-Bennett’s former assistant. Using her devious tactics to beguile Sutter, the matrimony will take place, and the conclusion is sure to be controversial.
Previously on Impact Wrestling, Sutter came up to Van Ness in hopes to inform her that he has no interest in having a relationship with her. However, he dropped his water, and had to kneel down to get it. This immediately was taken as a proposal by Van Ness, and she “accepted.” As a result, the celebration is scheduled to occur, and Van Ness could not be any happier.
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In case you didn’t know...
In just a little under three years in the business, Laurel Van Ness already has a stacked resume. Trained by former WWE Intercontinental Champion Lance Storm, she was able to use this time as a major launchpad, and land an opportunity as one of Adam Rose’s rosebuds. This led to being a part of a major segment on an episode of Raw as Megan Miller, who admitted to sleeping with Daniel Bryan, much to the ire of Brie Bella.
Van Ness commented on a recent episode of the Pancakes and Powerslams Show how this character was created.
“I was three months out of training, and I got a call asking if I would like to be a rosebud. So, of course, I said yes, [and was] extremely excited. And on the second day of being a rosebud, I believe we were in Yakima, Washington, which is like such a tiny, tiny, little town. You know, it took me like six hours to drive there, I was so excited to be a rosebud. And they said, 'We want you to come in for Raw tomorrow, and we have a little part for you.' So I thought, well that's cool. Ok, no problem. I'll be there. I came in, and I did the same thing I had done the last two days. I'd changed with all the rosebuds and got ready. And then, one of the backstage [crewmen] pulled me aside, and said, 'We just need you to come over here, we're gonna chat with you about your little part today.' And they actually walked me in to the room, and in front of me was Triple H, Stephanie, and Vince McMahon. And, immediately, in that moment, I thought, oh my God. This is way bigger than I could have ever thought it would be. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. They handed me a script and they said, 'Ok, come to the ring in an hour. Be ready.'”
Van Ness, under her real name Chelsea Green, was also a contestant on the Tough Enough show, finishing fourth place. Already gaining a fan following from her Megan Miller character, many were shocked that she did not win the competition on the female side. She recalled how hurt she was after receiving the news that she was cut from the competition.
“I was very, very hurt and upset when I heard that a lot of the cast members of Tough Enough [were] signed, and [WWE] hadn't reached out to me. That hurt more than being kicked off of some silly reality show.”
The heart of the matter
Using the WWE experience to build her resume, Chelsea Green became Laurel Van Ness in Impact Wrestling, and is experiencing the best time of her career. She previewed the wedding scheduled on February 23 with Braxton Sutter.
“I cannot wait for everyone to see this. You know, I think a lot of people started tuning into Impact Wrestling again with the Hardys doing all their crazy stuff, and I think that this is just gonna give all the viewers another reason to stay tuning in, and hopefully pull in some new audience as well. It is just chaos. I can’t wait for you guys to see it.”
Sportskeeda’s take
At only 25 years old, Chelsea Green is already experiencing a fantastic start to her professional wrestling career. Her desire to keep working hard allowed her to land an opportunity in the WWE as both a rosebud, as well as a crucial part of a major angle involving Stephanie McMahon.
Her exposure on Tough Enough from a wrestling standpoint has opened the door for one of the most intriguing characters in Impact Wrestling as Laurel Van Ness. With her “wedding” with Braxton Sutter approaching, her stock as a character continues to increase, and there is so much opportunity for her in the future.