Laurel Van Ness Addresses Her Impact Wrestling Exit, Discusses Possibilities of Joining WWE, and How Everyone Knew Bobby Lashley and EC3 Were Leaving

– The Orlando Sentinel recently interviewed former Impact Wrestling star Laurel Van Ness (aka Chelsea Green). Below are some highlights.

Van Ness on leaving Impact Wrestling: “It’s stressful, it’s crazy, it’s exciting, all at once. … It was a difficult choice to make, and that’s why I’m so split — excited and scared. But it’s going to be a really, really good year for me on the indies, hopefully putting on solid matches and wrestling in more countries.”

On the possibility of joining WWE: “I’d be crazy to say no I haven’t [thought about WWE]. It’s always in the back of your mind for any wrestler. It was the only thing in my mind when I started with Tough Enough in 2014. But I’ve grown a little more open and found options I never knew I had before. Now, if WWE calls tomorrow, that would be amazing. If Ring of Honor calls tomorrow, amazing. But now I have options. … I never thought I’d say that. When I first started out wrestling in front of 100 people, I thought, ‘Chelsea, you’re better than this. You should be working in front of thousands!’ But I was crazy. The things I’ve been able to do – main events, cage matches, all kinds of stipulations – the opportunities, they are at an all-time high.”

Van Ness on how everyone knew about Bobby Lashley and EC3 leaving: “It hit everybody in day 2 or 3 [of the tapings] that when everybody comes back, it won’t be the same feeling. I tried to keep quiet and private [with] what I was going to do, but everybody knew about Bobby and EC3. They made such an impact in the company for years, and to see them go was a little different feeling.”