Chelsea Green remains WWE Women’s Champion after surviving a high-profile challenge from WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella on SmackDown. Green’s victory did not bring a calm conclusion to the evening, however. Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan immediately emerged to escalate their Crown Jewel rivalry, while Tiffany Stratton’s latest attempt to capitalize with the Money in the Bank briefcase was stopped by Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez.
By the time IYO SKY arrived to chase off The Judgment Day, the championship picture had become considerably more crowded. Green left with her title, Morgan made her intentions clear ahead of their championship collision, and Stratton once again came agonizingly close to cashing in her contract.
Green survives Nikki Bella’s challenge
The WWE Women’s Championship bout gave Bella an opportunity to add another defining accomplishment to a career that has already earned her Hall of Fame recognition. Green, meanwhile, entered with the responsibility of proving that her reign could withstand a challenge from one of WWE’s most established names.
The two competitors began by avoiding each other’s signature offense. Green looked to end the contest quickly with a roll-up attempt, a tactic that would ultimately prove decisive later in the match. Bella was able to counter the early momentum, sending the champion off the ropes before delivering a Bella Buster. Green kicked out, preventing the challenger from securing an immediate breakthrough.
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Green then targeted Bella around the ropes, driving a pair of knees into the back of Bella’s neck. The champion followed with a Rough Rider, continuing to work from a position of control. Bella’s experience came through when she avoided Green’s attempt at the Unprettier and transitioned into the Fearless Lock.
The submission appeared to place Green in serious trouble, but the champion fought free. Bella continued her push and landed the Rack Attack 2.0, one of the biggest moments of the title match. It was not enough to produce a title change, as Green got her feet onto the bottom rope to force a break.
That escape gave Green the opening she needed. After enduring Bella’s best offense and narrowly avoiding defeat, Green was able to catch Bella with another roll-up to get the three-count and retain the WWE Women’s Championship.
The result keeps Green’s reign alive and adds a major win over a Hall of Famer to her résumé. It was also a reminder of the fine margins that can determine a championship match. Bella had Green trapped in the Fearless Lock and later connected with the Rack Attack 2.0, but neither moment yielded the decisive fall. Green’s ability to reach the ropes and capitalize on a subsequent opening allowed her to escape with the championship.
Liv Morgan delivers a Crown Jewel warning
Green’s celebration was short-lived. Liv Morgan came out after the match and focused on the looming Crown Jewel encounter between the WWE Women’s Champion and the Women’s World Champion.
Morgan told Green that their respective WWE journeys were more alike than she had initially believed. But Morgan also drew a sharp distinction, declaring that she is a “real champion.” The Women’s World Champion continued to disparage Green and promised that she would “eat her alive” at Crown Jewel.
The confrontation intensified the stakes around the upcoming titleholder-versus-titleholder showdown. Green may have just defeated a decorated challenger, but Morgan was determined to frame that success as insignificant compared with what awaits at Crown Jewel. Morgan’s message was direct: she does not view Green as an equal, regardless of the WWE Women’s Championship around Green’s waist.
For Green, the exchange created an immediate challenge beyond simply recovering from a demanding defense. She had just found a way past Bella, only to be confronted by an opponent who holds a world championship of her own and has made no effort to disguise her confidence.
Tiffany Stratton nearly seizes the moment
Before Morgan and Green could take the situation any further, Tiffany Stratton made her presence felt with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Stratton’s entrance brought the possibility of an instant championship cash-in into focus, adding another major variable to an already tense scene.
Stratton did not get the chance to make her move cleanly. Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez attacked her from behind, taking her out before she could fully capitalize on the opening. Their involvement shifted the confrontation away from a simple clash between Green and Morgan and into a larger fight involving several prominent names in WWE’s women’s division.
Inside the ring, Green dropped Morgan with an Unprettier. That left the Women’s World Champion down at a moment when the Money in the Bank contract again appeared poised to alter the championship landscape. Stratton recovered enough to signal for a referee, then connected with a Prettiest Moonsault Ever.
It was another near-cash-in scenario for Stratton, but Rodriguez intervened again before the briefcase could be handed over and the match could be made official. Rodriguez took Stratton out as she attempted to pass the contract to the official, cutting off what could have been a dramatic and opportunistic title bid.
The sequence highlighted the central danger attached to Stratton’s possession of the briefcase. Every time a champion is vulnerable, she can potentially transform a chaotic post-match scene into a championship opportunity. Yet the events on this episode also showed that Stratton is not the only one prepared to act quickly. Rodriguez and Perez were ready to ensure that neither Green nor Morgan became an easy target.
IYO SKY helps end The Judgment Day’s assault
With Stratton stopped, The Judgment Day continued the attack on the babyfaces. The faction’s numbers advantage threatened to leave the ring cleared of anyone capable of resisting them, until IYO SKY arrived.
SKY ran off The Judgment Day, bringing an end to the immediate beatdown and allowing the babyfaces to regain the ring. Her arrival prevented the confrontation from becoming an entirely one-sided display and added another notable presence to a segment already packed with title implications.
There was no shortage of unresolved tension when the dust settled. Green remains WWE Women’s Champion after a difficult defense against Bella. Morgan still holds the Women’s World Championship and remains fixed on proving her superiority at Crown Jewel. Stratton still possesses the Money in the Bank briefcase, even after being denied a potential cash-in by Rodriguez. Rodriguez and Perez have demonstrated that they are willing to physically reshape the title picture, while SKY has now stepped in against The Judgment Day.
What Green’s victory means heading toward Crown Jewel
Green’s successful defense was important on its own terms. Beating Bella required her to withstand several momentum swings and survive some of the challenger’s most dangerous offense. The win ensures Green arrives at Crown Jewel as an active champion who has just turned back a major challenge.
At the same time, the episode offered Morgan material to exploit. Green’s win came only after Bella had trapped her in the Fearless Lock, struck her with the Rack Attack 2.0 and come within reach of ending the reign. Morgan’s claim that she is the “real champion” was meant to strike at exactly that perceived vulnerability.
Green did answer back physically with the Unprettier, but the final image of the broader confrontation was not a straightforward statement of control from either champion. Instead, it was disorder: Stratton looking to turn the situation to her advantage, Rodriguez and Perez blocking her path, The Judgment Day attacking, and SKY arriving to restore order.
That uncertainty is now part of the road to Crown Jewel. Green has retained her championship, but her focus cannot be solely on Morgan. The Money in the Bank briefcase remains a constant threat, and the alliances and confrontations displayed on SmackDown suggest that any apparent advantage can disappear quickly.
For now, the record is clear: Chelsea Green defeated Nikki Bella and is still WWE Women’s Champion. But Morgan’s verbal assault, Stratton’s aborted cash-in, and the involvement of Rodriguez, Perez and SKY ensured that Green’s successful title defense became only the beginning of a far more complicated night.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.