3 Reasons why Chelsea Green was pinned as WWE Women’s Champion on SmackDown after SummerSlam 2026

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The post-SummerSlam episode of WWE SmackDown hosted a celebration for newly crowned Interim Women’s Champion Chelsea Green, who was introduced as the Women’s Champion, hinting that Rhea Ripley has been stripped of her title following her knee surgery.

The fans were cheering for the Hot Mess as she cut a babyface promo and invited her friend Tiffany Stratton to raise a toast with her. Tiffy did come out and wanted to talk to Green about something, but before she could say anything, Fatal Influence came down the ramp.

Jacy Jayne claimed it wasn’t Tiffany who beat her to qualify for the SummerSlam ladder match; Chelsea would have never been the Champion.

Jayne called her shots at Tiffany Stratton’s Women’s United States Championship. The Buff Barbie agreed to give her the title opportunity next, only if they give her and Green a Women’s Tag Team Championship match against her faction mates, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid.

Jacy Jayne played a vital role in a back-and-forth tag team match, and she attacked Green from the ringside towards the end. Taking advantage of this, Fallon Henley pinned her on her first SmackDown appearance since becoming Interim WWE Women’s Champion and retained the Tag titles. This was indeed the weakest representation of a champion in a long time.

Here are three possible reasons why Chelsea Green was pinned as WWE Women’s Champion on SmackDown after SummerSlam 2026.

#3. Setting up a breakup angle

Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green’s friendship came out of nowhere, but their alliance does add some more value to SmackDown’s division. Fans love their partnership, but with The Hot Mess becoming the Interim Women’s Champion, the expiry of their friendship may be near.

Tonight, Green took the pin, costing herself and Tiffany Stratton a match against The Fatal Influence, and also risking Tiffy’s Women’s United States Championship.

Next week, if Stratton loses her United States Championship, she could put all the blame on Green and could turn heel on her, creating a perfect saga for the Women’s Championship, two friends turning rivals.

#2. Turning Chelsea Green into a sympathetic babyface

Green has largely been portrayed as a comic character throughout her reign, and her hard work has helped her become an Interim Women’s Champion.

But if she needs to have a long reign, she needs to evolve. Her loss on the post-SummerSlam episode of Friday Night SmackDown may be a perfect wake-up call for her, and from now on WWE might start evolving her character into a sympathetic babyface, where she could finally develop the courage to stand up and defend her championship like a true champion; this evolution would be a great journey for The Hot Mess.

#1. WWE is putting some light on a rising star

Since the Fatal Influence debuted on Friday Night SmackDown, they have been getting massive reactions, and even WWE has been booking them in major spots.

Interestingly, apart from the heel group’s leader Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley is also getting massive fan support. Many believe Fallon will become a big name in the Stamford-based promotion.

Her pinning the Interim Women’s Champion, Chelsea Green, on her first SmackDown as the champion is indeed a big statement. This positions her above all the other title contenders.

That said, with SummerSlam 2026 concluding with a bang, it will be interesting to see what plans Triple H and his WWE creative team may have in store for Green as champion in the coming weeks.