Trish Stratus (@trishstratuscom) is a professional wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer. She sits down with Chris Van Vliet live in Toronto, Canada to discuss her historic WWE career, having to follow Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 18, winning the Women’s Championship 7 times, main eventing Raw with Lita, the story behind the loading screen photo from “SmackDown 2: Shut Your Mouth”, her infamous backstage segment with Triple H, why she enjoyed her second run better than her first, if she wants to have another match, and more!
When you came out on stage here, your song is so iconic, and that giggle at the start is so iconic. A lot of fans think that’s your giggle.
“Yeah, it’s actually Lil Kim, and not many people know that. You know, we’re chatting. I’m a babbler a little bit. ‘Sorry about the wait [laughs].’ So people are like, ‘Oh, there’s the giggle.’ That’s actually not the giggle; it’s actually Lil Kim.”
It’s called the First Crush Tour. Your first crush was this woman right here.
“So the First Crush thing. I get, ‘Can you just sign that as from your first crush?’ Then it became a thing. It really was a thing. So last year on SmackDown, I thought it’d be bold and be like your first crush, and it went viral, and people were like, yeah, totally. So First Crush tour, here we are.”
That SmackDown 2 loading screen, what’s the story behind the photo itself and that photo shoot?
“The crazy thing is when you do these photos, you just do them. They go in some stock thing. You don’t know where they’re gonna land. So I actually hadn’t started yet. I was on the road. They were bringing me, but they were working on my work visa to make it official, and also figuring out what the hell are we gonna do with this girl. So I just had a bunch, and it was just fitness modeling. I would wear some of these things for my autograph signings, and I had it in my bag. They were like, we might as well shoot some pictures, just sitting around. So I put it on, did the thing, the zebra jacket, and then next thing you know, it ends up being this iconic thing that’s on everything. It was my first 8 by 10. I remember that my very first 8 by 10, as well as the iconic loading screen.”
Have you seen the photo of a young Roman Reigns with a Trish Stratus poster?
“I have. It’s personalized and everything.”
How did the point become your pose?
“I don’t know. So I met Roman Reigns… no. I’m gonna come up with a good story because it’d be cool if I had an origin story for my point. I don’t know. You get out there and it’s funny because I remember seeing when the NXT girls come out and you can tell it’s part of their training, and so when you come out you do something, everyone comes up with something to do in front of [the fans]. But back then we just thrown out there, so whatever you did just became the thing. I don’t remember. It’d be interesting to see the first time I did that point. Actually, that’d be kind of neat to see when I did that. I don’t know. I really have no story, guys.”
WrestleMania 18 was here in Toronto. This doesn’t get talked about, I don’t think, at all. You were the match after the iconic Rock versus Hogan match. So you’re the semi-main event, but you’re the semi-main event triple threat match. It’s you versus Jazz versus Lita. Do you remember being backstage, getting ready to go out, and they’re putting on arguably one of the greatest matches of all time?
“We were in Gorilla going we gotta follow that? We might as well just not even go out. But no, you guys gave us some love. We got the crowd reaction. We got that. I mean, just to see that match from that position and watch them come through the curtain afterwards, and watching the reaction, seeing the boys react, everyone-it was iconic and definitely a memory as a wrestling fan. I’m like, sh*t, that was cool. But for as positioning, nah, don’t want that position thanks. But I think we nailed it. I think we did really well that night, and I think the crowd was into it. The Toronto crowd. I mean, for me, if you think about it, that was 2002.”
“So I’d only debuted two years before that. I was just blessed and honored to be in a Women’s Championship match. I mean, two years ago I would have never thought I’m going to be in front of 68,000 people at the Sky Dome performing and hopefully winning the Women’s Championship in my hometown. I didn’t win it that night. It’s fine though, but it wasn’t my time. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you should have won that night.’ I’m like no, it wasn’t the right time. It’s like the Chelsea Green win. To me, I always say sometimes there’s just the right win. It’s an organic win. It was the right moment. It wasn’t positioned like she’s the hometown girl. Let’s let her win, and I think those are really special. So that wasn’t the moment. Eventually, it was my moment.”
Do you remember the day when you were told, “You’re going to win. You’re going to become the Women’s Champion”
“Okay, as you know, maybe you don’t know. Let me tell you. Chyna had left with the championship. She was the champion. So there was no real women’s division. There was nothing for us to be really competing for. We’re going out there and putting on our little matches, but there’s no women’s division per se. Then they decided to bring the Women’s Championship back, and we’ve got six of the best women on the roster in the company at the time. We were bringing in Jazz, which was like, surprise, this is hardcore from ECW. It was big buzz behind it. We have Molly Holly. We got the debut of Jazz. We got Ivory. We got Jackie, Lita. They put it together. I’m like, ooh, this is amazing that I’m in this amazing epic match. We’re talking about it, and Fit is like, ‘And you’re winning the title tonight.’ I’m like I’m going to do what now? I think that’s what the crowd did as well when I won. They’re like, what? Complete underdog story, unexpected moment. It was North Carolina, so I think people thought it’s a Lita win because we do that sometimes. Oh, she’s certainly going to get it in her hometown, and I won. It was a moment of we’re about to have a women’s division that they’re going to focus on. They’re putting the title on me, huge responsibility. I’m up for the challenge; give me the ball, and I’m going to run with it. I had Fit in my corner. I don’t know what the original plans were or if that was original plans, but I do know that he spoke up for me. I don’t know if they were jockeying or were like, ‘Who should we put it on?’ But he definitely was like, ‘She’s been working her ass off. She should be the one.’ It was the great way to usher back in the women’s division. Here’s Trish Stratus, and here we are.”
How did you learn to do the MaTrish?
“I like puns, guys. Okay, but I’ll tell you, it’s funny now how everything’s named, right? I’ll come back to the story, pin that because I do do tangents sometimes. So I was one of the first women that really [named my moves], because I grew up just watching men name their moves, having costumes, and I wanted the same for the women because it kind of wasn’t the same for us. So I’d get in Jr’s ear. I’m like, ‘Can we call this the da da da?’ All the girls would make fun of me, like ‘Oh, you’re gonna go name your move?’ I’m like, yeah, actually, I’m going to. To the point where I’d be like, ‘Molly, let’s call it something.’ Tell them when she does the thing, it’s called the Molly Go Round. We had to tell them because it would just be like girls match. It was like she’s doing a roundhouse kick. No, bitch, it’s a chick kick. Okay, you know. So MaTrish, we’ll go back to that. Very clever, I think maybe Jerry [Lawler], I think he called it MaTrish Reloaded or something. So I was off. I had a herniated disc injury. Got totally into yoga. If you want to get into that, we can be here for two hours. But changed my life, loved it, and so I delved into that. It helped me recover from my herniated disc and not have to do surgery. Went back and had probably the best run of my career afterwards. But I was literally in yoga class, and we’re doing back bends. It’s all zen, and I was like, that would be such a good aversion. So then I brought it back. I believe, the first time I did it, Victoria was doing a hardcore match. She went to swing with a trash can lid. I MaTrished, the crowd went, what? Because nobody had ever seen that before. Then I came up, which also happened, then I delivered a chick kick after that, so that was super fun.”
Do you think about going back? Do you think about having another match?
“Well, what’s happening after this show? Just kidding. All about timing, the right moment. Here’s the thing. Last year was my 25th anniversary. 25 years. I’m still alive. So I talked to WWE. We’re like, what can we do to make it kind of special? I didn’t have to do a full-time run. I’m just like, let’s pick some cool moments to come back on, and I’m all about these moments that really make a difference that matter. There’s a few boxes that I need to check if I go back, and it has to be not self-serving. It has to be let’s pay the business forward a bit; let’s do something that maybe is a fan fantasy matchup or something like that. There’s a few things I take into consideration before I go. So we thought, how cool would it be to come out the Royal Rumble as a surprise? I don’t think anybody expected it.”
And you came out at number 25:
“I mean, a little strategy. I’m coming back. But if it’s the 25th anniversary, and they’re like, of course. Because you guys know how I like to do things. I like details. So 25th, that was a perfect way to kind of come back. If you guys notice, who threw me out? Nia. All planting seeds for Elimination Chamber.”
“My kids are here tonight. So of course, as an old school wrestler, they knew their mom was a wrestler. We’d gone to events, and they could see that people want my autograph and things like that, and they’ve heard about it. YouTubed it. So the fact I got to go back that many years later and actually have a wrestling match live in front of my kids was so special. A nice, good, wholesome win. So that was very special. So yeah, we sort of picked a few events. Evolution headlining with Tiffany Stratton, Women’s Championship match, and we’re babyface versus babyface. So we’re talking about planting seeds. So if we go back even a year, the Money in the Bank in Toronto, when I hosted that. This is me with the writers. They just go along with it. Yeah, sure, Trish. If it pans out, I’m like, oh, it will. I know it will. They moved on to other things. So we planned a little seed with Tiffy back then, and then we thought it’d be good to do Evolution one on one, babyfaces facing each other, and then we sort of thought about a little finale, a little final run. So my mom got sick last year, as you guys may or not know, and so I just kind of took a break from everything. But so my point of all that is, I like storytelling. I like to have it be not just spontaneous and not mean much. So if I was to go back, it needs to be things got to be in place, and got to be the right person and the right time.”
Since you brought it up before, what made your second run in WWE that special for you? Why did you think it was better than your first?
“So I was saying that after the injury, that second leg of my career to me, I don’t know. Something about having yoga in my life made me see things a little different. So yoga is good on so many levels. Number one, physically. You can have a great body with it. Some people do. So there’s this thing where people say, okay, my son’s in wrestling, or what do you say to a young person that’s getting into wrestling? I’d be like, man, stay true to who you are. You want to make sure that you resonate with the audience, and authenticity is so important. But now I’ve shifted my answer a little. I’m like, do yoga. That is my line because honestly, to go back 25 years later and my body’s like, yeah, we’re good. Let’s go. I’m like, okay, it’s the yoga. So approaching that business from a longevity standpoint, I think it’s important. But the fact that we get so caught up in your day-to-day, you’re in this. It’s a frenetic sound around you at all times. You’re just trying to grind, get through the day, and travel and land in arenas, airports, hotels. But when the yoga came into my life, I was like oh, this is amazing! Even being late for a flight. I’m late for the flight, I’m gonna be late, but I’ll just take the next one. You sort of just see things differently, it changes your perspective, and it made me really appreciate how lucky I was to do what I was doing on the road. I was just like, oh my gosh! I’m in Memphis. I’m gonna go to Graceland. Let me not go to the arena airport and hotel. Let me go to Graceland because I’m here. I have this chance to travel and see things that some people don’t ever get to do. So it changed my perspective. It really changed my life, and I felt like as a performer, we used to drive between towns. You would go hundreds of miles sometimes, and I would just think that I thought headaches were normal all the time. I thought sore backs were normal because yeah, you would wrestle a match, your adrenaline is going, then you sit in a car for a few 100 miles, you get out. You’re like ouch! I didn’t have that anymore. I was like you don’t have to live like that. That’s great. So I’m just saying, yoga is amazing, but it did really, from a mental standpoint and from a physical standpoint, it really made me appreciate that last bit of my career.”
You were never afraid to mix it up with the guys, and you took a lot of big finishers from people.
“That is my speciality. When people are like, Trish is a bumping machine. I’m like, thank you so much. I love it. I had this thing. I had said, I’m not retiring until Nia Jax ragdolls me, and it literally happened in Toronto. Actually, I just love selling. I love the art of selling. And I loved working with the guys and getting able to because I just think there’s no better way to garner some sympathy. Or as a heel, you got it, you bitch!”
You took a choke slam from Kane, and it was a high choke slam!
“That was here in Toronto. I remember some agent had said, ‘You’re not gonna like this, but they want you to get chokeslammed by Kane. I know it’s your hometown…’ Almost like that sucks, right? I’m like, no, that’s amazing. That’s awesome. So Vince was so excited that I was excited. I’m like, I get it, dude. This is amazing. He’s seven feet; an arm is a foot? So that was like eight feet. It just felt like I was in slow motion, just falling forever. I was like, oh, okay, there it is. But that was quite the bump.”
Did you have instant chemistry with Lita? Like you guys work so well together.
“I think everyone in the business has that person. I like to say like a Rock and Austin, KO and Sami Zayn. That kind of thing where you don’t even have to barely communicate. You just go out there and do your thing. You kind of can read each other’s bodies, and you got to consider yourself lucky when you have that with an opponent. I just think right away we were both the new girls at the same time in 2000. We talked on the phone, and she’s like, ‘I’ve been training.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, me too.’ She’s like, ‘I hadn’t had like any matches professionally.’ She had had some spectacle matches. She was saying she was nervous because I was the fitness model, and she’s like, how am I going to get on TV with this chick doing her thing? I was like, how am I going to get on TV with her being that great in the ring? So we both had our things, and the cool thing about me and Lita is the yin and the yang of us. We’re so opposite, but yet we’re the best of friends. To this day, you know, she’s Max’s godmother, so we kept her in the family. When I inducted her in 2014, that’s when we were like, we got to hang out more. Let’s take the show on the road, and we formed Team Bestie. That was the official inception of Team Bestie, and we put the Team Bestie tour together, and we got to go out on the road and see all you guys together. But it was cool because there were always the Lita fans and the Trish fans. They were opposites, ‘Nah, she’s overrated.’ But finally, people are like, okay, if they like each other, then we like it. Okay, we’re all one big family now. So, and then the novelty of getting a shot with Team Bestie is pretty cool too.”
In your career, you had this backstage moment with Triple H that gets replayed still to this day, where he’s teaching you how to do wrestling moves, and it looks like something else. What was the setup for this, and did you know it would turn into what it’s turned into now?
“No, that’s the thing with these moments. I didn’t know that that photo I took on that random Monday night would turn into this iconic loading screen and on all your jackets. We thought it would be hilarious. We thought this is going to be funny. Of course, it was fueling the Trish and Stephanie’s storyline, iconic moment, and I’ll tell you a funny story. Do you remember when DX came in?”
I think it was Raw 1,000:
“So I had talked. So we were like, what can we do? The original idea was that I was gonna be teaching Stephanie yoga, and then Triple H was gonna walk in and be like, ‘What’s happening?!’ I’m like, ‘No, we’re just doing yoga.’ Because I was all yogi at the time. So we thought that’s super fun. Then it somehow got changed. Stephanie got tied up doing some other stuff, and then I ended up with DX and having a very awkward segment. So, go back and watch it.”
With great respect, you weren’t being given a lot of chances early on in your career. There are a lot of matches where the matches are either really quick, or you’re having a gravy bowl match with Stacy Keibler.
“It was like making lemonade, right? I do remember that day we got there, and it was American Thanksgiving was coming up weirdly in November or whatever. Am I right, Canadians? So we had been doing some wrestling. We had got away from that other stuff, and we were excited about having the chance to do some more wrestling. Then I remember Fit’s like, ‘Ugh, you guys are gonna hate this, but you guys have a gravy bowl match, because it’s Thanksgiving, so you guys have a gravy bowl match.’ I’m like, oh, that’s adorable, but I was like, all right, well, if I want to have to be in a stupid gravy bowl match, I’m gonna jump off the ramp, get thrown off the ramp. That’s how I’m gonna start this match. So instead of Puppy chants, it was Holy sh*t chants. That was cool.”
And then that moment was on the opening of Raw for years!
“Listen, wrestling is about these moments and making the most out of what you’re given. Even like you said, you were barely given time. Well that’s fine; you give us three minutes, gonna be the best damn three minutes you ever got. I think a lot of it is like sometimes we look back, I think Amy and I have done this where we’re like that match is eight minutes but it’s so good. You can do stuff in eight minutes as long as you have the storytelling. I just think characters work really [well]; there’s a lot of character work, there’s a like more storytelling than I think today, and so those eight-minute matches could mean a lot more because they’ve got that behind it.”
I think the question everybody wants to know the answer to is how do you still look the same 26 years later?
“Yoga, good lighting and makeup, guys. Just stay hydrated, guys.”
Do you have a number in mind for how much longer you want to wrestle? Because you clearly can do it as long as you want.
“I don’t know. I just know that I’m only gonna do it if I can give 100%. Every time I’ve gone back, I’ll watch the video and I’m like, is this sh*t? Let me see. I’m like, oh, it’s pretty good. But if I watch it back and I’m like, she was slower than usual, I don’t want it. I want to give you guys like my 100%. I don’t want you be like, no [it’s not good]. When I say due diligence, I remember I got the call for the 2018 Royal Rumble. First ever, historic, and they called me. It was John Laurinaitis. He was like, okay, they want you in it. It’s iconic. It’s historic, and I was like, I will let you know. I’m gonna check my calendar. I got in the ring and then I was like, yes, I am available, John. I just wanted to make sure that I could still do it. It turns out that wrestling’s like riding a bike when you’re a wrestler, I guess, or when you do yoga. I don’t know. But I’m not going to do it half-assed. I’m not giving you a cool 60. I want to give you 100% and make sure it’s impactful and it means something, and I’m good.”
What is Trish Stratus grateful for?
“My family, the fans, and how far women’s wrestling has come.”
Please support our sponsors:
SUPERPOWER: Head to https://Superpower.com and use code CVV at checkout for $20 off your membership. Get 100+ biomarkers tested every year, plus a personalized health plan and on-demand care team. Detect early signs of 1,000+ conditions. #superpowerpod
HELIX SLEEP: Flash sale! Go to https://helixsleep.com/cvv for 27% off sitewide!
COZY EARTH: Go to https://cozyearth.com/CVV for up to 20% off!
BETTER WILD: Get up to 40% off your order at https://betterwild.com/cvv
BEAM: Go to https://shopbeam.com/INSIGHT and use code INSIGHT for up to 40% off Beam’s Dream Powder
SHOPIFY: Start your free trial today at https://shopify.com/INSIGHT
PRIZE PICKS: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/INSIGHT and use code INSIGHT to get $50 bonus credit in daily fantasy lineups when you play your first $5 lineup!
DELETEME: Use the code INSIGHT to get 20% off your DeleteMe plan at https://joindeleteme.com/
BETTER HELP: Find support and have someone with you in therapy. Get 10% off at https://betterhelp.com/cvv
LEAN: Get 20% off with the code CVV at https://takelean.com
FACTOR: Use the code INSIGHT50OFF to get 50% off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until 10/31/2026 at https://factormeals.com/
PURE PLANK: The future of core fitness! Use the code CVV to save 10% on Pure Plank designed by Adam Copeland & Christian: https://gopureplank.com/cvv
SEAT GEEK: Use my code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/
NORDVPN: Upgrade your online protection with an all-in-one security app! Get an exclusive NordVPN deal + 4 months extra here: https://nordvpn.com/cvv It’s risk free with NordVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee!
CALDERA LAB: Go to https://calderaLab.com/CHRISand use code CHRIS for 20% off your first order.
PRIZEPICKS: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/