Trish Stratus has admitted that she did not want her most recent WWE run to be a greatest-hits tour.
The WWE Hall of Famer made her return to the company shortly before WrestleMania 39 and competed at the event. Stepping back inside a ring for the first time since 2019, Stratus teamed with Lita and Becky Lynch to defeat Damage CTRL in front of a packed SoFi Stadium.
While fans were delighted to see the former Women’s Champion back in action once more, things quickly changed when Stratus betrayed Lynch and turned heel for the first time in almost 2 decades. Wanting to do something different to the nostalgia run that took place 4 years prior in her rivalry with Charlotte Flair, Stratus’ heel turn made the 2023 return much more interesting as it was something that few expected and led to a great rivalry with Lynch that spanned multiple Premium Live Events.
Aligning herself with Zoey Stark in the early stages of the heel turn, Stratus’ rivalry with Lynch culminated in the excellent steel cage match at Payback 2023. Many credited Stratus for her work in the feud as her matches were great, Stark was featured prominently in the rivalry and Lynch was put over when all was said and done. According to Stratus, this was not the original plan.
“It Was 18 Years Since I Did A Heel Promo”: Trish Stratus
Speaking in Issue 43 of Inside The Ropes Magazine, the WWE Hall of Famer explained the original plan was not for her to be in a six-month storyline but it organically grew thanks to the heel turn:
“I felt like I’d done the babyface comeback. They’re fine, but I don’t want to wear out my welcome. I said, if I go back, I’d like to surprise people and do it a little differently. I thought as a performer, I would like to challenge myself and do a heel run because I hadn’t touched that for so many years. It was 18 years since I did a heel promo. So Becky called me and said, “Do you want to come back and do a match with me at WrestleMania?” But we needed me to come back and turn first.
We were spitballing how I could turn heel and then we brought in Lita. We thought it’d be cool to see me turning on Lita. You’re more invested in me turning on my friend of 20 years than me and Becky, who had no television history at that point. I was supposed to come in for a little bit after WrestleMania, do a little something. And then suddenly I was in a storyline every single week for the next six months. So we were not expecting that. But that’s what happened.”
In a separate interview, Trish Stratus addressed the possibility of another WWE return in 2024.
Also in the interview, Trish Stratus explained why she rejected a WWE return pitch in 2009.
The full interview with Trish Stratus is available in issue 43 of Inside The Ropes Magazine, which can be purchased here.
If you use any quotes from this article please credit Inside The Ropes.