It’s not often that people who are regarded as the “greatest of all time” retire then return back to the top. Michael Jordan infamously left the NBA for the second time in 1998, returned in 2001 to join the Washington Wizards, and did not make a single playoff appearance. Tom Brady retired from the NFL at the end of the 2022 season, rejoined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers one month later, and lost in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
WWE Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus has set the standard for comebacks. By the time the Canadian superstar retired in September 2006, she had already won seven WWE Women’s Championships and one Hardcore Championship. She also achieved a rare feat for women at the time: competing in the main event of multiple Monday Night Raw episodes. She’d made sparse appearances on WWE programming and competed in a few matches over the years before returning full-time this past February. Her last six months have included multiple “firsts.”
“When I say things like ‘I’m doing a cage match in 2023,’ I’m like, ‘Wow, when I retired in 2006?’” Stratus said of her current run. “It’s wild, we didn’t think it’d be this long. Obviously, it was going to be a little bit of a run. I definitely wanted to not just come in, do a big typical one-off, and then be gone. I thought, ‘Let’s do something a little different, add a little more to the comeback.’”
Stratus’ steel cage match will take place on Sept. 2 at WWE Payback against Becky Lynch, serving as the culmination of a feud that began back in April. Lynch, at the time, was one-half of the WWE’s Women’s Tag Team Champions alongside WWE Hall Of Famer, Lita. After Lita was attacked backstage, Stratus replaced her later that evening to defend the title against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Upon losing the match, Stratus turned on her partner and began a tense, intergenerational rivalry that led to her first-ever Money In The Bank ladder match back in July.
“I’ve done stuff that I would’ve never imagined,” she said. “If 2006 Trish Stratus said ‘One day you’ll be in a ladder match. One day you’ll be in a cage match,’ [I’d be] like, ‘What? You’re crazy.’ So to be able to come back and do these unique opportunities, which, I think, [if] we look back, the foundation that [Lita] and I, Molly Holly, Jazz, Victoria, [doing] the stuff that we did, the intention was because one day we can do everything and contribute fully like the guys do.”
Stratus takes pride in the progress WWE’s women superstars have made in the last couple of decades. In the mid-2000s, they were subjugated to matches that usually wouldn’t go longer than ten minutes, themed bouts that focused on their bodies like the Bra and Panties match or fighting in a gravy bowl, and storylines that would likely be subject to cancel culture today. Now, after WWE’s successful “Women’s Evolution,” they can boast multiple Wrestlemania main events, a women’s-only premium live event, a women’s-only Royal Rumble match, multiple championships to contend for, and much more equitable WWE programming. Stratus admitted that it took a bit of hindsight to recognize that she and her peers helped the division to reach this point, but she is happy to see where things have gone.
“I’m hearing, ‘Trish inspired me. Watching the [2004 main event match against Lita] made me think I could do this as a female,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘Sh*t, we didn’t realize.’ At the time we had no idea. We were just like, ‘Let’s not fail tonight.’ That was all we were thinking. To know that we did influence that generation, then to be able to step into the ring with that generation [is] awesome.”
Since betraying Lynch in April and becoming a villainous character, Stratus has actively reminded both the fans and locker room of her GOAT status. WWE supported this idea back in 2021 with their Top 50 Greatest WWE Women Superstars list, where she was ranked No. 1.
Lynch is not too fond of the WWE Hall Of Famer coming back and belittling the talent that has been carrying the division in her absence. In a recent interview on WWE’s The Bump, the Irish superstar called Stratus insecure, said she is scared that time is passing her by, and that she is doing her best to not be forgotten. In a recent episode of Monday Night Raw, she spoke about survival and legacy.
“Well, it’s [been] 23 years [since I debuted], bi**h, and I’m still standing here face-to-face with one of the best in the business. So talk about survival,” Stratus firmly said. “So did I come back to remind people? Maybe. I’m not insecure. I think a lot of it is about coming back and doing something special and finding that unique opportunity where there’s like, this is a once-in-lifetime thing that can happen right now. Let’s do it. Let’s bring that to the fans.”
Lynch is definitely one of the best people to create that moment with. She was part of the first-ever women’s Wrestlemania main event, is a six-time WWE Women’s Champion, a Royal Rumble winner, and one of the most popular WWE superstars. “We’re going to have something: the best of one generation, the best of another, at that level, facing off.”
While her relationship with Lynch is contentious and she has been disparaging to the women’s locker room when in character, Stratus does have glowing things to say about the women superstars. Her first match against Lynch at Night Of Champions in May resulted in a victory with the help of new Monday Night Raw superstar Zoey Stark, whom she has since taken under her wing.
“That’s one of the best things about this run,” she said about working with Stark. “Because at the end of the day, something I said is, I want to be able to deliver 100%. I also want to be able to not be here just selfishly. I want to be here because I don’t want to do this again. It was always about a ‘passing the torch’ moment.” Mentoring a new main roster talent provides her that exact opportunity.
“Now to be aligned with Zoey, it makes the work more valuable,” Stratus added about the experience working with the newcomer. “We’re constantly in touch. She was great in NXT but she knows this is a whole different level. And she’ll pick my brain and she’ll check on this, and she’ll ask about this. Little things like, ‘Is this shirt okay?’ Little things that really make a difference at the end of the day. They really do. They all contribute. All the little pieces add up to the overall picture.” Stark’s attention to detail and curiosity have made her all the more enjoyable for Stratus to work with.
“She’s been amazing. I love being able to mentor her and be there,” she continued about the relationship. “And I love that when I leave, she’s got [it]. I can give her what I’ve got, and then she can do what she will with it. I’m so pleased with it. I think [including Zoey Stark] added an extra dynamic to the story, which was great. To me, she’s the future. So if I can touch yet another generation, that’s amazing.”
Stratus broke through in the times popularly regarded as the “Attitude Era” and “Ruthless Aggression Era.” While the WWE has skyrocketed in popularity in the last few years, they had a stronghold on pop culture back then too. Her theme music features Lil’ Kim, and back in 2021, she and Cardi B fangirled over one another on Twitter. Fans have requested that the Bronx rapper make her way to the WWE for years and Stratus was all for it. When asked about possibly teaming with the “Bodak Yellow” artist, Stratus concocted a great name for their potential finisher.
“‘B Stratusfied,’” she offered. “How we would do it and what we would do, I’m not sure. Maybe I would go to Rikishi’s playbook, steal a little something using the assets. I think that would be super cool.” Evidently, this wasn’t the first time Stratus had to ideate what she and the Invasion Of Privacy artist would do together.
“We’ve talked about that,” she shared about her interactions with Cardi B. “I made a joke saying, as a heel, I talk about how Lil’ Kim’s going to present [my song] live, but then I’d bring out Cardi B to present it. So now, then I start some heat in the whole Hip-Hop world. Cardi B is cool. It’s cool to see how much she knows [wrestling]. She’s [a real] fan.”
Cardi B gets a shoutout from one of her childhood faves, WWE superstar Trish Stratus. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0Dxo99raYZ
— Female Rap Room (@FemaleRapRoom) January 5, 2021
That dream tag team will have to wait as Trish Stratus gears up to end her feud with Becky Lynch inside a steel cage on Sept. 2 at WWE Payback. It will be another opportunity for her to bolster her GOAT resume and have the return that many GOATs wish they could have.
