The day before his interview with The Press, the name of Trish Stratus was viral on social networks. The cause: a selfie she posted. What’s special about the photo: You can find almost every color in the spectrum on Stratus’ nose.
The caption under the photo: this is the face of the women’s division.
And what caused that bruise? “Becky and the ladder. »
“Becky” is Becky Lynch, one of the mainstays of WWE women’s wrestling, who wrestled with Stratus last Saturday at the Money in the Bank event in London. And the scale? It’s that the fight in question was a ladder match, featuring six female wrestlers.
“But that’s part of the job, that’s okay! “, she assures.
As strange as it may seem, Stratus was partly happy to have suffered this “accident”. The 47-year-old came to WWE around the turn of the millennium, when the company was churning out its most irreverent stories.
“Women’s wrestling, it was almost necessary to remove the word “wrestling” from the expression, illustrates Pat Laprade, wrestling historian. It was more the physique and the look of the women than their athletic abilities. Trish arrives and we exploit her physical attributes. In one script, Vince McMahon had Trish get down on her knees and yelp. It wasn’t very glorious, and Trish worked hard to give credibility to those with athletic ability. »
Progress since 2000
The women’s division still saw some progress in the 2000s, thanks in particular to Stratus, Lita and a handful of wrestlers. But Stratus walked away from wrestling in 2006, and has made a few comebacks since then, for a few bouts.
In the meantime, WWE has started giving love to its women’s division, to the point where more spectacular fights like those involving a ladder are becoming more common. According to the specialized site Cagematch, it was the 18e WWE ladder women’s bout. But from the first of Trish Stratus!
People couldn’t believe it was my first. In the past, women weren’t allowed to have a ladder match. You also couldn’t do a stunt on the commentary table, that was for the guys.
Trish Stratus
“We were told. For example, we wanted to plan a chair shot, and we were told: “No, no, no, that’s for the guys, that.” Today, it’s much more egalitarian, we can explore. People don’t realize how difficult it was back then. Even the names have changed. Back then, women were the divas and guys were the superstars. Now we’re all superstars. »
The recent evolution of women’s wrestling hasn’t come out of the blue either. WWE now trains its wrestlers, like its wrestlers, at its Florida training facility. There too, the present generation of wrestlers is entitled to a chance that Stratus did not have, she who had first arrived in WWE as a big wrestling fan, but without experience between the cables.
“The performance center is crucial, the girls come out ready,” she says. Me, I learned on the job, I had never fought in front of an audience, and there, I had to do it live on television. It has not always been very beautiful! »
I guess that’s why the fans stick with me, they’ve seen my journey, the evolution of my skills. I think I have one of the good negligee stories!
Trish Stratus
“Today, the biggest difference is that we favor athleticism over looks,” adds Pat Laprade. And we allow them to have the same opportunities in the ring. Now there’s a women’s Royal Rumble, they’re making finals at WrestleMania, and they’re getting good minutes for their fights. Trish had to fight for it, but for today’s generation, it’s a given. »
Memories of Montreal
Stratus will be making his second appearance at Montreal Comiccon. She also participated in a few WWE shows at the Bell Center. His best memory in town? One evening in May 2004, when she had just passed into the naughty camp.
“Behind the scenes, I was told: ‘We’re in Canada, people are going to applaud you.’ So I took it easy, made jokes about frogs and about French. It worked, the crowd booed me! »
Fans who meet her will certainly be able to talk hockey with her. His nephews, twins Paul and Alex Christopoulos, have played the last three seasons in the OHL. And she is an avowed Maple Leafs fan. “Mats Sundin was my favorite player when I was younger, he was our captain for a great period. And I don’t know if that’s the fighter in me, but I’ve always loved Tie Domi. »
Stratus will also be able to surprise fans with a few words of French, which she drops here and there during the interview. There are currently three Quebecers in WWE, namely Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Maryse Ouellet. “Kevin always jokes that my accent is not as bad as Sami’s! »