Biography WWE Legends: Trish Stratus (S04E17)
Transcript
00:00Before I started this business, I was pre-med and my ultimate goal was to become a doctor.
00:20What I wanted to do was make a difference in people's lives.
00:24And someone said to me once, they said, you know, in a day you can see maybe 10 to 15
00:28patients, you know, just make an impact.
00:30But in this business, we touch so many more people in different ways, we change people's
00:33lives.
00:34Trish was not just a superstar, in a lot of ways, a WWE superhero, especially for women
00:42at that time.
00:43She inspired an entire generation.
00:46Growing up, I was a huge fan of Trish Stratus.
00:49I was just like, I want to be her.
00:51She was the golden standard for women in the industry at that time.
00:55Trish helped redefine the woman's division.
00:58Trish Stratus brought it to another level.
01:03Trish is a perfectionist.
01:06She is driven by work.
01:09I think the challenge is really what drives her.
01:13She has to be reminded to slow down.
01:16Even when her body is screaming at her that it needs a break, all smiles, you would never
01:22know she was suffering at all.
01:26Her colitis would act up and really be a challenge for her body to perform.
01:33Full body chills, like with the fever and sweating.
01:36And you go, wow, she accomplished all of this with that?
01:40But it shows you the superhuman that Trish is.
01:46The greatest women's champion in WWE history.
01:53Are you ready for this box?
01:54Yeah.
01:55Let's see what's in this box.
01:57Let's see.
01:58Oh.
01:59I want to show you this.
02:00This is...
02:03What is it?
02:04Your book about all your ages in school.
02:06Yeah.
02:07This is your age, Maddie.
02:08This is your age.
02:09Five?
02:10Yeah, between five and six in grade one.
02:12This is going to be you next year in grade one.
02:14That's how you think that that would be someone you pick?
02:16No.
02:17You pick what?
02:18Yeah.
02:19Yeah?
02:20You think so?
02:21I was definitely a tomboy.
02:23I wanted to be one of the boys at all times.
02:26I met Trish, we had to have been about maybe six or seven years old when we met.
02:32Ron and I met in kindergarten.
02:33And Trish and Ron met because he was my best friend at the time.
02:37Trish was like one of the boys.
02:40I mean, she had to hang out with us, do what we were doing.
02:43Anything physical, she was on board.
02:46It's like, I look back now, I'm like, oh, I always was trying to be part of the boys club.
02:50And proving myself to be like, I belong here.
02:52Look, watch this.
02:53We would play sports together, soccer, baseball.
02:56We watched wrestling together.
02:58I grew up in Toronto.
03:00Toronto's a real hotbed for wrestling.
03:02So my aunt would take us to Maple Leaf Gardens together.
03:04In this capacity, crowd will love it if they're eating it up.
03:08Macho man, that's who I resonated with.
03:10He had the perfect mix of athleticism, showmanship, and I just, he was the guy for me.
03:15Having matches in my parents' room, always aggressive in all the sports.
03:20And in high school, she played soccer.
03:22She was good.
03:23I would go to the games and watch her, and she was a little rough.
03:26I was known as a bit of a goon on the team.
03:28I was slide tackling like crazy all over the place.
03:32She was very popular at school.
03:34You know, everybody wanted to date Trish, at least in my opinion.
03:37I know I sure did.
03:39Aha, aha, look.
03:41There I am in bold, look.
03:42Look at that, closest friends.
03:43What does it say?
03:44Broad physico.
03:45And what is the date?
03:46It's got the boyfriend date.
03:48I can't believe you write this down.
03:49August 29th.
03:51What year?
03:521992.
03:54What does that mean?
03:55He's my boyfriend.
03:57Wow.
03:58That's our anniversary, just for reference.
04:0092.
04:01That's my boyfriend.
04:03We were best friends, and then when we were 17, we transitioned to boyfriend and girlfriend
04:07and became officially boyfriend and girlfriend.
04:09We did everything together.
04:11We were detached at the hip.
04:13She was a little bit nerdy.
04:15She did a lot of studying.
04:17There wasn't a lot of partying, none of that.
04:20I had my eyes set on becoming a doctor, and that was from a very young age.
04:24Like, if you look back, I have a journal from grade three, and it says,
04:27I'm going to become a doctor.
04:30For the most part, I remember a great family life and a good time at home.
04:36It's like, you know, I think until when you get older, you realize,
04:39oh, wait, let me look really closely and see things.
04:42You know, we spent a lot of summers and time with my cousins,
04:45and I realized a lot of it was to get away from my dad at the time,
04:49and my dad, you know, had a bit of a dark side.
04:53He was an alcoholic.
04:56Off and on, it was sometimes turbulent.
05:00He never showed up at home, like, starting to neglect the family,
05:05like, doing family things.
05:08It was hard.
05:11My mom did her best to, like, not have us around that
05:14and not see that side of dad.
05:16But, yeah, it was definitely present and, at times, not great.
05:25As I got older, I started to realize how it wasn't a nice environment to be in.
05:29I realized it was affecting my studying.
05:32I'd be up late studying, and he'd be up late drinking,
05:35and so that wasn't conducive for a good work environment for me.
05:40One of these things, you just remember, like,
05:42this is getting in the way of my life.
05:46Looking back, seeing situations get out of control,
05:49I never want to be part of that and be the cause of that.
05:52And to this day, I don't drink.
05:54And I never really thought about why I didn't,
05:56and it is a little bit of, like, I just want to remain in control at all times.
05:59So that was, like, a decision I've made a long time ago.
06:03Then my mom and dad just decided to split.
06:05She finally made the move to not be around that a lot
06:07and not have her kids around that.
06:09We left my dad.
06:11So my university life kind of just started without my dad.
06:15And I was able to focus on, like, going to pre-med,
06:17becoming a pre-med student and going to med school.
06:20That was my ultimate goal.
06:22So the pace that I tend to keep is fast and furious.
06:27Managing school and then being on the varsity team
06:30and being on the rep league soccer and working two jobs.
06:33It was just this crazy pace I've kept my whole life.
06:36At one point, my body was like, yeah, that's too much for us,
06:39so I'm going to have to throw up a red flag.
06:41And I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis back in my university days.
06:48Colitis is an intestinal illness.
06:51And she was on a lot of medication at the time for it.
06:55It was difficult for sure.
06:57I think initially I was always worried for her.
07:00I think that she knew her body well.
07:02She studied biology, kinesiology.
07:04She was very in tune with her body.
07:06She knew what her limits were.
07:08I think that she stayed within those parameters.
07:12The goal was to get me into remission where the flare-up would go away
07:15and then I could continue on with a normal life.
07:17So it was a little bit tough, but we finally got it under control.
07:22And I felt like I was in my groove
07:24and I found that balance that I needed to get to.
07:27And then in 1997, the worst thing that could have ever happened to me
07:32happened because I was set.
07:34My sights were set on my goal.
07:36And when I get set on a goal, it is like there is no stopping me.
07:39But there was one thing stopping me, which was my professors going on strike.
07:42And I was like, oh my God, no, this can't happen.
07:44I have like, this is the plan. This year I'll be doing this.
07:46I should be practicing by this.
07:48And all I could do was wait.
07:50I just had to wait and see what was going to happen with that.
07:52I think when the strike initially happened,
07:54I think the immediate reaction is now I need a job.
07:57So she was doing bartending at the time.
08:01And then as I started working there, they asked me to shoot their campaign.
08:04So here I am, I get this new gig, first time ever bartending,
08:08and I'm on like the main bar,
08:10and I'm also on all the posters and billboards throughout Toronto.
08:13She was coming home from the bar probably around 2, 3 in the morning
08:17and then going straight to the gym.
08:19We had 24-hour gyms.
08:21Trish got a job working at a gym.
08:25I started working at this gym and I get approached, you know, sounds creepy,
08:28but there was like, I know a guy who takes photos,
08:30but I'm like, mm-hmm, sure.
08:32But it turns out I looked up this guy, Robert Kennedy,
08:34legit one of the industry's leading publishers,
08:36publisher of Muscle Mag.
08:38And I saw a sparkle about this girl.
08:40I thought, she looks pretty good.
08:42And he said, let's do a test shoot.
08:44And he says, and you have it. You have this it.
08:46And he said, I have this it thing.
08:47Luckily, again, school's out of session,
08:49so I'm like, mm, I can do this thing.
08:51And I trained for my first photo shoot,
08:53ate, slept, and trained for three months straight, transformed my body.
08:56Studied it. I mean, that's really what she did.
08:59We would go to the store, she'd buy magazines,
09:01study the poses, I mean, just learn.
09:05So I actually took these pictures as, like, my goal.
09:08You know, I cut them out as my inspo and said,
09:10OK, this is the body.
09:12And it's just part of the prep, right?
09:13It was like, you know, preparedness meets opportunity is, like, my big motto.
09:17And it was, like, part of the prepping.
09:18It was like, OK, how do I maximize this opportunity?
09:21I would, like, go through the magazines and cut out, like,
09:23all the arms articles, all the legs articles,
09:25and then I would make my own binder of, like,
09:27sections with, like, those school tabs, you know,
09:29of, like, this is all the leg workouts, and I'd choose one,
09:31and I had my own little training approach, you know?
09:33And learning about protein and just, like, all this new world,
09:36I just dove into it and just, within three months,
09:38completely had transformed my body.
09:41And she turned up, and she looked absolutely amazing.
09:44She just shocked everybody.
09:45In fact, all the other professional fitness models
09:48were asking her about her diet,
09:50how she trained, and everything else.
09:52It was amazing.
09:55I was excited.
09:56I was proud of the work that I'd done.
09:58You know, it's like showing off your hard work, right?
10:00So it was cool to me to see the difference.
10:02And, yeah, I was proud to show it off,
10:03and I liked when people noticed because it was like,
10:05oh, yeah, I did that.
10:08My first shoot ended up being my first cover,
10:11and he contracted me after that, and he offered me.
10:14I was an official Muscle My Girl at that point,
10:16and then suddenly I had a career.
10:18So I decided to step away from school and focus on fitness,
10:22and that year alone, I was on the cover of 10 magazines
10:24and was as busy as I am now as far as store signings
10:27and autograph signings and cover shoots
10:29and traveling the world,
10:30and suddenly I was a fitness model.
10:31Boom, just like that.
10:33She was the Arnold Schwarzenegger
10:36of women's fitness immediately.
10:39Suddenly seeing that I had a following,
10:41I had a fan base,
10:43I just started to think, like,
10:44what can this transition into that is more long-term?
10:49We were down at a show at the Sky Dome.
10:52I remember Trish saying,
10:54I'd love to do this,
10:55and I said to her, why can't you?
10:58I was like, yeah, maybe we can do this.
11:00Maybe we can spin this, like, fitness buzz thing
11:02that we got going into wrestling.
11:08Tonight on The Gallagher Show,
11:09we're gonna welcome one of the world's top fitness models.
11:12You've seen her, you love her, Trish Stratus is with us.
11:17A lot of, like, right place, the right time stories
11:18were, like, I was on the cover of a fitness magazine
11:21in a studio,
11:23and I was just on this talk show about the cover,
11:25doing publicity for the cover.
11:27And in the next studio,
11:28I remember Michael Hayes was doing slam jams,
11:30and everybody knew I was a wrestling fan.
11:33I met Michael Hayes, and he's like,
11:34oh, he's like, I've seen you on the fitness magazines.
11:36I was like, oh my gosh, yes, I am on the fitness magazines.
11:38He goes, you have a great look,
11:39you should send your stuff to us.
11:40And I was like, really?
11:42So I went home, nerd glasses on,
11:44and I started to put my little kit together
11:46and sent that off to WWE.
11:48I kind of think this is a neat opportunity,
11:50and who knows?
11:51Maybe I can do this.
11:52But if they call,
11:53let me prepare the best possible package
11:55to present to them.
11:57So I looked up the gym
11:58that Edge of Christian trained out of.
11:59These young men are the future
12:01of the World Wrestling Federation.
12:02I found Sully's Gym downtown,
12:04and I sat with my sights on that,
12:05and I was like, all right, I'm going to go train.
12:07I'm going to start training.
12:08And I met Ron Hutchinson for the first time.
12:10Trish was the only female at first.
12:12No special privileges at all.
12:14She was expected to do exactly what the guys did.
12:17I went in, and I was training with the guys,
12:19and I had to, like, literally take them aside.
12:21They're like, oh, and I'm like,
12:22no, no, don't treat me like a girl.
12:23I know I'm a girl, but don't treat me like a girl.
12:25Like, just, I'm one of the boys.
12:26Just do what you do.
12:28I need to, I want to learn.
12:29I want to do this full-on.
12:30I don't want to do it,
12:31and I don't want tippy-toe around this.
12:33I had the calluses and the bruises
12:35to prove that no one took it light on me.
12:37But it was great.
12:38To me, that was the best way to learn.
12:40Right then and there,
12:41she proved to me that, okay, she can do this.
12:43She'll be able to do it.
12:46And then one day, I finally got the call.
12:50I was flown to Connecticut,
12:53and then going to WB headquarters.
12:55I mean, surreal.
12:57She was so talented,
12:58verbally articulate, intelligent.
13:01I thought she reminded me of Tana Anderson from that era,
13:05and she was a hot thing at that time.
13:07So Trish looked a little bit like her,
13:09but the fact that she could be athletic,
13:12she just can't miss.
13:15Not that long after,
13:16I got a contract offer sent to the house.
13:18So I guess the meeting went well.
13:20That's Trish Stratis.
13:22She's a fitness expert.
13:25It was just so much fun
13:26to get her spirit and her energy in that locker room.
13:29And, you know, she wasn't received very well
13:32by the other girls.
13:34Well, we didn't have very many girls at that time.
13:36They were pretty sneery.
13:38Pretty sneery.
13:40It's really funny.
13:41It's such a personal space
13:43that when newcomers come in,
13:45there's still this, like, catty thing.
13:48We had a couple people who wrestled,
13:51but not very many.
13:52So we kind of had to rotate each other in.
13:55Women didn't often have the chance
13:57to have storylines and character development.
13:59The last woman to keep her evening gown on
14:02will be the women's champion.
14:04There was a period of time where we had an edict
14:08that was this is how the women
14:09are going to be presented on the show.
14:11So initially, Trish Stratus
14:13was the newly hired fitness model
14:16who was going to manage Tess and Albert.
14:19I was driving with Andrew Tess Martin and Val Venus
14:23and Tess knew Trish, and I met Trish,
14:25and we were just talking one day,
14:26and I thought, T and A, Tess and Albert,
14:29and we have Trish Stratus as our manager.
14:32I was excited about that.
14:33I was like, oh, my gosh.
14:34And Tess was a fellow Canadian.
14:37Before I started on the road,
14:38we had met and we had done
14:39a couple autograph signings as Canadian superstars,
14:41and then we got paired together,
14:43and it was a nice partnership.
14:45She was so gung-ho to do it.
14:47She, you know, coming in,
14:48getting her foot in the door,
14:49and it had its growing pains.
14:51She had no idea about the business that we were in.
14:55So many people kind of gave it to her,
14:58you know, in terms of the business,
15:00you know, you're a fitness model,
15:01what are you doing here?
15:02They never thought she would last,
15:04teasing her, saying things
15:06that were inappropriate at the time.
15:08Because back in the day,
15:10we liked to judge,
15:11we liked to do a little hazing.
15:13It was kind of hard.
15:15I remember, you know, I'd get to the locker room,
15:18and my stuff wouldn't be in the spot,
15:20the prime spot by the mirror.
15:22It would be over there by the toilet,
15:24and that's where apparently I was supposed to go.
15:27I think the first couple of months was really difficult.
15:31She wasn't accepted.
15:34We had a come to grips moment
15:36probably about three or four weeks in,
15:38where she was on the road and called me
15:40and said she's coming home.
15:43Ron was just like, I remember him saying,
15:45kill him with kindness, that was the number,
15:47kill him with kindness,
15:49and never let them see you sweat.
15:51And I guess at that point I decided,
15:53I just, I have to prove myself.
15:55I have to prove myself to everyone around me
15:57that I deserve to be here.
15:59She was brand new, but had this,
16:01even from the very beginning,
16:03this innate desire to be more than just a valet,
16:07or, you know, or as some would put it, eye candy.
16:10I'm just thrilled to put in my two cents
16:12into the whole business.
16:13I want to make sure that every time I go out there,
16:15I make an impact, and if I'm only given two minutes,
16:17it's going to be the best damn two minutes I can give.
16:20I was a valet, but, you know, I'd contribute in certain ways
16:22because I could take bumps and I could do things like that.
16:25Oh, no, no, no!
16:27Trish just exploded in the table!
16:30I think Trish is very smart.
16:32I think she knew this is a way to get her foot in the door.
16:35I think it all was building to one day,
16:38her having her own opportunity to stand on her own.
16:41I started to wrestle, but in the beginning it was hard
16:43because we were wrestling, but it was like
16:45a bra and panties match.
16:46And then at one point, Chyna was champion,
16:48and she left the company, and she took the title with her.
16:51And there was no division.
16:53There was nothing for us to compete for.
16:55We were having wrestling matches for nothing.
16:58I felt hopeless at times.
17:00Then the tides changed suddenly.
17:02Fit Finley was like the savior of the women's division.
17:05I was brought in as an agent, producer,
17:09and then given the task of working with women.
17:13I'm training these girls every single day to wrestle,
17:17not hopefully to be doing bra and panties matches.
17:20I think having Stephanie there helped our cause.
17:25It certainly boosted it.
17:27You know, I always wanted our women
17:29to have more of a forefront.
17:31All the women knew that Steph was behind them,
17:34and if Stephanie McMahon is in this, we're good.
17:37Let her hit you as you go through.
17:40Go through like that. Boom.
17:42So with Trish, it was mind-blowing
17:44how quickly she picked it up.
17:46She was tough.
17:48I've seen her split her eye open,
17:51got stitched up, and then worked the next day.
17:56I always say he saw the tiger in my eye.
17:58He just knew that I'm like, I know I can do more.
18:00Why can't we do more? Why can't we fight like the guys?
18:02I don't want to fight like a girl.
18:04Oh, Trish turning it up here.
18:07You could never knock Trish because she always hustled.
18:11If she sees something and she wants to get it, attain it,
18:14she's going to.
18:16Trish had put in so much work and so much dedication
18:19and just absolutely refused to be some sort of prop
18:22to just come out with wrestlers and stand there
18:25and look pretty and everything.
18:27She basically made it happen.
18:29Sort of led up to this moment where we knew
18:31that we can make a difference.
18:33I think the females can contribute more than they already are.
18:35They decided to bring back the women's title.
18:38They put together a match called Six-Pack Challenge.
18:40And knowing that I was, you know, the underdog coming in,
18:42I wasn't the most experienced.
18:44Trish, oh, with a stratusfaction.
18:48Oh, don't tell me.
18:51And Trish has done it.
18:52And Trish Stratus is the new women's champion.
18:56Certainly not a favorite going into this matchup.
19:01And I believe Fit got behind me being the champion
19:05for the first time and really leading this new charge
19:07to build this women's division.
19:09She was determined to get to the top,
19:12and she accomplished it.
19:14I became champion.
19:15It was like, at this present time,
19:17we will build the division around you.
19:19And that was a lot of pressure.
19:24Trish's first title run, she did feel the pressure.
19:27She knew she was one of the least experienced women
19:30in the locker room.
19:31She knew she was being pushed.
19:33And she felt the obligation to deliver
19:36and get better and better each match.
19:38So the pressure was on.
19:40Most of the time, she was going to be in there
19:43with somebody who was more experienced
19:45and could help kind of camouflage
19:47any of her weaknesses.
19:49Well, she is set to be in the ring with Jackie Gaeta,
19:53who had just won Tough Enough.
19:55She had literally competed on a television show
19:59and was now in a ring with her first match.
20:02So now Trish is, for the first time,
20:04the veteran in the ring,
20:05while still trying to prove herself.
20:07Uh-oh, look out.
20:09Trish kind of taking Jackie's eye off the ball,
20:12that little pop up on the ropes.
20:14It was the first time that Trish was exposed
20:17as being green because Jackie Gaeta knew nothing.
20:21And it just put Trish in a really tough spot.
20:24And then for that to be gone down in history
20:27is probably the worst match of all time.
20:29Mercifully, it's over.
20:32It had to have been such a blow to her confidence.
20:39The pressure of just having to perform every single time
20:42and prove yourself every time,
20:43it got a lot.
20:44And I remember just, like, driving alone
20:46and just being in tears after matches,
20:48just being like, this is too hard.
20:49Like, it's so hard to just keep it going.
20:51Your body's in pain.
20:52You're doing everything you can.
20:53You're contributing the way you can.
20:54And it was never enough, it felt like sometimes.
20:56Like, you know, you missed the spot
20:57or you didn't look the right way
20:58or you weren't there on time.
20:59It made me look bad when you did this.
21:01And it was a lot of that in the beginning.
21:04And I just was like, okay, yeah, cool.
21:05And I had to take ownership of this responsibility
21:07of being the champion and taking charge
21:10of the women's division
21:11and knowing what I could deliver would impact all of us.
21:16Trish is a perfectionist.
21:17She is driven by work.
21:20My number one person in the entire wrestling business
21:24with the work ethic of wanting to get better
21:27every single night was Trish Stratus.
21:30End of story.
21:32Seems like we say it every week,
21:33but every week she just gets better and better.
21:36So as time went on,
21:37what I really saw in the locker room
21:39was the women started getting a lot of respect for her.
21:42She came in, head to the grindstone.
21:45Oh, look at this!
21:46Wanted to learn and wanted to do
21:48and did such an amazing job.
21:50I'm impressed.
21:51I think you've got a future in this business, kid.
21:53As the years go on, you see the improvement.
21:56Hold on, headlock.
21:57Nicely done.
21:58To her becoming a real formidable talent in the ring.
22:03What a sunset flip!
22:05And then you fast forward,
22:07she's having marquee matches.
22:09She's innovating moves.
22:11The Matrix move was so hot at the time.
22:15Oh, I love it!
22:16Oh, Matrix!
22:17It was like, oh!
22:19It's one of those things
22:20that immediately garners a reaction from the crowd.
22:24That's where it began.
22:25We started playing video games and looking for moves.
22:27And I can tell you that the stratosphere
22:29came from Mortal Kombat.
22:30She was the first one that I watched
22:32that made me think,
22:34that girl's just as good as any of the guys.
22:37Oh, look out!
22:38Great athletic move there.
22:39And a knockdown by Trish Stratus.
22:41Yes!
22:42Hard work and desire.
22:43That's what you get when you put it all together.
22:45Trish Stratus, the women's champion.
22:48Nobody worked harder than Trish.
22:50I used to joke behind the scenes
22:53that she was, instead of Trish Stratus,
22:56Trish Strategizer,
22:57because she knew how to work hard,
23:01not just in the ring,
23:02but she was always in the production truck
23:05finding out what she can do
23:07to come across better on television.
23:09At the non-televised events,
23:11she would ask for the microphone
23:13so that she could get practice.
23:14She was just working so hard all the time
23:16thinking about how she can improve,
23:18how she can be better.
23:19Molly and Jackie start tagging Jazz and Trish.
23:21Trish does a drop toehold to Jazz,
23:23fire up in the corner, shoot.
23:25So I'd have a notebook beside me at all times.
23:28It was always handy.
23:29This brain never turns off.
23:31See, there was always promos.
23:32I'd be writing promos.
23:33So The Rock was like really instrumental.
23:35I remember him, he would help me with my promos
23:37and here's something that he would say to me,
23:39be strong, pause, and be concise.
23:41He was a big, big help.
23:43I would have the show sent to me,
23:45every Raw, every SmackDown,
23:47sent to me so I could study
23:49everything I did on the show
23:50so that next time I could do better,
23:52I could improve on that,
23:53or that worked well,
23:54or the crowd reacted to that,
23:55and it's something I would take
23:56and just learning.
23:57But yeah, wow, obsessed much?
24:01Most of us women were actually
24:03kind of afraid to make our voice known,
24:07afraid to question some of the storylines,
24:09and Trish was never afraid of that.
24:12One thing that Trish said to me
24:13when I first started in WWE,
24:15she goes, Natty, the one thing
24:16that helped me succeed so much in WWE
24:19is that every single week,
24:21I knew that if I had to fight,
24:22I had to fight.
24:23Fight for more.
24:24Fight for better verbiage.
24:25Fight for longer matches.
24:26Just fight for more.
24:28She goes, it's gonna be hard
24:29and it's gonna feel daunting,
24:30but don't ever be afraid
24:31to fight for more.
24:33And I always remembered that.
24:36I mean, the division got so much better,
24:38not only with Trish pushing,
24:40not only to make the segments better,
24:42but with Fit was very instrumental
24:45in that as well because he cared.
24:47But I did not think we were gonna
24:50walk into the building the day we did
24:52and be told that we were going
24:53to close the show.
24:56Two of the most popular divas
24:58in the WWE.
25:00This rivalry with Trish and Lita
25:02took the women's division
25:03in an entirely different level.
25:05Trish Stratus puts the women's title
25:07on the line against Lita.
25:09What a match that's gonna be, JR.
25:11The championship decided
25:12later tonight here on Raw.
25:14We were being given this opportunity
25:16to be the main event of Monday Night Raw,
25:18which is a coveted spot for any superstar,
25:20especially a woman.
25:21We have been waiting a long time
25:23for this opportunity.
25:25We were told we were main eventing that night.
25:27We both knew that we could deliver.
25:31Stakes are high here
25:32for the women's title here live
25:34on Monday Night Raw.
25:38Trish walks out with the face mask that night
25:41and takes it off,
25:43hits me with it,
25:44and then shows that her nose
25:46is absolutely fine,
25:47that she was just wearing it
25:49to have a secret weapon.
25:51I think she was calm-jobbing us all along.
25:53It's like those type of things
25:55that really set it apart
25:56from just being two people doing moves.
25:59I have always loved the storytelling,
26:01and they did an incredible job.
26:03They had such a compelling match.
26:07For them to compete
26:08in the main event of Monday Night Raw
26:11was a statement to the world
26:14that they had arrived.
26:16Because they were so good,
26:18I really think they changed the course
26:20of women's wrestling forever.
26:23It was really powerful
26:24as an aspiring wrestler
26:25because I felt like,
26:26oh man, the winds of change are coming
26:28and there's new opportunities for women.
26:31We just knew we had this opportunity to deliver
26:33and we had to shine.
26:35That's definitely one of the peak moments
26:37of my career.
26:38I can't believe the effort,
26:40the heart both women displayed.
26:44I was not victorious that night,
26:45but I was.
26:48It was a win for both of us
26:49to be in that position
26:50and to deliver.
26:53I remember thinking like,
26:54okay, we have this opportunity
26:56to spread the message
26:57and to show people our world a little bit
26:59and show people what a strong,
27:00powerful female looked like
27:02or what they were capable of doing.
27:05It just opened the doors
27:06for so many things.
27:08And confidence, okay?
27:09This is all about you.
27:10It's a lot of pressure.
27:11It's nonstop.
27:13Action.
27:14I'm an international fitness model,
27:16a world-class athlete,
27:18a WWE diva.
27:21Good.
27:22Got it?
27:23Good. Got that first part.
27:24Trish Stratus!
27:27Welcome to the family.
27:29Cut. Beautiful.
27:30Trish Stratus!
27:32Trish's popularity definitely grew
27:35over the years
27:36and she became like a rock star.
27:38Hi, how are you?
27:39I'm Ike.
27:40Hi, I'm Trish.
27:41Nice to meet you. Thanks for doing the show.
27:42No, thanks for having me.
27:43Very excited.
27:44That's a good one.
27:45Yeah.
27:46You're doing well.
27:47I'm feeling good.
27:48And you're funny, too.
27:49You have a capacity for humor.
27:51Why is that feeling so good?
27:53I got a weakness.
27:55At her peak, Trish was the number one woman in pro wrestling.
27:59Please welcome Trish Stratus.
28:00And so now I have this responsibility of like,
28:02you know, if she can see it, she can be it.
28:04So I needed to go out there and be that representation.
28:07We've become part of the boys club.
28:09You know, we used to be sort of the eye candy of the show
28:11and now we've gone and we've become
28:13these accomplished athletes in the ring
28:15and we've seen an increase in demographic from the women.
28:18You know, we've seen more younger girls watching
28:20and kind of aspiring, not necessarily to be wrestlers,
28:22but to make it like we're women making it
28:24in a male-dominated world.
28:26So I remember I put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself.
28:29I felt like my role then was to help gain visibility for women,
28:33to be a voice.
28:34Particularly as a woman, I was happy to hear about
28:36the building of the women's schools
28:38and the progress in that area.
28:40She was always out doing stuff.
28:42She was a workhorse in that regard.
28:45You're running at this frenetic pace
28:47of 300 days a year schedule.
28:49It was one thing after the other.
28:50It was every commercial.
28:51It was every appearance.
28:52It was every press conference.
28:54It was everything.
28:55It was a lot.
28:57I got a flare-up with the colitis
28:59and I took myself out of remission at that time
29:02and just suffering, but almost like this thing I do
29:05with pushing through, I just, like I couldn't,
29:07I'm not going to take off time.
29:08So I found a way to make it work.
29:11And so she's trying to be Trish Stratus
29:14and trying to be this optimal machine,
29:17and yet she's dealing with these health issues
29:20at the same time.
29:21I've seen Trish's mind go more than her body can
29:26a few different times.
29:28Like carrying her suitcases will make her feel
29:30like she's going to pass out,
29:31like have to literally stop and take breaths.
29:34But the craziest thing is she still
29:37doesn't want anyone to see that.
29:39She'll like stop and pull over and smile
29:42and she's like, she has to take a breath
29:44because I feel like I'm going to pass out,
29:46but it's okay though.
29:48So if you could just act like you're talking to me
29:50so that I could take a few seconds, so yeah.
29:53And me, I'm like, dude, uh-uh.
29:56Like, tell him you can't work tomorrow.
29:58She's like, no, no, no, no, I can, it's fine.
30:00Just give me a couple more seconds.
30:02That was difficult to be on the road
30:04and be secretly dealing with this stuff
30:07because, you know, you just, you cannot look vulnerable.
30:11You cannot look weak.
30:12That was just the thing back there.
30:13You just can't.
30:15I mean, you work so hard to be like one of the boys
30:17and just as I can do the schedule too,
30:19and I'm doing it too.
30:20See, the bags are starting to add up.
30:23It's, um, they got three more days to go.
30:27And every day, they're saying that every day
30:30we look about five years older.
30:31It's really flattering, really.
30:33By the time TV rolls around,
30:34we'll be looking fine, fine, fine.
30:37There's no chance of slowing me down.
30:39I wasn't going to let this illness stop me.
30:42It was weak to be sick, I think,
30:44and I didn't want to be interpreted as weak, I guess.
30:53I really feel like, you know, having Ron in my life
30:55was what grounded me, what allowed me to come home,
30:57take off the Trish Stratus hat and just be.
31:00She'd come home from a tour a couple days on the road
31:04and she'd be completely wiped out
31:06to the point where I'd have to throw her on my shoulder
31:08and carry her up the stairs, and she couldn't even walk.
31:12It was bad.
31:14The one thing I do not like about Trish
31:17is that she will not give herself a rest,
31:19and I don't like it for selfish reasons
31:21because I want my best friend around,
31:24and I feel like she will, if given the opportunity,
31:27she'll run herself ragged.
31:35I remember just, like, I felt like I need to stop
31:38I got a yoga DVD, and I put a yoga DVD in
31:40just so that I could be in my hotel room
31:42and just be guided through this moment of stillness.
31:47Literally on the first day of yoga,
31:50my body just felt different. I had more mobility.
31:53I could breathe, and that was so important.
31:58It made that last leg of my career,
32:00what ended up being the last leg of my career,
32:02just really a pleasure and really smooth and good
32:06and not painful.
32:10My contract was coming up,
32:12and they wanted to renew me for another five years,
32:16and I was like, I don't know what to do.
32:19I felt really fulfilled with the career I had at that point.
32:23I wanted to be a mom, and that was something I've always wanted.
32:28And it was like I almost needed a sign,
32:30and unfortunately the sign came in a not desirable form.
32:34My mom was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma,
32:37and I just, the decision was clear to me
32:40to just, it was time to walk away,
32:42and it was almost like the signal,
32:44like it's time to go home to family.
32:47And I made the decision at 30 to retire,
32:50and I would take my final bow in my hometown of Toronto.
32:54A standing ovation for Trish Stratus' last match.
32:58I was so sad. I remember I was crying.
33:01I couldn't believe that Trish Stratus was retiring.
33:05WWE is such a full-time job.
33:08There's no family planning or caring for your family
33:13while living the life of a full-time WWE superstar.
33:16It's one or the other if you're a female.
33:19Trish was just very definitive in how she wanted to do this,
33:23and whether she felt sad or emotional about it,
33:26she did not feel conflicted.
33:31It's over! It's over! And Trish wins!
33:34I ended up winning the title that night,
33:36and as seven-time champion,
33:38I retired in front of my hometown crowd of Toronto,
33:41in front of my friends and family and colleagues,
33:43and took my final bow and walked away from the business.
33:48Oh, man.
33:49Congratulations, Trish!
33:51There was never anyone any better.
33:55When we left the building that night,
33:57I think she was just genuinely excited more than anything
34:00for the next stage of her life.
34:02I mean, we were getting married three weeks later.
34:06I now pronounce you husband and wife,
34:10and you may now kiss the bride.
34:23We didn't go on a honeymoon after the wedding.
34:25She went straight into the show Armed and Famous.
34:29Go down to Muncie, Indiana as a celebrity and fight crime.
34:33I thought, that would be so cool to do this.
34:36I'm in perpetual motion, and it's because I like it.
34:40I like to explore new things. I like to conquer things.
34:43I like to tackle new challenges and be like,
34:45did that, check, what's next?
34:48I think I thrive on challenge.
34:50I did a travel show that was a passion of mine.
34:53Welcome to the Stratosphere in Bali, Indonesia,
34:56in Vietnam, in Fiji, Buddha!
35:01I got a movie gig.
35:08I was still super busy. I was doing appearances.
35:11Trish Stratus!
35:14The world works in funny ways.
35:16There was a point where, like, I was literally able
35:19to just be by my mom's side during her treatments.
35:22Well, she was my support bucket.
35:24Like, she helped me through, like, treatments
35:27and just being there.
35:29She made me stronger.
35:32It was like we leaned on each other, so it was good.
35:36And, you know, happy to say she's in full remission
35:39and is cancer-free and has been since then.
35:43During that time, it happened to be a phase that slowed down
35:46a minute so that I was able to be with mom.
35:48And then we're like, we're good, we're good.
35:50Okay, I'm going to go do this thing, you know?
35:52And then picked up where I left off and off I went again.
35:56In 2008, we decided to open up a yoga studio,
36:00so I opened up Stratosphere, which at the time
36:02was Canada's largest yoga studio.
36:04However, being the workaholic that I am...
36:08Bend at the waist, bring your elbows to your shins.
36:11I was running ragged. I didn't know I was running ragged
36:13because I was doing my things, I was showing up for work,
36:15I was still doing Trish Stratus stuff.
36:17I had filmed Tough Enough at one point out in L.A.,
36:19so I was still doing stuff for WWE.
36:21And then I remember, I was like, you know, time to have a baby.
36:25I was approaching 40 now at this point.
36:27And then I found out that the schedule that I was keeping
36:30and when I think I was managing it well and it was okay,
36:32I wasn't getting a flare-up in colitis,
36:34so that means I was okay, I was managing it.
36:36But then my body threw a red flag up again and told me,
36:39actually, whatever schedule you're doing now,
36:41yeah, I can't produce another human being.
36:45And it was really tough for us, you know?
36:47And we had infertility issues.
36:51That was probably the hardest thing in her life
36:54that she had to deal with from a mental standpoint.
36:58I mean, it's discouraging.
37:02And it was really tough because I thought I just screwed myself
37:06by being this driven or whatever the stupid word was
37:09that I've just ruined my chance now to become a mom.
37:13The guilt I felt knowing that I might have just missed this chance
37:18was really bad, really overbearing.
37:25When things get too overwhelming and I know my body's throwing up the red flags,
37:28I just do a full stop down.
37:31This schedule that I'm keeping is not conducive with producing a baby.
37:37So I had to slow everything down.
37:41I had to take those moments and focus on that.
37:43That was my new focus, like this laser focus that I always have on whatever project.
37:48I guess my new project was to become pregnant.
37:50And I focused on that and whatever I needed to do to slow down.
37:56Finally, luckily, we conceived naturally.
38:00Nothing that compares to the feeling of becoming a mother for the first time.
38:04And the second time.
38:05But, you know, holding my baby, especially after the struggles that we had.
38:09For us, it was, I mean, that's the greatest moment of your life.
38:15I think as a parent now, I realize how important it is for a parent to be present.
38:20It's a team effort and the kids definitely notice it.
38:24Eventually, like, my dad came back around and was back in, you know,
38:27he'd pop in for Christmas and we'd see him at the holidays and things like that.
38:30So he was present for, in a lot of ways, how's the studio going?
38:34You know, how's this? How's that?
38:36He was not present for a lot of my wrestling things.
38:39Like, didn't come to any events.
38:42And a lot of the times I thought he just was sort of not even paying attention to this career.
38:48And when he passed away, I remember going back to his apartment
38:51and opening up this, you know, like one of his cupboards.
38:55And he had literally like every magazine.
38:57It was so funny.
38:58So I gave these fitness magazines, all these, all the covers, clippings from newspapers.
39:03And it's like, it turns out that he was, oh, I'm going to get emotional now.
39:13So it turns out he was there along the way in his own way.
39:19And he showed up in the way that he could show up.
39:22So that's good.
39:30I make a point of being a present parent.
39:32And it's been the best journey.
39:34It's been the best gig I've had.
39:35Would you like a cup of tea, madame?
39:37Yes.
39:38It took a long time to get over, you know, accepting gigs.
39:40But then having that mom guilt, I finally got over that.
39:43You want a little bit more?
39:44Yes, please.
39:45I realized the importance of my kids seeing me going out and being a go-getter.
39:50It's important for them to see that.
39:51And seeing me being dedicated and passionate about something.
39:55But I never thought I would get back in the ring.
39:58Looking at what the women were doing too, it was pretty awesome to see.
40:02This could be the greatest athlete we've ever had as a WWE Women's Champion.
40:07I remember Ron and I were watching TV.
40:09And there was an advertisement for SummerSlam coming up in Toronto.
40:13So I remember calling Vince and being like, is there maybe a moment here where
40:17I could do a little comeback and face Charlotte in Toronto at SummerSlam?
40:20And he just loved the idea.
40:22I just love to keep going.
40:24I just love new challenges.
40:28She's not been a regular competitor at WWE in 13 years.
40:32It was pretty amazing after all those years to see Trish Stratus come back, period.
40:38But to see her in the ring with Charlotte Flair,
40:41who may go on to be the greatest of all time,
40:45was sort of mind-blowing.
40:48It is a meeting of two eras.
40:50Trish Stratus may have blazed the trail,
40:52but since then, Charlotte Flair has scorched the earth.
40:55You won't ever get to see Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson,
40:59but we got to see Charlotte Flair and Trish Stratus.
41:03I knew that Trish was going to deliver
41:05because I know what she demands out of herself.
41:07As Trish put it, I've been training every night in between my mommy duties
41:10and it's paying off.
41:12I echo the sentiments of the Scotiabank Arena.
41:15This is awesome!
41:20It showed that Trish is still a badass.
41:22She can hang just as good today as she ever did.
41:28She taught me so much in the process of getting to work with her
41:31and one of the greats in the entire company, male or female.
41:38Anytime I think Trish might be done, Trish is not done.
41:42Trish Stratus!
41:44That's the thing, is Trish loves experiences
41:47and loves to see what else can she tackle and what else can she hurdle.
41:51Even if it scares her.
41:53Finding the balance between motherhood and then also being a professional
41:56has been hard, but I think I finally find it and it's a good place to be.
42:00Trish, who came in as just as we thought, another pretty face,
42:03but through hard work and great athletic ability,
42:06Trish is one of the best ever!
42:08Trish is leaving such a huge legacy behind for women in wrestling
42:12to inspire little girls all over the world to dream big.
42:17She's just accomplished so much
42:19and she did it with style and she did it with kindness.
42:24Trish put a smile on people's faces, whether it was in the audience
42:27or in the production truck, she was kind to everyone
42:30and that's the kind of legacy that really matters.
42:34One of my hands down, absolute favorite human beings on the planet.
42:39She's who you want by your side.
42:41She'll brighten your day and she'll pick up your slack
42:45and she'll inspire you.
42:48She's my everything.
42:50Congratulations Trish!
42:53There was never anyone any better!