Posted on 8/28/126 by Colin Vassallo
Trish Stratus sat 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!
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, we’re 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.”
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. 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 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 SkyDome 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.”
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 [Lita] 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.”
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.”