Exclusive Q&A with Trish
You asked, she answered. Over a seven-day period, fans of WWE Hall of Fame inductee Trish Stratus were invited to ask their questions to the Toronto native. And the response was phenomenal. Between SLAM! Wrestling and TrishStratus.com, hundreds of questions flooded email boxes and Facebook pages. Everything from her in-ring career, questions about her yoga style, to her secrets to her business success was asked. We've narrowed the immense field down to 10 of our favourite questions. Here now is your Q&A with Trish Stratus.Q: Do you miss the hands-on approach of professional wrestling, as in offering your input? -John Wayne Landry
A: I've always been hands on with everything I do. I love that I was able to be hands on with my approach to wrestling and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Thankfully now, with my company and brand, I'm able to be very hands on. That's the approach I've taken with building my brand for the last four years.
Q: What lady wrestlers would you have liked to work with, past or present, EXCLUDING those with the WWE? -Tabercil Whom
A: From the TNA girls, Angelina Love. I think she's awesome in the ring and I think the fans would like to see Angelina Love vs. Trish Stratus. (I may be partial because I'm Canadian). Maybe it could be Angelina vs. Nattie vs. Trish? How about having Sherri Martel manage me? I would've loved to have her manage a heel Trish. We could've done some awesome stuff together. If I could've been in the mix in the 80s, being with Wendi Richter in a tag team and managed by Cyndi Lauper would've been cool. It would've been like Rock and Hogan!
Q: Do you see yourself doing any more movies and possibly getting involved with television shows? -Stephen Feldstein
A: I've done a lot of reality shows between Armed and Famous, Second City's Next Comedy Legend and eventually Stratusphere. I've had the chance to be 'Trish Stratus' on TV with a number of guest spots on various TV show. But, I must say, I did get the bug after filming my movie Bounty Hunters. I like producing moments is what it comes down to. As with wrestling, you're producing moments and that's what I love to do.
Q: How on earth did you survive the brutal hardcore match you had against Victoria at Survivor Series 2002? -Brian Westcott
Good question! After watching it again recently I had the same question! I forgot how brutal it was. It was where we were at the time. It got to the point where we had to go (hardcore). The way our matches were going, it was only natural for us to end up in that territory, but you know when you're going in that you're going to be more bruised and battered than normal. Watching it back, I cringed at every moment, but I am very proud to have had the moment with my dear friend Victoria.
Q: When you consider the talent of the women's division when you were in the WWE, with yourself, Lita, Molly, Victoria, Jazz, Mickie James, Gail Kim etc. They seem more intent on hiring models and try and pass them off as wrestlers instead of finding actual wrestlers. Is it hard to see what the Women's Division has become since you left? -Steve Long
A: I still have hopes for the Women's Division. A lot of people are down on it, and to be honest I think we could be at a good starting point. You have to remember, there was the peak of Women's wrestling and then we all left. I retired, then Amy was gone then Mickie was gone, and eventually Victoria, so you were really starting from scratch. I do think there hasn't been a proper time given to rebuilding it. However, if you look at the current division, you have Kaitlyn – a strong worker with personality, AJ's fantastic – she's a firecracker, you've got Tamina, Nattie... you've got Layla who just gets it in the ring – I think we have a great foundation, perhaps even at a point where the next golden era can be built."
Q: If WWE ever offered, would you work behind the scenes as a creative member/trainee for the current and up-coming Diva's to improve the division? -Justin Medeiros
A: I would love that opportunity. You saw on Tough Enough, we were finding the next WWE superstar and Diva, and they had to bring in a woman. There's just some stuff that we know by experience, and sometimes, it's just different than what works for the men. I'd love the opportunity to work with some of the up-and-coming Divas, like during Tough Enough – I really enjoyed that experience, to be able to give a little of what I learned over the year. What I'd like actually is to work on creative for the girls.
Q: What was your reaction after learning that the WWE had retired the Women's Championship to unify it with the Diva's Championship? -Eric
A: A lot of people figured I'd be disappointed, but to be honest I thought it was fitting. It retired an era. I think what the women were doing at that time was a bit different than what we were doing. We represented different things at that time. The Diva's Championship ushered in a new era, and it's still new. I think potentially it could be built to great things, and hey, at the end of the day, it's the one thing on my bucket list I haven't accomplished, so who knows? There's a division I haven't competed in yet...
Q: Hi Trish, how did you pick your entrance music and what was the best part of being a heel in 2004? -Vik
A: I was a huge fan of Lil' Kim and when we were talking about my song, I wanted something cool, something hip-hop. We had to decide first if we were going to go with a male or female musician, and Lil' Kim was at the top of my list. Did I think we could get her? No… then I got the news. She wrote the music, I got the chance to read the lyrics, and I thought the song was very cool. I actually get asked a lot whether the giggle at the top is me or Lil' Kim… what do you think?
Q: Is there any wrestling moves you would have loved to have been able to try that you never got to? -Kyle Desjardin
A: I actually can do a heck of a moonsault that no one got to see it. There was definitely that thing moment of a heel stealing a babyface's finisher, but back in the day, me and Fit were really keen on maintaining the integrity of everyone's moveset. Every girl had their unique repertoire and moveset. This is what I believe helps define you as a wrestler, as a character.
Q: Hey Trish! Just had an idea that I simply had to ask I've always wanted to see you and The Rock star in a movie together think it would be so awesome is there any chance that that might happen? -Arthur
A: Well, I concur! That would be cool to see! We had the chance to team up in a main event match against Kurt Angle and Vince McMahon and I think as a team we did great work. We had great on-screen chemistry and I think that could translate really well on the big screen. We could do an action/comedy – I think that would be a lot of fun. He's a good friend of mine and he'd be a pleasure to work with again.
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