Exclusive: Stephanie McMahon honored to induct Trish Stratus into WWE Hall of Fame
Photo: WWE
With mere days left until WrestleMania weekend, Twitter was abuzz with talk of the biggest weekend in sports entertainment; and while WWE's brightest stars were causing quite a commotion, it was two legendary Divas that were causing the biggest stir – Trish Stratus and Stephanie McMahon.
As the women shared memories (and threats of another WrestleMania encounter), fans were treated to one of the most unique methods for a WWE Hall of Fame Inductee to ask for someone to be their inductor.
"I'd be honored if @StephMcMahon would be a part of the biggest nite of my career & inducts me into @WWE #HOF," Trish Tweeted, "Steph will u do me the honor?"
Stephanie responded, naturally, positively. "@trishstratuscom: Yes!!! It would be my pleasure to induct one of the greatest Divas of all time in to the #WWEHOF #overwhelmed #honored."
"As the Hall of Fame is a nod to what one has accomplished in their career, my mind naturally went to Stephanie as there would have never been a Women's Division to win seven championships and create lasting memories in, without her continuous support of the women in our company," Trish said following the announcement. "To watch Stephanie evolve into the businesswoman she is today is inspiring, and I have a deep respect for her. She is a wonderful role model to not only women but men as well, especially as a successful woman in a male-dominated world – it's empowering to see what she's achieved! From the days of our feud and since retiring we have remained very close friends and she has supported me wholeheartedly in my post-WWE endeavours. I can't think of a better way to say ‘thank you' to her for the start I got in this business and for giving me the platform to achieve all that I dreamed of achieving."
Picking a highlighted time between the two femme fatales in the ring was quite easy for McMahon. As longtime fans will recall, Trish and Stephanie mixed it up in late 2000/early 2001 in an angle which involved Stephanie's father, Vince McMahon. It became a forgone conclusion that the two would tangle in the ring, which they did at No Way Out in 2001.
"It's hard to believe that it was a little over 10 years ago that Trish and I were in storylines together," Stephanie said in an exclusive interview with TrishStratus.com. "We had a lot of fun together. I said it in my Tweet last night – she was my favourite person to slap."
"We both started around the same time, we were both ‘green' as you would say," McMahon recalled, "Trish went on to become an incredible Diva in the ring… but we had the opportunity to start in a similar place. To be able to tell the story that we told was quite an amazing opportunity at a really entertaining, attitudinal time in our business."
Of course, both Trish and Stephanie would evolve from their on-screen roles, becoming leaders in their respective industries – Trish as the proprietor of Stratusphere, a lifestyle brand and spokesperson for brands like New Balance and Liquid Nutrition, and Stephanie as the Executive Vice President of Creative of WWE, a portfolio that includes creative, digital and social realms. In talking about Trish's acumen, from one business woman to another, Stephanie is quick to applaud the Torontonian's efforts.
"That's one of the things that is so remarkable about Trish. It's not common, in anyone really, to be able to develop their own brand on television and then know how to market that brand to audiences all around the world," McMahon says. "To take Trish Stratus and the Stratusphere and turn it into an actual business that is successful and also allows you to continue to raise your profile as you market different products, and become more involved in many different opportunities."
"Trish is truly a business woman, and as a business woman, I appreciate and respect that, especially as Trish has really done that on her own. She is a strong, powerful, smart woman, and we need more women in leadership roles."
Stephanie McMahon will induct Trish Stratus into the WWE Hall of Fame this coming Saturday. Stay tuned to TrishStratus.com for more exclusive coverage of Trish's induction.
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