Trish Stratus' 'First Crush Live' in Toronto review

On Friday, August 21st, 2026, I had the honor of attending the Trish Stratus "First Crush Tour" event at the legendary Second City in downtown Toronto. It was a fitting celebration of Trish's 26+ year career as a WWE Hall of Fame superstar.

My name is John Canton of TJRWrestling.net, I've been writing about pro wrestling for over two decades, and I traveled over two hours to see Trish and attend WWE SmackDown later that night.

The perfect way to kick off SmackDown

Doors opened at 1 p.m., with a VIP Meet N Greet scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The "main event" was a Chris Van Vliet interview with Stratus at 4 p.m., followed by an additional Meet N Greet, which would give the crowd plenty of time to get to WWE SmackDown later that night. SmackDown at the Scotiabank Arena was only a 5-minute walk away, which made this the ultimate pre-show! I arrived around 1:45 p.m.


Photo: Fabian Di Corica

For those who got there early, Second City had a special menu curated by Trish herself. Items included a Stratusfaction Smash Burger, Chick Kickin' Fingers, First Crush Sushi, and a StratusBerry Flaky for dessert, to name a few. Normally I'm a burger guy in that setting, but after eating a burger the night before, I made a smarter choice by going with the Chick Kickin' Fingers, which was tasty and filling. It seemed like many others were choosing different items from the menu, too.

While waiting for the Meet N Greet to start, I had several conversations with fans about their WWE fandom, especially their support for Trish. Some brought multiple items to sign, including championship belts, posters, cards, action figures, and more. I enjoyed hearing stories from people about how they saw Trish in action as far back as her rookie year in 2000, and many of them were also at the retirement match at Unforgiven 2006 in Toronto. Many of us, including me, were also at Elimination Chamber 2025 in Toronto when Stratus teamed up with Tiffany Stratton to win a tag team match. Tiffy Time? More like Trishy Time!

Checking out the Trish-tory Museum

Photo: Fabian Di Corica

At Second City, Trish and her team set up a "Trish-tory Museum" that looked incredible, with some of her famous wrestling gear on display and photos of championships and key career moments. There was an entire section showcasing most of her iconic hometown Toronto appearances, including the gear from SummerSlam 2019 versus Charlotte Flair and the pink boots she wore when Kane chokeslammed Trish in '05. It was also really cool to see the extremely long, infamous Hall of Fame speech scroll, which literally had dozens and dozens of names on it because they were all people who had a tremendous impact on Trish's career.

There was also a merchandise stand featuring WWE items, including specific Trish items such as her most recent calendars, her Funko Pops, a selection of photos, and, of course, the new Chalk Line x Trish Stratus jacket, which dropped that day exclusively at the First Crush Pop-Up Shop. The jacket features the famous video game loading-screen image of Trish that fans of the WWE "SmackDown Know Your Role" video games will certainly remember. I noticed several fans at the event bought the jacket, which looked very impressive.

Meeting Trish

The line of VIPers to meet Trish was long. She gave each person as much time as they needed to talk, take photos, sign items, and make them feel at home. Watching Trish at work makes you realize she has an incredible gift for making each individual feel like a friend, which is why her fans feel a special connection to her. Since Trish was a wrestling fan herself growing up, she knows what it means for fans to meet someone they admired in the ring.

When I had a chance to talk with Trish, I told her how great it was to see her family supporting her and that I thought the turnout was awesome. I also spoke about a personal health journey I was on, which was related to a past meeting I had with her over two years ago. She said some encouraging things to me, which was not a surprise, and it certainly lifted my spirits. We took some photos on my phone. She signed a photo for me, and she also had a photographer there to take professional photos. While I wish we could have talked more, it's important to be respectful and allow others their time too.

CVV sits down with Trish

Photo: Steve Argintaru

The "main event" was the Chris Van Vliet interview with Trish Stratus, which took place on the Second City mainstage. Shoutout to Mocha Frap from Toronto's KiSS 92.5 for the great introduction too. Trish's family was in the crowd, and Chris' parents were there to support him. The venue was just the right size, so it felt like we were all close to the stage and able to interact with them on stage as well.

There were a few times when audience members shouted or chanted things (like wrestling fans tend to do), which Trish would stop and react to, giving it a fun, interactive feel. I admit there was a moment when I shouted "Acknowledge Trish" when she was talking about her finger-point-in-the-air pose, which may be associated with another famous wrestler these days. Trish did it first! We all know that.

Regarding the interview itself, I don't want to give too much away so you can enjoy the watch yourself - which I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Trish came off very relaxed and casual, and she showed off her humorous side as usual. It was great to hear Trish tell stories about things we've seen on WWE TV, going back 26 years to when she started, and to hear her perspective. We learned about things like her first television promo, the infamous chair shot she was involved in, and her love of selling wrestling moves. Also, Trish is very "punny" since she loves puns. Trust me.

It was very insightful to hear Trish talk about her 2023 feud with Becky Lynch, which culminated in an incredible Steel Cage Match. I particularly liked hearing Trish discuss a viral moment that happened before the match, yet she had no idea it would turn out to be as big as it was. When you get to see/hear the interview, you'll know what I mean when they discuss it.


Photo: Fabian Di Corica

After about 60 minutes, the interview with Trish and Chris wrapped up. They took a few photos on stage with us in the background, and it was a cool moment for all of us as a group. After the interview, Trish continued meeting and greeting, but since I had finished mine, I left the venue. I'm not sure how long she stayed. However, I know, as a Trish fan, that she made sure Stratusfaction was delivered as usual.

Final thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed Trish's First Crush Live in Toronto. I think it was a nice touch to have the menu, merchandise from her career, and the meet & greet alongside the interview. Many fans would likely have been happy just to attend an interview like that, but when you add in everything else Trish and her team did for us, it made it a very fun afternoon. I think most of us left the event completely Stratusfied and will be back whenever it happens again.

I want to thank TrishStratus.com for allowing me the opportunity to write this. Thank you, Trish Stratus, for being the inspirational, kind, funny, and wonderful person you are.