WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus recently sat down with Chris Van Vliet on Insight for an in-depth conversation covering the defining moments of her career and her mindset on future ring returns. During the interview, Stratus detailed how an impromptu modeling session turned into the legendary SmackDown 2: Know Your Role loading screen, the pressure of performing immediately after The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18, and her strict standard for taking on future matches.
The Origin of the Iconic SmackDown 2 Loading Screen
One of the most recognizable visuals from the WWE Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras is the classic SmackDown 2: Know Your Role loading screen featuring Trish Stratus in a zebra-print jacket. Stratus revealed that the photo shoot occurred before she even made her official on-screen debut, while WWE was still finalizing her work visa and creative plans.
“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.”
Following The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18 in Toronto
At WrestleMania 18 in 2002, held at the SkyDome in her hometown of Toronto, Stratus competed in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Women’s Championship against Lita and reigning champion Jazz. The match was placed in the formidable semi-main event slot, directly following the legendary Icon vs. Icon match between The Rock and “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan.
Stratus recalled the tense atmosphere in the Gorilla position right before walking out to the electric Toronto crowd:
“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, sht, 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.”
Maximizing Limited Screen Time and Gimmick Matches
Early in her career, the women’s division was frequently booked in brief matches or gimmick concepts like the Thanksgiving Gravy Bowl match against Stacy Keibler. Stratus discussed how she and her rival Amy Dumas (Lita) worked to elevate their time, focusing heavily on character work and storytelling to make short segments memorable.
“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 sht’ chants. That was cool.”*
“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.”
Standards for Returning to the Ring
When asked about potential future matches, the multi-time Women’s Champion made it clear that she will only step back into a WWE ring if she can perform at peak level. She explained her process before accepting the invitation for the historic 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble match, emphasizing that she tests her conditioning in secret before committing.
“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 sht? 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.”
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