Trish Stratus returned to WWE in a more prominent role in 2023. Though she’s had various matches over the years and really short stints, last year marked her first time on the road with the company since before she retired in 2006. Stratus returned at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles where she dawned a recreation of her WrestleMania 21 gear, teaming with then WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Lita and Becky Lynch.ย
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After that match she would fill in for real-life best friend Lita who had been injured backstage on the Monday Night Raw a week later. She and Lynch lost the match, allowing Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez to win the tag team titles. Stratus turned on Lynch after that match, setting up one of the most memorable rivalries in 2023. In almost a six months long rivalry and 1-1 singles win, the feud culminated at WWE Payback in September.ย
The match was a steel cage match, something not new to Lynch who has settled a lot of grudge matches inside of a cage but it was certainly new to the WWE Hall of Famer Stratus. Lynch ended up picking up the victory during that match with a Manhandle Slam off the top rope. Lynch recently opened up about working with Stratus and how proud she is of the work they did in the steel cage.
“I think it’s always going to be a little bit mind-blowing, growing up as a fan of somebody, that you get to work alongside them. It was incredible,” Lynch saidย on theย Casual Podcast with Brad Tate. “We’ve said for many years that she’s one of the greatest of all time and she proved it through sheer work ethic and fearlessness. I am so proud of that cage match we had at Payback. I think it’s one of my favorite matches that I’ve ever had, and what an honor to be able to do that with Trish Stratus.”
Stratus hasn’t been on WWE programming since, but she’s been teasing a potential return to the ring in 2024. Zoey Stark, Stratus’ ex-protege talked to Comicbook.com about a potential pay-off to their scuffle at the end of WWE Payback when Stark turned on Stratus, giving her a Z-360. “She has taught me so much within the short amount of time that we were really working together. I really do hope at some point down the line that her and I get to finish our story,” Stark said. “We didn’t really get that opportunity after me giving her the Z-360 to continue on of doing a singles match between the two of us. Hopefully, fingers crossed that sometime down the road, we get to do that.”
