Patricia Anne Stratigias (December 18, 1975), is a professional wrestler, actress and television personality known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring name Trish Stratus.
Fitness modelling[]
Stratigias grew up in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada where she attended Bayview Secondary School. She enrolled at York University, where she studied biology and kinesiology and played soccer and field hockey. Due to a faculty strike in 1997, she was forced to change her plans. She was working as a receptionist at a local gym when she was approached by the publisher of MuscleMag International to do a test shoot for the magazine. She later appeared on the cover of the May 1998 issue and was signed to a two-year contract. For the next six months, she worked on her body and appeared on numerous magazine covers. During this time, she joined Big Daddy Donnie & Jeff Marek as the third host of Live Audio Wrestling on Toronto Sports Radio, The FAN 590.
Stratigias had been a fan of wrestling since her childhood and her modeling work caught the attention of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In November 1999 she was signed to a multi-year contract with the company, who sent her to Sully's Gym where she was trained by Ron Hutchinson.
Professional wrestling career[]
T & A and relationship with Vince McMahon (2000–2001)[]
Stratigias made her debut as a Heel on the March 19, 2000 episode of Sunday Night Heat, under the ring name Trish Stratus. She appeared on stage to scout WWF Superstars, in particular Test and Prince Albert. The next night on Raw Stratus began her first role in the company, managing Test and Albert in the tag team T & A. It was during her stint managing T & A that Stratus took her first major bump in the ring, being driven through a table by the Dudley Boyz at Backlash after she had been taunting Bubba Ray Dudley for several weeks. She also began managing Val Venis to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship but their partnership ended at SummerSlam after Venis lost the title.
Stratus made her in-ring debut on the June 20 taping of SmackDown!, winning a tag team match with T & A against the Hardy Boyz and Lita. A storyline feud between Stratus and Lita developed after the match with Stratus attacking Lita on episodes of Raw and SmackDown!, leading to an Indian Strap match on the July 24 edition of Raw which Stratus won with help from Stephanie McMahon. She finished the year competing unsuccessfully for the WWF Women's Championship numerous times, and leaving Test and Albert when the team disbanded.
In early 2001, Stratus became involved in an angle with WWF Chairman Vince McMahon, during a time when Vince's wife Linda was kayfabe institutionalized following a demand Vince had made for a divorce during an episode of SmackDown! on December 7, 2000. Vince and Stratus' relationship increasingly angered the boss' daughter, Stephanie McMahon. At No Way Out on February 25, Stratus and Stephanie squared off, with Stephanie scoring the victory after a run-in by William Regal. In the midst of a tag team match that pitted Vince and Stratus against Regal and Stephanie the next night on Raw, Stratus was the victim of a set-up by Vince, Stephanie and Regal. Regal executed his finisher, the Regal Cutter, on Stratus and Stephanie then dumped sewage over Stratus' body. Vince stood over Stratus, and he told her she was a toy with which he had grown tired of playing and the it was over. The angle continued the next week on Raw with Vince forcing Stratus to strip down to her lingerie in the ring and bark like a dog. The storyline came to an end at WrestleMania X-Seven when Stratus slapped Vince during his match against his son Shane, becoming a fan favorite in the process.
Women's Champion (2001–2003)[]
Stratus then began wrestling full-time. She won a Bra and Panties tag team match with Lita against Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson at InVasion. After suffering an ankle injury in the summer, however, she was sidelined for three months. As she rehabilitated, she kept herself visible by co-hosting Excess on TNN. After returning in autumn, Stratus appeared at Survivor Series, where she won the WWF Women's Championship for the first time in a six-pack challenge. Stratus was next involved in a feud with Jazz over the Women's Championship, where she was booked to retain the title at the Royal Rumble but being booked to lose the belt to Jazz two weeks later on the February 4, 2002 edition of Raw. Stratus then went after the title for several months, even competing in a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania X8 against Lita and Jazz in her hometown of Toronto, Canada but failed to win the match. While chasing after the Women's title, Stratus won the WWE Hardcore Championship on May 6, pinning Crash Holly after Bubba Ray Dudley hit him over the head with a trash can. She, however, lost the title to Steven Richards soon afterward due to the stipulation that the belt was defended 24/7 as long as there was a referee present. One week later, she regained the Women's Title in a tag team match with Bubba Ray Dudley. During this time, Stratus began wrestling solely on the Raw brand after being drafted in the WWF Brand Extension.
Stratus' second reign as champion came to an end on June 23 when she was defeated at King of the Ring by Molly Holly. The two Divas continued their storyline feud for the next three months. After a failed attempt to win the title in July, Stratus won back the championship at Unforgiven. While feuding with Holly, Stratus was also involved in an angle with new Diva Victoria who had held a storyline grudge against Stratus, claiming she was betrayed by Stratus when they worked as fitness models. The two competed in several title matches, with Stratus retaining until Survivor Series where Victoria won the belt in a Hardcore match. On March 17, 2003, Victoria and Steven Richards defeated Jazz and Stratus in tag team competition. After the match, Jeff Hardy saved Stratus from an attack by both Victoria and Richards. In the following weeks, Stratus and Hardy were shown talking backstage and fighting as tag team partners. The storyline, however, was dropped when Hardy was released from WWE.
At WrestleMania XIX, Stratus defeated Victoria and Jazz to capture her fourth Women's Championship only to lose the title to Jazz at the following pay-per-view, Backlash. In the following months, Stratus was placed into an alliance with Gail Kim. It was short-lived, though, as Kim turned heel on Stratus and teamed with Molly Holly, putting the women in a storyline feud. The duo defeated Stratus and several tag team partners until Stratus began to partner with a returning Lita. The team defeated Kim and Holly in several matches, including a match at Unforgiven.
Teaming and feuding with Lita (2003–2005)[]
Stratus began a romance with Chris Jericho during the November 10 edition of Raw when she agreed to go on a date with him. Subsequently, they participated in an intergender tag team match as partners on December 1. After the match, Stratus overheard Jericho talking to Christian, who was involved in an on-screen romance with Lita at the time, about who could sleep with their respective woman first. One week later, Stratus and Lita confronted the men about their actions, leading to a feud between the two men and women which resulted in a "Battle of the Sexes" match at Armageddon, which the women lost. A rematch the next night ended in a no contest. Her relationship with Jericho continued into the next year with a new angle of Jericho developing feelings for Stratus. During a match at WrestleMania XX, however, Stratus turned heel by betraying Jericho and siding with Christian. The duo feuded with Jericho for several months and competed in a handicap match at Backlash. The team of Stratus and Christian were joined by "problem solver" Tyson Tomko the next night on Raw.
Stratus was booked to win the WWE Women's Championship for a fifth time at Bad Blood on June 13. She defended the title until she suffered a legitimate broken hand in July that caused her to be out of action for approximately a month. Upon her return, she continued to defend the title against numerous challengers before losing the championship to Lita on December 6 when both women wrestled in the main event of Raw for the championship, in which Lita delivered a finishing low blow to Stratus' groin. Stratus recaptured the Women's Championship a month later at New Year's Revolution after Lita suffered a legitimate injury during a rematch. A new angle was then developed between Stratus and 2004 Raw Diva Search winner Christy Hemme; with Stratus expressing jealousy of Hemme's Playboy magazine exposure. During the unveiling of Christy's Playboy magazine cover, the evil Stratus attacked Hemme and spray painted the word "slut" across her back. Stratus was challenged by Hemme, who later revealed she was being trained by Lita, for a title match at WrestleMania 21 and was successful in retaining the title.
Stratus's biggest fan and retirement (2005–2006)[]
In May 2005, Stratus was sidelined with the Women's Championship after suffering a groin injury, with the explanation that Viscera had injured her at Backlash after she berated him for losing to Lita's (at the time/now ex-husband) husband Kane. She returned to Raw in September, once again portraying her face persona by siding with Ashley Massaro against Vince's Devils. The feud also involved the debuting Diva Mickie James who introduced herself as Stratus' biggest fan. On the Eddie Guerrero Tribute Show, Stratus took part in an interpromotional Diva battle royal that was won by SmackDown! Diva Melina. The next week, MNM kidnapped Stratus, tightly tying up her body and taping her mouth so that she couldn't speak while Melina challenged the captive Stratus to a match for the Women's Championship, before using her powerful legs to kick Trish in the head while Mercury and Nitro held her. This would leave Trish laid out prone on the floor, still tightly tied up after being dominated by the trio. The two fought at Survivor Series, with Stratus defeating Melina after interference from Mickie James. Stratus and James continued teaming together in late 2005 while James' character became increasingly obsessed with Stratus. On the December 26 episode of Raw, the storyline between Stratus and James developed into a romantic relationship when James initiated an intimate kiss with Stratus under a sprig of mistletoe, causing a surprised Stratus to flee the locker room.
The angle between Stratus and James continued into 2006, with the two Divas competing against each other in a title match at New Year's Revolution, where Stratus emerged victorious. Despite the defeat, James continued to be enamored of Stratus which made her feel uncomfortable. On March 6, 2006, Stratus confronted James, telling her that she needed space. The duo briefly reconciled on the March 18 Saturday Night's Main Event, teaming together to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria. James, however, turned on Stratus after the match and began to attack her. A match at WrestleMania 22 saw Stratus lose the Women's Championship to James. During a rematch at Backlash, Stratus suffered a legitimate dislocated shoulder after taking a bump to the outside of the ring. While she was rehabilitating for six weeks, she continued to appear on-screen.
Stratus returned to the ring on June 26 and started a romantic angle with Carlito after he saved her from a double team attack by Melina and Johnny Nitro. They competed as a team and won a mixed tag team match against Melina and Nitro at Saturday Night's Main Event on July 15. As a couple, Stratus and Carlito briefly feuded with WWE Champion Edge and Lita after the pair interrupted Stratus' title match with Mickie James. The two couples competed in several tag team matches, with Stratus and Carlito jobbing to Edge and Lita each time. In late August, Lita stated that Stratus would retire following Unforgiven, which was later confirmed by Stratus. At the pay-per-view on September 17, in her hometown of Toronto, Stratus defeated Lita with fellow Canadian Bret Hart's signature submission maneuver, the Sharpshooter, to win her seventh Women's Championship and retire as champion.
Part time appearances (2007–2009)[]
Stratus made a special appearance on December 10, 2007 during Raw's 15th Anniversary special along with Lita, interrupting Jillian Hall as she sang by attacking her and then celebrating with Lita. Stratus made another special appearance on the May 5, 2008 episode of Raw, as the event took place from her hometown, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She took part in a backstage segment involving Ron Simmons and Trevor Murdoch. Stratus wrestled her first match in over two years on the December 22, 2008 episode of Raw. She and John Cena defeated Santino Marella and his former on-screen protégé Beth Phoenix in a mixed tag team match. Stratus also served as the guest hostess of the September 14, 2009 edition Raw in her home town of Toronto. After a confrontation backstage with Phoenix and former character beau Chris Jericho, she participated in what would be a six-person tag team match with MVP and Mark Henry to defeat Phoenix, Jericho, and The Big Show.
Return to World Wrestling Entertainment (2011–2012)[]
Trish made a surprise appearance at the 2011 Elimination Chamber pay per view to announce that she will be a trainer on the new WWE Tough Enough. At the same event she stopped LayCool's attack on the recently re-hired Kelly Kelly.
Trish wrestled her first match since 2009 on the March 14, 2011 edition of Raw against Vickie Guerrero in a losing effort, due to interference from LayCool and Dolph Ziggler. After the match, John Morrison and Raw guest star of the night Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi (from the MTV series Jersey Shore) came to the aid of Trish. Vickie then challenged Trish, Morrison and Snooki to a match at WrestleMania XXVII against the team of LayCool and Ziggler, to which Snooki agreed on behalf of Trish and Morrison. On the March 21 episode of Raw, Trish teamed with John Morrison to take on Laycool, Vickie Guerrero & Dolph Ziggler in a losing effort. At WrestleMania XXVII Trish, Snooki & Morrison defeated LayCool & Ziggler. The night after WrestleMania, Stratus & Morrison teamed up again to once again defeat Ziggler & Vickie. She appeared on the June 6 episode of Raw in a backstage segment with fellow Tough Enough trainer Booker T before being interrupted by Jack Swagger . She appeared on the September 16 episode of SmackDown in a backstage segment with Edge and Christian. On July 23, 2012 she appeared on Raw's 1000th episode in a backstage segment with DX.
WWE Hall of Famer (2013-present)[]
On the January 28, 2013 episode of Raw, Stratus was announced as a WWE Hall of Fame inductee as part of the 2013 class, making her the youngest Hall of Fame inductee ever. Stephanie McMahon was chosen by Stratus to induct her into the Hall of Fame. At the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Stratus revealed she was pregnant and was delivering some "stratusfaction" in 9 months.
On January 22, 2018, in the Raw 25 Years special episode, Stratus was honored as part of a segment involving women considered legends that contributed to the company's success, including the Bella Twins, Kelly Kelly, Lilian Garcia, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, Maryse, Terri Runnels, Maria Kanellis and sister Hall of Famer Jacqueline. Six days later Stratus returned to the ring as part of the 2018 Royal Rumble, entering the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match. This marked Stratus' first in-ring match appearance in seven years since last wrestling in 2011. During the rumble match, Stratus eliminated previous rival Mickie James and later Natalya before she was eliminated by Sasha Banks.
Seven months later, Stratus returned during the August 27 episode of Monday Night RAW held in her hometown of Toronto, Canada. Her appearance was in response to Elias's insulting in-ring segment. She announced a reminder that she would meet Alexa Bliss at the upcoming Evolution event. After slapping the face of Elias, Stratus was joined by Ronda Rousey and Natalya and together forced Elias to cede and vacate the ring. On orders from Alexa Bliss, Alicia Fox went on to wrestle against Natalya, with Mickie James and Bliss in her corner. However, Stratus and Rousey in Natalya's corner chased off Bliss and James to allow Natalya to successfully defeat Alicia Fox with the Sharpshooter submission. Stratus returned to the ring on October 28 during the first annual Evolution pay-per-view, teaming with sister Hall of Famer Lita in a tag match defeating Alicia Fox & Mickie James. The following night during the October 29 episode of RAW, Stratus returned to the ring teaming with Lita, Bayley, Natalya and Sasha Banks in a tag match defeating Alicia Fox, Mickie James & The Riott Squad (Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott & Sarah Logan).
During mid-2019, Stratus returned to WWE and entered a short feud with Charlotte Flair as she began proclaiming herself the Queen of Professional Wrestling. At SummerSlam Stratus was defeated in her hometown of Toronto, Canada by Flair.
Personal life[]
Stratigias is of Greek and Polish descent and is the eldest daughter of John and Alice Stratigias. Her sisters are named Christie and Melissa.
Stratigias married her high school sweetheart and boyfriend of fourteen years, Ron Fisico, on September 30, 2006. Guests in attendance at her wedding included former WWE Divas Lilian Garcia, Lita, Ivory, Molly Holly, Torrie Wilson, Victoria, Maria Kanellis, Ashley Massaro, and Mickie James. Her bridal gown was featured on a cover of Today's Bride magazine. Shortly after the wedding, Stratus got the call to be a part of Armed & Famous, so she filmed the show instead of going on her honeymoon. She has declined to pose nude for Playboy, preferring to be remembered for her wrestling career.
At the Hall of Fame ceremony in 2013, Stratigias announced that her and her husband, Ron, were expecting a baby in September 2013.
Stratigias has also been involved with numerous charities such as Ronald McDonald House, Dreams Take Flight and the Special Olympics. On March 29, 2008, she participated in the Island Triathlon Series as part of a celebrity relay team to help raise money for Dignitas International. She is best friends with Amy Dumas (Lita), and she named Dumas as her son Maximus's godmother.
Trivia[]
- After getting her BA from York University, Stratus planned to attend medical school but her schooling was ended by a professor's strike.
- Stratus once guest-starred on a 2004 episode of MAD TV. She also took part in Montreal's Just for Laugh's festival and hosted the CBC series Second City's Next Comedy Legend.
- Growing up, Stratus spent her summers wrestling with her sister and her cousins.
- Stratus' honeymoon began in Greece and ended in London.
- Ivory, Victoria, Lita, and Molly Holly were guests at Stratus' wedding.
Quotes[]
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Women can be sexy, and we can get in there and wrestle, too.
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People that meet me find I'm a lot different than they thought I'd be... I'm quirky and I'm silly. I'm a real goofball.
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When I first went into the ring, there was no one in the women's division and people had no interest in it. The first few times all anyone in the crowd ever said was, 'Show us your puppies (breasts)'... Now the crowd is counting along with every one of the false finishes. They respect what I've done and it's re-sparked an interest in women's wrestling, which I've luckily been able to do because (the writers) have done a great job developing my character.
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I kind of molded my body after comic-book superheroes, especially Witchblade.
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My career has been buoyed by the support of the fans… so whenever the fans feel like they need some more Stratusfaction, all they have to do is let me know. It’s just like the Bat signal… let me know, and I’ll be there.
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I really believe that it's the fans that make us. If the fans didn't cheer for me, then I wouldn't be popular. I really depend on the fans to get behind me. When I feel the energy in the crowd, that's what gets me going in the ring.
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when you combine WWE and my prior fitness modeling, the last decade of my life has been lived on the road...traveling, being away from home and just working... I’ve done all of my growing up... I’ve become a woman on the road.
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My image is that of a blond bombshell with big boobs. But I think fans want to see the wrestlers' real personalities. I think my character is really established, so it would be nice to try to (put some humour into her role).
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It's always more fun being the bad girl. A lot of what I did really worked for me and the fans responded. There are parts of me that are superbitch and those were the elements that I applied to those roles.
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On her WWE career:
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It's been such a crazy ride. These people became my second family. It's a textbook story with a fairytale ending.
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On her time on Armed & Famous:
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It was a crazy grind we were all on. It was funny because everyone was burnt out. I was the only one who sucked it up and wasn't getting sick and run down... You see, the WWE schedule did something good for me. After doing [WWE's] schedule, this was nothing.
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Every time I arrested someone, they'd be like, 'Damn, I can't believe I got arrested by Trish Stratus.' Like they were proud of that. Man, that's awful.
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In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- Signature moves
- Spinebuster
- Lou Thesz press followed by multiple punches
- Diving Crossbody
- Super Frankensteiner
- Wrestlers managed
- Wrestlers trained
- Theme music
Championships and accomplishments[]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Woman of the Year (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)
- World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
- WWE Women's Championship (7 times)
- WWF/E Hardcore Championship (1 time)
- WWE Babe of the Year (2001, 2002, 2003)
- WWE Hall Of Fame (2013)
