Sunil Joseph on March 19, 2023
Trish Stratus is one of the most celebrated women’s wrestlers of all time, having won seven WWE Women’s Championships and headlined several pay-per-views. She is also a WWE Hall of Famer and a fan favorite who has returned to the ring on multiple occasions.
But back in 2004, Trish Stratus was involved in a controversial storyline that saw her turn heel and betray Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 20. The shocking twist came after months of build-up that suggested Jericho and Stratus would end up as a couple.
In a recent interview with the Getting Over podcast, Trish Stratus revealed that the original plan was for her and Jericho to become “Trishtopher”, a quirky Canadian comedy duo that fans would love. However, Vince McMahon decided to change things up on the night of WrestleMania 20 because he felt that fans wanted them together so badly that they would never expect Trish to turn.
“There are a couple of crazy things. I believe everything happens for a reason. During that storyline, it was supposed to be, the whole beginning of the storyline was for Chris Jericho and I to end up together and we were going to be Trishtopher, and we were this quirky Canadian comedy duo, which people get annoyed with but find endearing. That was supposed to be the whole thing.
When Vince came to us, the night of WrestleMania, and said, ‘I think we’re going to change things up. We’re going to have…’ and he explained I would go heel. ‘What? This is so many months of storyline to get to this moment.’ We were excited about it. We thought fans wanted this, and they did, and that’s why he changed it. Fans wanted it so bad, he thought no one ever expected me to turn. For me, personally, it was a great moment and I was able to turn,” Trish said.
The heel turn led to Trish aligning herself with Christian, who was Jericho’s rival and former tag team partner. The three of them continued their feud for several weeks until Christian suffered an injury that sidelined him for months.
Trish said that Christian’s injury helped her character because she became “the one” instead of “a side piece”. She also praised Jericho for being a great performer and storyteller who helped her grow as a wrestler.
“That was the first change that allowed for something positive,” she continued. “Christian ended up getting injured, I hate to say it, it helped my character because I wasn’t a side piece anymore, I was ‘the one.’ It was basically Jericho vs. Trish Stratus.
The guys were fighting on my behalf, maybe Tomko would have a match, but the storyline was Trish and Jericho. It allowed me to grow as a heel, work alongside Jericho, who is amazing and I learned so much working in that capacity. It could have been really good, but I think everything happens for a reason.
That was my best work as a heel, and my most enjoyable time, for sure. Who knows what it could have been had Christian continued, but it was what it was, and I think it worked out pretty good.”
Nearly two decades since that moment, Trish will be returning to action at WrestleMania 39 where she will team with Lita and Becky Lynch as they face Damage CTRL. Stay tuned to Ringside News as we bring you similar stories.
What’s your take on this WrestleMania angle? Sound off in the comments section.
March 19, 2023 7:58 pm
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