Trish Stratus knows how much goes into a WWE comeback.
Stratus had a series of WWE matches in 2018 and 2019 after retiring from the world of sports entertainment in 2011. Lita, her longtime rival and best friend, had a big one-on-one match against Becky Lynch earlier this year and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is currently preparing for a segment with Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 38. Ahead of hosting Road to WrestleMania live events in Kitchener and Toronto on March 26 and 27 respectively, Stratus told ET Canada what it’s like training for a big return.
“She is my son’s godmother,” Stratus said. “We were watching her, cheering her on. It was great. Believe me, I’m sure ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is going through this right now, when you get back in the ring after being away for so long, it’s nerve-wracking. You also know that you’ve left an impression on the fans’ minds of who you are and what you bring to the ring. To be able to live up to that.
“Thankfully, I find that wrestling is like riding a bike. That’s what I discovered after my match with Charlotte. It’s exciting to see someone come back. It’s also a cool thing to step back into the mix and fans are still there for you right where you left off, which is really cool.”
WWE fans are pining for a match between Stratus and Sasha Banks, something Stratus is keeping an open mind too.
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“I’ve heard that I’m running from her, which is absolutely untrue,” she said. “At one point, she had done this promo saying that I wasn’t ready. I posted a photo of my six-pack and said, ‘I am ready, girl.’ These little moments. Her and I had, maybe, a five-minute moment in the 2018 Royal Rumble and, to this day, people say that’s the match they want to see.
“Sometimes you just have this energy that is palpable. It’s like when Lita and I first faced off. People felt that. When The Rock and [“Stone Cold” Steve] Austin faced off, they felt that. When Sasha and I faced off, I felt it too. It was a good moment. Will we follow up on it? If there is an opportunity, perhaps. Did I wish this was a SmackDown tour? Yes, I did.”
Stratus dished on how the hosting gig came together and what fans can expect from a very Stratisfying pair of live events.
“They gave me a call and of course I said, ‘Yeah, I’d love to host. What does that mean? What does a host do?’ Let’s work with the card and see what could be fun and different,” Stratus said. “For me, it’s a chance to come back and work with some superstars I haven’t yet interacted with.
“I went back in 2019 to work with Charlotte [Flair], but I didn’t get a chance to interact with somebody like Becky Lynch, for example, Bianca Belair had not debuted at the time. There’s a good chance to mix it up with some of the superstars of today… One person I’m very excited to mix it up with is Kevin Owens. I’d called him Canada’s favourite superstar.”
Stratus will also serve as a judge on the upcoming “Canada’s Got Talent” revival. Fellow WWE alum Nikki Bella is a judge on “AGT: Extreme” and Cody Rhodes served as a judge on “Go Big Show”. Stratus examined what makes WWE superstars valuable talent judges.
“There is so much we learn as WWE superstars,” Stratus said. “The production value we bring is very high. Not to say we’re one-take wonders, but when you have to do stuff live, you need to do well… It’s amazing what we have learned and how we can take these skills we’ve learned as WWE performers and how it translates into different mediums.
“We have the personality, we know how to interact with a crowd, we can spot talent because we’ve been around it, we’ve developed it, and I think it translates really well.”
While Stratus would not commit to another in-ring return, she is always ready to rock.
“I’m always ready,” Stratus assured. “Did I pack a bag, did I put my boots in them? I did. Just in case, because I’m a professional.”
