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FunTranscript
00:0050,000 fans cheering the beautiful blonde from Toronto, one of the greatest women champions
00:11ever.
00:12I love this and I love this.
00:16Before I started this business, I was pre-med and my ultimate goal was to become a doctor.
00:22What I wanted to do was make a difference in people's lives.
00:26And someone said to me once, they said, you know, in a day you can see maybe 10 to 15
00:29patients, you know, just make an impact.
00:31But in this business, we touch so many more people in different ways.
00:34We change people's lives.
00:35Trish was not just a superstar, in a lot of ways, a WWE superhero, especially for women
00:43at that time.
00:44She inspired an entire generation.
00:47Growing up, I was a huge fan of Trish Stratus.
00:49I was just like, I want to be her.
00:52She was the golden standard for women in the industry at that time.
00:55Trish helped redefine the woman's division.
00:59Trish Stratus brought it to another level.
01:04Trish is a perfectionist.
01:06She is driven by work.
01:09I think the challenge is really what drives her.
01:13She has to be reminded to slow down.
01:16Even when her body is screaming at her that it needs a break, all smiles, you would never
01:22know she was suffering at all.
01:26Her colitis would act up and really be a challenge for her body to perform.
01:33Full body chills, like with the fever and sweating.
01:36And you go, wow, she accomplished all of this with that?
01:39But it shows you the superhuman that Trish is.
01:44The greatest women's champion in WWE history.
01:49Are you ready for this box?
01:54Yeah.
01:55Let's see what's in this box.
01:56Let's see.
01:57I want to show you this.
01:58This is...
01:59What is it?
02:00Your book about all your ages in school.
02:01Yeah.
02:02This is your age, Maddie.
02:03This is your age.
02:04Five?
02:05Yeah, between five and six in grade one.
02:06This is going to be you next year in grade one.
02:07That's how...
02:08You think that that would be someone you'd pick?
02:09No.
02:10You'd pick what?
02:11Yeah.
02:12Yeah?
02:13You think so?
02:14Growing up, I was definitely a tomboy.
02:15I wanted to be one of the boys at all times.
02:25I met Trish, we had to have been about maybe six or seven years old when we met.
02:30Ron and I met in kindergarten and Trish and Ron met because he was my best friend at the
02:35time.
02:36Trish was like one of the boys.
02:38I mean, she had to hang out with us, do what we were doing.
02:41Anything physical, she was on board.
02:44It's like, I look back now, I'm like, oh, I always was trying to be part of the boys'
02:48club and proving myself to be like, I belong here, look, watch this.
02:52We would play sports together, soccer, baseball.
02:55We watched wrestling together.
02:57I grew up in Toronto.
02:58Toronto's a real hotbed for wrestling, so my aunt would take us to Maple Leaf Gardens
03:02together.
03:03Discapacity, proud to love it, if I reeked it up.
03:06Macho Man, that's who I resonated with.
03:08We had the perfect mix of athleticism, showmanship, and I just, he was the guy for me.
03:13Having matches in my parents' room, always aggressive in all the sports.
03:17In high school, she played soccer.
03:20She was good.
03:21I would go to the games and watch her, and she was a little rough.
03:24I was known as a bit of a goon on the team.
03:26I was slide tackling like crazy all over the place.
03:30She was very popular at school.
03:31You know, everybody wanted to date Trish, at least in my opinion.
03:35I know I sure did.
03:36Aha!
03:37Aha!
03:38Look!
03:39There I am in bold.
03:40Look at that.
03:41Closest friends.
03:42What does it say?
03:43It's got the date.
03:44It's got the boyfriend date.
03:45I can't believe you write this down.
03:46August 29th.
03:47What year?
03:481992.
03:49What does that mean?
03:50He's my boyfriend.
03:51Wow.
03:52That's our anniversary, just for reference.
03:53That's my boyfriend.
03:5492.
03:55That's my boyfriend.
03:56We were best friends, and then when we were 17, we transitioned to boyfriend and girlfriend
03:57and became, officially, boyfriend and girlfriend.
03:58We did everything together.
03:59We were detached at the hip.
04:00She was a little bit nerdy.
04:01She did a lot of studying.
04:02There wasn't a lot of partying, none of that.
04:16I had my eyes set on becoming a doctor, and that was from a very young age.
04:20Like, if you look back, I have a journal from grade three, and it says, I'm going to become
04:24a doctor.
04:26For the most part, I remember a great family life and a good time at home.
04:32It's like, I think until when you get older, you realize, oh, wait, let me look really
04:35closely and see things, and I noticed, you know, we spent a lot of summers and time with
04:40my cousins, and I realized a lot of it was to get away from my dad at the time, and my
04:45dad, you know, had a bit of a dark side.
04:49He was an alcoholic.
04:51Off and on, it was sometimes turbulent.
04:56He never showed up at home, like, starting to neglect the family, like, doing family
05:02things.
05:03It was hard.
05:06My mom did her best to, like, not have us around that and not see that side of dad,
05:12but yeah, it was definitely present and, at times, not great.
05:20As I got older, I started to realize how it wasn't a nice environment to be in.
05:24I realized it was affecting my studying.
05:27I'd be up late studying, and he'd be up late drinking, and so that wasn't conducive for
05:31a good work environment for me.
05:34One of these things you just remember, like, this is getting in the way of my life.
05:40Looking back, seeing situations get out of control, I never want to be part of that and
05:46be the cause of that, and to this day, I don't drink, and I never really thought about why
05:49I didn't, and it is a little bit of, like, I just want to remain in control at all times,
05:53so that was, like, a decision I've made a long time ago.
05:55Then my mom and dad just decided to split.
05:58She finally made the move to not be around that a lot and not have her kids around that,
06:02so we left my dad.
06:05So my university life kind of just started without my dad, and I was able to focus on,
06:09like, going to pre-med, becoming a pre-med student and going to med school.
06:13That was my ultimate goal.
06:16So the pace that I tend to keep is fast and furious, managing school and then being on
06:23the varsity team and being on the rep league soccer and working two jobs, and it was just
06:27this crazy pace I've kept my whole life.
06:29At one point, my body was like, yeah, that's too much for us, so I'm going to have to throw
06:33up a red flag, and I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis back in my university days.
06:41Colitis is an intestinal illness, and she was on a lot of medication at the time for it.
06:48It was difficult, for sure.
06:50I think initially I was always worried for her.
06:53I think that she knew her body well.
06:55She studied biology, kinesiology.
06:57She was very in tune with her body.
06:59She knew what her limits were.
07:01I think that she stayed within those parameters.
07:05The goal was to get me into remission, where the flare-up would go away and then I could
07:08continue on with a normal life, so it was a little bit tough, but we finally got it
07:12under control, and I felt like I was in my groove, and I found that balance that I needed
07:17to get to, and then in 1997, the worst thing that could have ever happened to me happened
07:25because I was set, my sights were set on my goal, and when I get set on a goal, it is
07:29like there is no stopping me, but there was one thing stopping me, which was my professor
07:33was going on strike, and I was like, oh my God, no, this can't happen.
07:36I have like, this is the plan.
07:37This year, I'll be doing this.
07:38I should be practicing by this.
07:39I'll be...
07:40And all I could do was wait.
07:41I just had to wait and see what was going to happen with that.
07:44I think when the strike initially happened, I think the immediate reaction is now I need
07:47a job, so she was doing bartending at the time.
07:52And then as I started working there, they asked me to shoot their campaign, so here
07:56I am.
07:57I get this new gig, first time ever bartending, and I'm on like the main bar, and I'm also
08:01on all the posters and billboards throughout Toronto.
08:04She was coming home from the bar, probably around 2, 3 in the morning, and then going
08:09straight to the gym.
08:10We had 24-hour gyms.
08:12Trish got a job working at a gym.
08:15I started working at this gym, and I get approached, you know, sounds creepy, but there was like,
08:19I know a guy who takes photos, but I'm like, mm-hmm, sure, but it turns out I looked up
08:23this guy, Robert Kennedy, legit one of the industry's leading publishers, publisher of
08:27Muscle Mag.
08:28And I thought, I saw a sparkle about this girl.
08:31I thought, she looks pretty good.
08:32And he said, let's do a test shoot, and he says, and you have it, you have this it, and
08:36he said, I have this it thing.
08:37Luckily, again, school's out of session, so I'm like, mm, I can do this thing.
08:41And I trained for my first photo shoot, ate something, trained for three months straight,
08:44transformed my body.
08:46She studied it.
08:47I mean, that's really what she did.
08:49We would go to the store, she'd buy magazines, study the poses, I mean, just learn.
08:55So I actually took these pictures as like my goal, you know, I cut them out as my inspo
09:00and said, okay, this is the body.
09:01And it's just part of the prep, right?
09:03It was like, you know, preparedness meets opportunity is like my big motto.
09:06And it was like part of the prepping.
09:08I was like, okay, how do I maximize this opportunity?
09:11I would like go through the magazines and cut out like all the arms article, all the
09:14legs articles, and then I would make my own binder of like sections with like those school
09:18tabs, you know, of like, this is all the leg workouts, and I'd choose one, and I had my
09:21own little training approach, you know, and learning about protein and just like all this
09:25new world.
09:27And just within three months, completely, it transformed my body.
09:31And she turned up and she looked absolutely amazing.
09:33She just shocked everybody.
09:34In fact, all the other professional fitness models were asking her about her diet, how
09:40she trained and everything else.
09:42It was amazing.
09:44I was excited.
09:45I was proud of the work that I'd done.
09:46You know, it's like showing off your hard work, right?
09:49So it was cool to me to see the difference.
09:50And yeah, I was proud to show it off.
09:52And I liked when people noticed because it was like, oh, no, yeah, I did that.
09:57My first shoot ended up being my first cover.
10:00And he contracted me after that.
10:01And he offered me I was an official muscle, my girl at that point.
10:04And then suddenly I had a career.
10:06So I decided to step away from school and focus on fitness.
10:10And then that year alone, I was on the cover of 10 magazines and was as busy as I am now
10:14as far as store signings and autograph signings and cover shoots and traveling the world.
10:18And suddenly I was a fitness model, boom, just like that.
10:21He was the Arnold Schwarzenegger of women's fitness immediately.
10:28Suddenly seeing that I had a following, I had a fan base, I just started to think, like,
10:32what can this transition into that is more long term?
10:36We were down a show at the Sky Dome.
10:39I remember Trish saying, I'd love to do this.
10:43And I said to her, why can't you?
10:45I was like, yeah, maybe we can do this.
10:47Maybe we can spin this, like, fitness buzz thing that we got going into wrestling.
10:55Tonight on The Gallagher Show, we're going to welcome one of the world's top fitness models.
10:59You've seen her, you love her, Trish Stratis is with us.
11:02A lot of, like, Right Place, The Right Time stories were like, I was on the cover of a
11:07fitness magazine in a studio and I was just on this talk show about the cover, doing publicity
11:12for the cover.
11:13And in the next studio, I remember Michael Hayes was doing slam jams and everybody knew
11:17I was a wrestling fan.
11:19I met Michael Hayes and he's like, oh, he's like, I've seen you on the fitness magazines.
11:22I was like, oh my gosh, yes, I am on the fitness magazines.
11:24He goes, you have a great look, you should send your stuff to us.
11:27And I was like, really?
11:28So I went home, nerd glasses on, and I started to put my little kit together and sent that
11:33off to WWE.
11:34I kind of think this is a neat opportunity.
11:36Who knows?
11:37Maybe I can do this.
11:38But if they call, let me prepare the best possible package to present to them.
11:42So I looked up the gym that Edge of Christian trained out of.
11:45These young men are the future of the World Wrestling Federation.
11:48I found Sully's Gym downtown and I sat with my sights on that and I was like, all right,
11:51I'm going to go train.
11:52I'm going to start training.
11:53And I met Ron Hutchinson for the first time.
11:55Trish was the only female at first.
11:57No special privileges at all.
11:59She was expected to do exactly what the guys did.
12:02I went in and I was training with the guys and I had to like literally take them aside.
12:06Like, oh, and I'm like, no, no, don't treat me like a girl.
12:08I know it is.
12:09I know I'm a girl, but don't treat me like a girl.
12:10Like just I'm one of the boys.
12:11Just just do what you do.
12:12I need to.
12:13I want to learn.
12:14I want to do this full on.
12:15I don't want to do it.
12:16I don't want to tiptoe around this.
12:17I had the calluses and the bruises to prove that no one took it light on me.
12:21But it was great.
12:22To me, that was the best way to learn.
12:24Right then and there, she proved to me that, OK, she can do this.
12:27She'll be able to do it.
12:30And then one day I finally got the call.
12:34I was flown to Connecticut and then going to WB headquarters.
12:39I mean, surreal.
12:40She was so talented, verbally articulate, intelligent.
12:45I thought she reminded me of Pam Anderson from that era.
12:49She was a hot thing at that time.
12:50So Trish looked a little bit like her.
12:52But the fact that she could be athletic, she's can't miss.
12:58Not that long after I got a contract offer sent to the house.
13:02I guess the meeting went well.
13:04That's Trish Stratis.
13:06She's a fitness expert.
13:09It was just so much fun to get her spirit and her energy in that locker room.
13:13And, you know, she wasn't received very well by the other girls.
13:17Well, we didn't have very many girls at that time.
13:20They were pretty sneery.
13:21Pretty sneery.
13:23It's really funny.
13:24It's such a personal space that when newcomers come in,
13:28there's still this, like, catty thing.
13:31We had a couple people who wrestled, but not very many.
13:35So we kind of had to rotate each other in.
13:38Women didn't often have the chance to have storylines and character development.
13:47There was a period of time where we had an edict that was,
13:51this is how the women are going to be presented on the show.
13:54So initially, Trish Stratis was the newly hired fitness model
13:58who was going to manage Test and Albert.
14:02I was driving with Andrew Test Martin and Val Venus,
14:05and Test knew Trish, and I met Trish.
14:07And we were just talking one day, and I thought, T and A, Test and Albert,
14:11and we have Trish Stratis as our manager.
14:14I was excited about that.
14:15I was like, oh, my gosh.
14:16And Test was a fellow Canadian.
14:19Before I started on the road, we had met,
14:21and we had done a couple autograph signings as Canadian superstars.
14:24And then we got paired together, and it was a nice partnership.
14:27She was so gung-ho to do it.
14:29She, you know, coming in, getting her foot in the door,
14:31and it had its growing pains.
14:33She had no idea about the business that we were in.
14:36So many people kind of gave it to her, you know, in terms of the business.
14:41You know, you're a fitness model.
14:43What are you doing here?
14:44They never thought she would last,
14:46teasing her, saying things that were inappropriate at the time.
14:50Because back in the day, we liked to judge,
14:53and we liked to do a little hazing.
14:55It was kind of hard.
14:57I remember, you know, I'd get to the locker room,
14:59and my stuff wouldn't be in the spot, the prime spot by the mirror.
15:03It would be over there by the toilet,
15:05and that's where apparently I was supposed to go.
15:09I think the first couple of months was really difficult.
15:13She wasn't accepted.
15:15We had a come-to-grips moment probably about three or four weeks in,
15:19where she was on the road and called me and said she's coming home.
15:23Aran was just like, I remember him saying,
15:26kill him with kindness, that was the number,
15:28kill him with kindness, and never let them see you sweat.
15:31And I guess at that point I decided I just, I have to prove myself.
15:35I have to prove myself to everyone around me that I deserve to be here.
15:39She was brand new, but had this, even from the very beginning,
15:43this innate desire to be more than just a valet,
15:47or, you know, or as some would put it, eye candy.
15:50I'm just thrilled to put in my two cents into the whole business.
15:53I want to make sure that every time I go out there,
15:55I make an impact, and if I'm only given two minutes,
15:57it's going to be the best damn two minutes I can give.
16:00I was a valet, but, you know, I contribute in certain ways
16:02because I could take bumps and I could do things like that.
16:10I think Trish is very smart.
16:12I think she knew this is a way to get her foot in the door.
16:15I think it all was building to one day,
16:17her having her own opportunity to stand on her own.
16:20I started to wrestle, but in the beginning it was hard
16:22because we were wrestling, but it was like a bra and panties match.
16:25And then at one point Chyna was champion and she left the company
16:28and she took the title with her.
16:30And there was no division.
16:32There was nothing for us to compete for.
16:34We were having wrestling matches for nothing.
16:36I felt hopeless at times.
16:39Then the tides changed suddenly.
16:41Fit Finley was like the savior of the women's division.
16:44I was brought in as an agent, producer,
16:47and then given the task of working with women.
16:51I'm training these girls every single day to wrestle,
16:55not hopefully to be doing bra and panties matches.
16:59I think having Stephanie there helped our cause.
17:03It certainly boosted it.
17:05You know, I always wanted our women to have more of a forefront.
17:08All the women knew that Steph was behind them
17:11and if Stephanie McMahon is in this, we're good.
17:14Let her hit you as you go through.
17:16Go through like that.
17:19So with Trish, it was mind-blowing how quickly she picked it up.
17:23She was tough.
17:25I've seen her split her eye open,
17:28got stitched up, and then worked the next day.
17:32I always say he saw the tiger in my eye.
17:34He just knew that I'm like, I know I can do more.
17:36Why can't we do more? Why can't we fight like the guys?
17:38I don't want to fight like a girl.
17:40I don't want to fight like a girl.
17:41She's going to slam. Oh, Trish!
17:43Turn it up here!
17:45You could never knock Trish because she always hustled.
17:48If she sees something and she wants to get it, attain it,
17:51she's going to.
17:53Trish had put in so much work and so much dedication
17:56and just absolutely refused to be some sort of prop
17:59to just come out with wrestlers and stand there
18:02and look pretty and everything.
18:04She basically made it happen.
18:06Sort of led up to this moment where we knew that we can make a difference.
18:09I think the females can contribute more than they already are.
18:12They decided to bring back the women's title.
18:14They put together a match called Six Pack Challenge.
18:17And knowing that I was, you know, the underdog coming in,
18:19I wasn't the most experienced.
18:21Trish! Oh! With a stratusfaction!
18:24Oh, don't kill me!
18:27And Trish has done it!
18:28And Trish Stratus is the new women's champion.
18:32Certainly not a favorite going into this matchup.
18:36And I believe it got behind me being the champion for the first time
18:40and really leading this new charge to build this women's division.
18:44She was determined to get to the top and she accomplished it.
18:49I became champion and it was like, at this present time,
18:51we will build the division around you.
18:53And that was a lot of pressure.
18:59Trish's first title run, she did feel the pressure.
19:02She knew she was one of the least experienced women in the locker room.
19:05She knew she was being pushed.
19:07And she felt the obligation to deliver and get better and better each match.
19:12So the pressure was on.
19:14Most of the time, she was going to be in there with somebody who was more experienced
19:18and could help kind of camouflage any of her weaknesses.
19:23Well, she is set to be in the ring with Jackie Gaeta,
19:27who had just won Tough Enough.
19:29She had literally competed on a television show
19:32and was now in a ring with her first match.
19:35So now Trish is, for the first time, the veteran in the ring
19:39while still trying to prove herself.
19:48It was the first time that Trish was exposed as being green
19:52because Jackie Gaeta knew nothing.
19:54And it just put Trish in a really tough spot.
19:57And then for that to be gone down in history
20:00is probably the worst match of all time.
20:02Mercifully, it's over.
20:05It had to have been such a blow to her confidence.
20:12The pressure of just having to perform every single time
20:14and prove yourself every time, it got a lot.
20:17And I remember just driving alone and just being in tears after a match
20:21and just being like, this is too hard.
20:22It's so hard to just keep it going.
20:24Your body's in pain.
20:25You're doing everything you can.
20:26You're contributing the way you can.
20:27And it was never enough, it felt like sometimes.
20:29You missed the spot or you didn't look the right way
20:31or you weren't there on time.
20:32It made me look bad when you did this.
20:34And it was a lot of that in the beginning.
20:37And I just was like, OK, yeah, cool.
20:38And I had to take ownership of this responsibility
20:40of being the champion and taking charge of the women's division.
20:44And knowing what I could deliver would impact all of us.
20:49Trish is a perfectionist.
20:50She is driven by work.
20:53My number one person in the entire wrestling business
20:56with the work ethic of wanting to get better every single night
21:01was Trish Stratus.
21:03End of story.
21:04Seems like we say it every week, but every week,
21:06she just gets better and better.
21:08So as time went on, what I really saw in the locker room
21:12was the women started getting a lot of respect for her.
21:15She came in, head to the grindstone.
21:18Oh, look at this!
21:19Wanted to learn and wanted to do and did such an amazing job.
21:23I'm impressed.
21:24I think you've got a future in this business, kid.
21:26As the years go on, you see the improvement.
21:29Hold on, headlock.
21:30Nicely done.
21:31To her becoming a real formidable talent in the ring.
21:36What a success!
21:37And then you fast forward.
21:39She's having marquee matches.
21:41She's innovating moves.
21:43The Matrix move was so hot at the time.
21:47Oh, I love it!
21:48The Matrix.
21:49It was like, oh, it's one of those things
21:52that immediately garners a reaction from the crowd.
21:56That's where it began.
21:57We started playing video games and looking for moves.
21:59And I can tell you that the stratosphere came from Mortal Kombat.
22:02She was the first one that I watched that made me think,
22:06that girl is just as good as any of the guys.
22:08Oh, look out!
22:09Great athletic move there.
22:10Knocked down by Trish Stratus.
22:12It's hard work and desire.
22:14That's what you get when you put it all together.
22:16Trish Stratus, the women's champion.
22:19Nobody worked harder than Trish.
22:21I used to joke behind the scenes that she was,
22:25instead of Trish Stratus, Trish Strategizer.
22:28Because she knew how to work hard, not just in the ring,
22:33but she was always in the production truck
22:36finding out what she can do to come across better on television.
22:40At the non-televised events,
22:42she would ask for the microphone so that she could get practice.
22:45She was just working so hard all the time,
22:47thinking about how she can improve, how she can be better.
22:50Molly and Jackie start tagging Jazz and Trish.
22:52Trish does a drop toehold to Jazz, fire up in the corner, shoot.
22:55So I'd have a notebook beside me at all times.
22:58It was always handy, but this brain never turns off.
23:01See, there was always promos, I'd be writing promos.
23:03So The Rock was like really instrumental.
23:05I remember him, he would help me with my promos
23:07and here's something that he would say to me,
23:09be strong, pause, and be concise.
23:11He was a big, big help.
23:14I would have the show sent to me, every Raw, every SmackDown,
23:17sent to me so I could study everything I did on the show
23:20so that next time I could do better, I could improve on that,
23:23or that worked well, or the crowd reacted to that,
23:25and it was something I would take and just learning.
23:27But yeah, wow, obsessed much?
23:30Most of us women were actually kind of afraid
23:33to make our voice known,
23:36afraid to question some of the storylines,
23:39and Trish was never afraid of that.
23:41One thing that Trish said to me when I first started in WWE,
23:44she goes, Natty, the one thing that helped me succeed
23:47so much in WWE is that every single week,
23:50I knew that if I had to fight, I had to fight.
23:52Fight for more, fight for better verbiage,
23:54fight for longer matches, just fight for more.
23:57She goes, it's going to be hard and it's going to feel daunting,
24:00but don't ever be afraid to fight for more.
24:02And I always remembered that.
24:05I mean, the division got so much better,
24:07not only with Trish pushing,
24:09not only to make the segments better,
24:11but with Fit was very instrumental in that as well
24:14because he cared.
24:16But I did not think we were going to walk into the building
24:19the day we did and be told that we were going to close the show.
24:26Two of the most popular divas in the WWE.
24:29This rivalry with Trish and Lita
24:31took the women's division in an entirely different level.
24:34Trish Stratus puts the women title on the line against Lita.
24:37What a match that's going to be, JR.
24:39The championship decided later tonight here on Raw.
24:42We were being given this opportunity
24:44to be the main event of Monday Night Raw,
24:46which is a coveted spot for any superstar, especially a woman.
24:49We have been waiting a long time for this opportunity.
24:52We were told we were main eventing that night.
24:54We both knew that we could deliver.
24:58Stakes are high here for the women's title
25:01here live on Monday Night Raw.
25:04Trish walks out with the face mask that night
25:07and takes it off, hits me with it,
25:10and then shows that her nose is absolutely fine,
25:13that she was just wearing it to have a secret weapon.
25:16I think she was calm-jobbing us all along.
25:19It's like those type of things that really set it apart
25:22from just being two people doing moves.
25:24I have always loved the storytelling,
25:27and they did an incredible job.
25:29They had such a compelling match.
25:32For them to compete in the main event of Monday Night Raw
25:36was a statement to the world that they had arrived.
25:41Because they were so good,
25:43I really think they changed the course
25:45of women's wrestling forever.
25:47It was really powerful.
25:49I was an aspiring wrestler, because I felt like,
25:51oh, man, the winds of change are coming,
25:53and there's new opportunities for women.
25:55We just knew we had this opportunity to deliver,
25:57and we had to shine.
25:59That's definitely one of the peak moments of my career.
26:02I can't believe the effort, the heart both women displayed!
26:06It was not victorious that night, but I was.
26:10It was a win for both of us to be in that position
26:13and to deliver.
26:16I remember thinking, like, okay, we have this opportunity
26:19to spread the message and to show people our world a little bit
26:22and show people what a strong, powerful female looks like
26:25or what they were capable of doing.
26:27It just opened the doors for so many things.
26:30And confidence, okay? This is all about you.
26:33It's a lot of pressure. It's nonstop.
26:35Action.
26:36I'm an international fitness model,
26:38a world-class athlete, a WWE diva.
26:42Okay. Got it?
26:44Good. Got that first part.
26:46Chris Rodden!
26:49Welcome to the family.
26:51Cut. Beautiful.
26:53Chris Rodden!
26:55Chris Rodden!
26:57Trish's popularity definitely grew over the years,
27:00and she became like a rock star.
27:03Hi, how are you? I'm Ike.
27:04Hi, I'm Trish.
27:05Nice to meet you. Thanks for doing the show.
27:06No, thanks for having me.
27:07Very excited.
27:08That's a good one.
27:09Yeah.
27:10You're doing well.
27:11I'm feeling good.
27:12And you're funny, too.
27:13You have a capacity for humor.
27:15You're so good.
27:19At her peak, Trish was the number one woman in pro wrestling.
27:23Please welcome Trish Stratton.
27:24Trish Stratton.
27:25And so now I have this responsibility of like,
27:27you know, if she can see it, she can be it.
27:29So I needed to go out there and be that representation.
27:32We've become part of the Boys Club.
27:33You know, we used to be sort of the eye candy of the show,
27:35and now we've gone and we've become these accomplished athletes in the ring.
27:39And we've seen an increase in demographics from the women.
27:42You know, we've seen more younger girls watching
27:44and kind of aspiring not necessarily to be wrestlers,
27:46but to make it like we're women making it in a male-dominated world.
27:50So I remember I put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself.
27:53I felt like my role then was to help gain visibility for women, to be a voice.
27:58Particularly as a woman,
27:59I was happy to hear about the building of the women's schools
28:01and the progress in that area.
28:03She was always out doing stuff.
28:05She was a workhorse in that regard.
28:09You're running at this frenetic pace of 300 days a year schedule.
28:12It was one thing after the other.
28:13It was every commercial.
28:14It was every appearance.
28:15It was every press conference.
28:16It was everything.
28:17It was a lot.
28:20I got a flare-up with the colitis,
28:22and I took myself out of remission at that time,
28:24and just suffering.
28:26But almost like this thing I do with pushing through,
28:28I just, like I couldn't, I'm not going to take off time.
28:30So I found a way to make it work.
28:34And so she's trying to be Trish Stratus
28:36and trying to be this optimal machine,
28:39and yet she's dealing with these health issues at the same time.
28:43I've seen Trish's mind go more than her body can
28:48a few different times.
28:50Like carrying her suitcases will make her feel like she's going to pass out.
28:53Like I have to literally stop and take breaths.
28:56But the craziest thing is she still doesn't want anyone to see that.
29:01She'll like stop and pull over and smile,
29:04and she's like,
29:05I just have to take a breath because I feel like I'm going to pass out,
29:08but it's okay though.
29:10So if you could just act like you're talking to me
29:12so that I could take a few seconds.
29:14So yeah.
29:15And you know, I'm like, dude, uh-uh.
29:17Like tell him you can't work tomorrow.
29:19She's like, no, no, no, no.
29:20I can. It's fine.
29:21Just give me a couple more seconds.
29:24That was difficult to be on the road
29:25and be secretly dealing with this stuff
29:28because, you know, you just, you cannot look vulnerable.
29:32You cannot look weak.
29:33That was just the thing back there.
29:34You just can't.
29:36I mean, you work so hard to be like one of the boys
29:38and just as I can do the schedule too,
29:39and I'm doing it too.
29:41See, the bags are starting to add up.
29:44It's, um, we got three more days to go.
29:48And I'm sure every day,
29:50we were saying that every day we look about five years older.
29:52It's really flattering, really.
29:53By the time TV rolls around, we look fine, fine, fine.
29:57There's no chance of slowing me down.
29:59I wasn't going to let this illness stop me.
30:02It was weak to be sick, I think,
30:04and I didn't want to be interpreted as weak as weak, I guess.
30:12I really feel like, you know, having Ron in my life
30:14was what grounded me,
30:15what allowed me to come home,
30:16take off the Trish Stratus hat and just be.
30:19She'd come home from a tour a couple days on the road
30:22and she'd be completely wiped out to the point
30:25where I'd have to throw her on my shoulder
30:27and carry her up the stairs,
30:28and she couldn't even walk.
30:31It was bad.
30:33The one thing I do not like about Trish
30:36is that she will not give herself a rest,
30:38and I don't like it for selfish reasons
30:40because I want my best friend around,
30:43and I feel like she will,
30:45if given the opportunity,
30:46she'll run herself ragged.
30:54I remember just, like, I felt like I need to stop.
30:57I got a yoga DVD, and I put a yoga DVD in
31:00just so that I could be in my hotel room
31:02and just be guided through this moment of stillness.
31:06Literally on the first day of yoga,
31:09my body just felt different.
31:11I had more mobility.
31:13I could breathe, and that was so important.
31:17It made that last leg of my career,
31:19what ended up being the last leg of my career,
31:21just really a pleasure and really smooth
31:25and good and not painful.
31:29My contract was coming up,
31:31and they wanted to renew me for another five years,
31:34and I was like, I don't know what to do.
31:37I felt really fulfilled with the career I had
31:40at that point.
31:42I wanted to be a mom,
31:43and that was something I've always wanted.
31:47And it was like I almost needed a sign,
31:49and unfortunately the sign came in a not desirable form.
31:52My mom was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma,
31:55and I just, the decision was clear to me
31:58to just, it was time to walk away,
32:00and it was like, it was almost like the signal,
32:02like it's time to go home to family.
32:05And I made the decision at 30 to retire,
32:08and I would take my final bow in my hometown of Toronto.
32:11A standing ovation for Trish Stratus' last match.
32:16I was so sad.
32:18I remember I was crying.
32:19I couldn't believe that Trish Stratus was retiring.
32:23WWE is such a full-time job.
32:27There's no family planning or caring for your family
32:31while living the life of a full-time WWE superstar.
32:34It's one or the other if you're a female.
32:37Trish was just very definitive in how she wanted to do this,
32:40and whether she felt sad or emotional about it,
32:44she did not feel conflicted.
32:48It's over! It's over! And Trish wins!
32:51I ended up winning the title that night,
32:53and as seven-time champion,
32:55I retired in front of my hometown crowd of Toronto,
32:57in front of my friends and family and colleagues,
32:59and took my final bow and walked away from the business.
33:04Oh, man.
33:05Congratulations, Trish!
33:07There was never anyone any better.
33:11When we left the building that night,
33:13I think she was just genuinely excited more than anything
33:16for the next stage of her life.
33:18I mean, we were getting married three weeks later.
33:22I now pronounce you husband and wife,
33:26and you may now kiss the bride.
33:34We didn't go on a honeymoon after the wedding.
33:36She went straight into the show, Armed and Famous.
33:40Go down to Muncie, Indiana, as a celebrity, and fight crime.
33:44I thought, that would be so cool to do this.
33:47I'm in perpetual motion, and it's because I like it.
33:50I like to explore new things. I like to conquer things.
33:53I like to tackle new challenges and be like,
33:55did that, check, what's next?
33:57Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
34:00I think I thrive on challenge.
34:02I did a travel show that was a passion of mine.
34:04Enter the stratosphere in Bali, Indonesia,
34:07in Vietnam, in Fiji, Buddha!
34:12I got a movie gig.
34:20I was still super busy. I was doing appearances.
34:22Trish Stratton!
34:26The world works in funny ways,
34:28The world works in funny ways.
34:30There was a point where, like,
34:32I was literally able to just be by my mom's side
34:34during her treatments.
34:37She was my support bucket.
34:39Like, she helped me through my treatments,
34:42and just being there.
34:44She made me stronger.
34:47It was like we leaned on each other, so it was good.
34:51And, you know, happy to say she's in full remission,
34:54and is cancer-free, and has been since then.
34:58During that time, it happened to be a phase that slowed down
35:00a minute so that I was able to be with mom.
35:02And then we were like, we're good, we're good.
35:04Okay, I'm going to go do this thing, you know?
35:06And then picked up where I left off, and off I went again.
35:10In 2008, we decided to open up a yoga studio,
35:13so I opened up Stratosphere, which at the time
35:15was Canada's largest yoga studio.
35:18However, being the workaholic that I am,
35:21bend at the waist, bring your elbows to your shin,
35:24I was running ragged. I didn't know I was running ragged
35:26because I was doing my things, I was showing up for work,
35:28I was still doing Trish Strata stuff.
35:30I had filmed Tough Enough at one point out in L.A.,
35:32so I was still doing stuff for WWE.
35:34And then I remember, I was like, you know,
35:36time to have a baby.
35:38I was approaching 40 now at this point.
35:40And then I found out that the schedule that I was keeping,
35:43and when I think I was managing it well, and it was okay,
35:45I wasn't getting a flare-up and colitis,
35:47so that means I was okay, I was managing it.
35:49But then my body threw a red flag up again,
35:51and told me, actually, whatever schedule you're doing now,
35:54yeah, I can't produce another human being.
35:57And it was really tough for us, you know,
35:59we had infertility issues.
36:03That was probably the hardest thing in her life
36:06that she had to deal with from a mental standpoint.
36:09I mean, it's discouraging.
36:14And it was really tough because I thought,
36:16I just screwed myself by being this driven,
36:19or whatever the stupid word was,
36:21that I've just ruined my chance now to become a mom.
36:26The guilt I felt, knowing that I might have just like,
36:29missed this chance, was really bad, really overbearing.
36:37When things get too overwhelming,
36:38and I know my body's throwing up the red flags,
36:40I just do a full stop down.
36:43This schedule that I'm keeping is not conducive
36:45with producing a baby.
36:48So I had to like, slow everything down.
36:52I had to take those moments and focus on that,
36:54that was my new focus, like of this laser focus
36:57that I always have on whatever project,
36:59I guess it was, my new project was to become pregnant.
37:01And I focused on that,
37:03and whatever I needed to do to slow down.
37:07Finally, luckily we conceived naturally.
37:10Nothing that compares to the feeling
37:12of becoming a mother for the first time,
37:14and the second time.
37:15But, you know, holding my baby,
37:17especially after the struggles that we had.
37:20For us, it was, I mean,
37:22that's the greatest moment of your life.
37:25I think as a parent now, I realize how important
37:27it is for a parent to be present.
37:30It's a team effort, and the kids definitely notice it.
37:34Eventually, like, my dad came back around,
37:36and was back in, you know, he'd pop in for Christmas,
37:38and we'd see him at the holidays and things like that, so.
37:41He was present for, in a lot of ways,
37:43how's the studio going, you know,
37:45how's this, how's that?
37:47He was not present for a lot of my wrestling things,
37:49like, didn't come to any events.
37:52And a lot of the times, I thought he just was sort of,
37:54not even paying attention to this career.
37:58And when he passed away, I remember going back
38:00to his apartment, and opening up this,
38:03you know, like, one of his cupboards,
38:05and he had literally, like, every magazine,
38:07it was so funny, so like, he had these fitness magazines,
38:09all the covers, clippings from newspapers,
38:12and it's like, it turns out that he was,
38:14oh, I'm gonna get emotional now.
38:22So it turns out he was there along the way,
38:26in his own way, and he showed up
38:28in the way that he could show up.
38:31So that's good.
38:38I make a point of being a present parent.
38:40It's been the best journey,
38:41it's been the best gig I've had.
38:43Would you like a cup of tea, madame?
38:45Yes.
38:46It took a long time to get over, you know,
38:47accepting gigs, but then having that mom guilt,
38:50I finally got over that.
38:51You want a little bit more?
38:52Yes, please.
38:53I realized the importance of my kids
38:55seeing me going out and being a go-getter.
38:57It's important for them to see that,
38:59and seeing me being dedicated
39:00and passionate about something.
39:02But I never thought I would get back in the ring.
39:05Looking at, like, what the women were doing, too,
39:07it was pretty awesome to see.
39:09This could be the greatest athlete
39:11we've ever had as a WWE Women's Champion.
39:14I remember Ron and I were watching TV,
39:16and there was an advertisement
39:17for SummerSlam coming up in Toronto.
39:19So I remember calling Vince and being like,
39:21is there maybe a moment here
39:22where I could do a little comeback
39:24and face Charlotte in Toronto at SummerSlam?
39:27And he just loved the idea.
39:29I just love to keep going.
39:30I just love new challenges.
39:35She's not been a regular competitor
39:36at WWE in 13 years.
39:39It was pretty amazing after all those years
39:42to see Trish Stratus come back, period.
39:45But to see her in the ring with Charlotte Flair,
39:48who may go on to be the greatest of all time,
39:52was sort of mind-blowing.
39:54It is a meeting of two eras.
39:57Trish Stratus may have blazed the trail,
39:59but since then,
40:00Charlotte Flair has scorched the earth.
40:02You won't ever get to see
40:03Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson,
40:05but we got to see Charlotte Flair and Trish Stratus.
40:09I knew that Trish was going to deliver
40:11because I know what she demands out of herself.
40:13As Trish put it,
40:14I've been training every night
40:15in between my mommy duties,
40:16and it's paying off.
40:18I echo the sentiments of the Scotiabank arena.
40:21This is awesome.
40:25It showed that Trish is still a badass,
40:27and she can hang just as good today as she ever did.
40:31She taught me so much
40:33in the process of getting to work with her,
40:35and one of the greats in the entire company,
40:38male or female.
40:42Anytime I think Trish might be done,
40:44Trish is not done.
40:46Trish Stratus!
40:48That's the thing,
40:49is Trish loves experiences,
40:51and loves to see what else can she tackle,
40:53and what else can she hurdle,
40:55even if it scares her.
40:57Find the balance between motherhood,
40:58and then also being a mother.
41:00And then also being a professional has been hard,
41:02but I think I finally find it,
41:04and it's a good place to be.
41:06Trish, who came in as just as we thought,
41:08another pretty face,
41:09but through hard work,
41:10and great athletic ability,
41:12Trish is one of the best ever!
41:14Trish is leaving such a huge legacy behind
41:16for women in wrestling,
41:18to inspire little girls all over the world
41:20to dream big.
41:22She's just accomplished so much,
41:24and she did it with style,
41:26and she did it with kindness.
41:28Trish put a smile on people's faces,
41:30whether it was in the audience,
41:32or in the production truck,
41:34she was kind to everyone,
41:35and that's the kind of legacy that really matters.
41:38One of my hands down,
41:40absolute favorite human beings on the planet.
41:43She's who you want by your side.
41:45She'll brighten your day,
41:47and she'll pick up your slack,
41:49and she'll inspire you.
41:52She's my everything.
41:54Congratulations Trish!
41:56There was never anyone any better!