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Patricia Anne Stratigias (born December 18, 1975 in
Richmond Hill, Ontario), better known by her stage name, Trish Stratus, is a
Greek Canadian fitness model and professional wrestler for World Wrestling
Entertainment under its RAW brand; she is the brand's current Women's Champion.
She is the first woman in WWE history to have held
the Women's Championship six times, more than the four title reigns of The
Fabulous Moolah in which WWE recognizes. Stratus's ability as an in-ring
performer has evolved over the years and she is generally seen as one of the
best women professional wrestlers in the business.
As a fitness model, she has been featured on the
cover of many major health and fitness magazines such as Musclemag, Flare and
Total Women's Fitness. She also released a popular calendar series called "Dream
Team". As a sports entertainer, she was proclaimed the WWE Diva of the Decade on
RAW's 10th Anniversary show, indicating her position as one of professional
wrestling's most influential women. She was voted as the three time WWE Babe of
the Year (2001-2003) but was defeated by Stacy Keibler in the 2004 competition.
* * * *
Background
In 1997, with the World Wrestling Federation
experiencing a change in "Attitude"--rougher-edged characters like Stone Cold
Steve Austin replacing the clean-cut heroes of yore like Bret Hart--Patricia
Anne Stratigias was a student at York University in Toronto, majoring in biology
and kinesiology in hopes of reaching her goal of attending medical school.
However, York University went on strike, leaving Stratigias with no other choice
at that time but to pursue other career options. After accepting a job at a
local gym, Stratigias found herself responding to the urging of her peers there
and became a fitness model. Under the stage name of Trish Stratus, Stratigias
quickly risen as one of the most popular models in the fitness industry, having
appeared on over twenty fitness magazine covers around the world. This caught
the attention of the WWF, whose agents told Stratus that if she felt she had
more to her than her looks alone, then she should start training for a wrestling
career. Soon afterward, Stratus began her training at the gym of Ron Hutchinson,
the same facility where Superstars like Edge and Christian had also trained for
the ring. The WWF again had contacted her in late-1999, and this time, Stratus
was ready to start her career in sports-entertainment, having been a fan since
her childhood. Growing up, Stratus idolized Hulk Hogan, and also had siblings
and relatives who helped increase her interest in sports entertainment.
Debut: T & A
Her first WWF appearance took place on March 19,
2000 on Sunday Night Heat. Stratus appeared on the runway, appearing to scout
certain WWF Superstars, in particular Test and Prince Albert. Not long after,
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 when Stratus had her first
taste of punishment in the ring, being driven through a table by the Dudley Boyz
after weeks of taunting the team, in particular Bubba Ray Dudley, notorious for
his fondness for putting females through tables. However, unlike many Divas
before her, it only served to whet Stratus' appetite for in-ring action.
More and more, Stratus found herself getting
physically involved in the action, taking her lumps from Superstars like The Big
Show and Chyna, and even suffering a stink face from Rikishi. It was not long
before Stratus began competing in actual matches, one of the earliest examples
being a six-person tag team match at Fully Loaded on July 23, 2000, as Stratus
teamed with T & A to face The Hardy Boyz and Lita. Although Stratus and her team
lost the bout, she was not about to leave that night without making her mark,
and proceeded to whip Lita with a leather strap before exiting the ring. Stratus
would go on to manage Val Venis to the Intercontinental Championship, but by
that time, Stratus seemed to be outgrowing managing, as she had bigger
aspirations on her mind.
McMahon's Mistress
In early 2001, Stratus became involved in a
storyline with WWF Chairman Vince McMahon, during a time when Vince's wife Linda
was "institutionalized" following a demand Vince had made for a divorce during a
live show in Madison Square Garden in November 2000. Vince and Stratus'
relationship increasingly angered the boss's daughter, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley.
At No Way Out on February 25, Stratus and Stephanie squared off, with "The
Billion-Dollar Princess" scoring a tainted win via the interference of William
Regal. In the midst of a tag team match that pitted Vince and Stratus against
Regal and Stephanie, Stratus found herself the victim of a grand set-up by
Vince, Stephanie and Regal. Regal executed the Union Jack neckbreaker on
Stratus, and Stephanie then dumped mud over Stratus' prone body. Vince stood
over Stratus, and he told her she was a toy that he had grown tired of playing
with.
The following week on RAW, Stratus actually gave
Vince an apology for the disruption she felt he had caused in his life. Vince
then said that the apology would only be accepted if she stripped down to her
undergarments, got on all fours, and barked like a dog. Shockingly, she did. Few
knew however that this was all part of a master plan Stratus had set into motion
to embarrass her antagonist, and at WrestleMania X-Seven a month later, it all
became crystal clear. During a Street Fight between Vince and his son, then-WCW
"owner" Shane McMahon, Stratus rolled out a seemingly catatonic Linda McMahon in
a wheelchair to the ring. When the action was taken to the floor, Stratus walked
up to Vince and slapped the taste out of his mouth before chasing Stephanie from
ringside. Shortly thereafter, Linda stood up out of her wheelchair and kicked
Vince in the groin, enabling Shane to gain control of the match and eventually
pin his father.
Wrestling: Early Success
After her episode with the McMahon family, Stratus
began focusing wrestling in the ring full-time. Her journey was temporarily cut
short in the summer of 2001, however, when Stratus chipped a bone in her ankle
and underwent surgery to repair it. It would be at least four months before
Stratus would fully heal and be able to continue her pursuit of wrestling glory.
As she rehabbed, Stratus kept herself visible by co-hosting "Excess" on TNN.
When she was not doing the show, Stratus continued training and rehabilitation,
preparing herself for her comeback in the ring. No one realized at that time how
much she would excel once she returned to active competition. She received
extensive ring training from Dave "Fit" Findlay, a former WCW Television and
Hardcore Champion. Findlay's schoolings served Stratus well. By the time she
returned to the ring, she was better prepared for in-ring combat than she had
ever been before.
Her return came at the Survivor Series on November
18, 2001, in a six-pack challenge for the vacant WWE Women's Championship, with
Stratus facing off with Lita, Mighty Molly, Jacqueline, Ivory, and former ECW
mainstay Jazz. Stratus pinned Ivory after unveiling her new Stratusfaction
finisher--an updated version of the classic Bulldog headlock which saw Stratus
apply the headlock, climb the ropes, and in mid-air, catapult herself backwards
to the canvas with her opponent's head still gripped in her arms. Trish Stratus
had won her first WWE Women's Championship.
Stratus would go on to show significant improvement
between the ropes, winning the Championship on two more occasions in 2002, from
Jazz and Molly Holly, respectively. She even managed to win the Hardcore
Championship from Crash Holly, on May 6, 2002, before losing it the same night
to Steven Richards. Stratus also became WWE's most popular Diva, gracing the
cover of WWE Divas 2002 swimsuit magazine (an alternate cover with Lita), and
also winning the Woman of the Year achievement award as voted by the readers of
Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine.
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Wrestling: 2003
The year 2003 was a roller coaster ride for
Stratus. At WrestleMania XIX on March 30, 2003, Stratus won her fourth WWE
Women's Championship, in a triple threat match against two of her greatest
rivals, the psychotic Victoria and Jazz. Despite losing the Championship back to
Jazz the following month, Stratus stayed in the hunt for the fifth Women's
Championship. Stratus was engaged in a heated feud with newcomer Gail Kim, who
won the Women's Championship on her first televised WWE match, by winning an
battle royal. A miscommunication between Stratus and Kim during a tag team match
on Raw--in which Stratus misfired a Chick kick and accidentally nailed her
partner--left Kim embittered.
Two weeks later, the now former Champion Gail Kim,
who lost the title to Molly Holly the previous week, appeared to be saving
Stratus from a two-on-one assault by Molly and Victoria. Kim helped Stratus to
her feet before viciously clotheslining her to the mat. Soon, Molly approached
Kim with the idea of forever ending Stratus' wrestling career, and for a time,
it seemed as though it would happen. Thanks to an assist from the returning Lita,
however, it would be Stratus who gained the last laugh.
One Canadian Dollar
October 2003 would mark the beginning of what would
be Stratus' most emotional WWE saga; the triangle between Stratus, Chris
Jericho, and Christian. One night on Raw, as Stratus was being attacked by
Victoria and Steven Richards, Jericho inexplicably rushed the ring and warded
off the attackers. Even Stratus seemed dumbfounded initially. Soon, however,
Stratus started to slowly warm up to Jericho, seeing a side of him that many
fans and fellow competitors did not see very often. One which apparently showed
warmth, caring, and compassion. Stratus and Jericho appeared smitten with each
other. At the same time, Jericho's friend and tag team partner Christian was
courting Stratus' close friend Lita. To many fans, neither courtship looked to
be on the up and up. As it turned out, they were anything but. On the December
1, 2003 RAW, Jericho and Christian were overheard in the locker room mocking
Stratus' and Lita's affections, and revealed a bet the two of them had with one
another--for one Canadian dollar--to see which man could sleep with their chosen
Diva first. Stratus, who was to present Jericho with a handmade Canadian hockey
jersey as a gift, heard every word and every laugh from outside the dressing
room, and it brought her to tears.
The
Triangle
The following week, Stratus and Lita confronted and
assaulted Jericho and Christian in front of a nationwide viewing audience on
Raw, leading to a "Battle of the Sexes" tag team match held at Armageddon on
December 14, 2003. While Christian seemed to take pride in beating down his
female opponents, Jericho seemed to want no part of it. Apparently, Jericho was
starting to develop true feelings for Stratus, and was having a difficult time
going through with the match before him. In what now can be viewed as a
harbinger of things to come, Stratus seemed to take a lot more pleasure in
beating down Jericho than Jericho had in facing her in a match. Soon, it became
obvious that Jericho was feeling an enormous amount of guilt for initiating the
Canadian dollar bet.
At first, Stratus was unwilling to show Jericho any
forgiveness, but appeared to accept his apologies enough to at least accept him
as a friend. Meanwhile, Christian appeared to be harboring jealousy, accusing
Stratus of driving a wedge into his partnership with Jericho and labeling her
"Yoko Ono". But soon, Christian also appeared to have something of a change of
heart, albeit a very condescending one. To the face of Jericho, he was very
accepting of his feelings for Stratus...but to Stratus' face, Christian seemed
to be courting her affections.
It looked like everything became crystal clear on
the February 23, 2004 RAW, when Christian was booked to face Stratus in a
one-on-one match by Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff. In the dressing room
prior to the contest, Christian--feigning friendship with Stratus--promised her
he would lay down and allow her to pin him. In the ring, however, Christian
instead plowed Stratus down with a clothesline, and locked her in Jericho's
submission hold, the Walls of Jericho. Stratus was taken out of action for
several weeks with injuries, and Christian gloated over his actions. A match was
soon signed for WrestleMania XX on March 14, 2004, in Madison Square Garden,
pitting Chris Jericho against his former best friend, Christian.
Dark
Stratusfaction
It appeared this long and intense angle would reach
its conclusion on this night. Unbeknown to the fans in attendance, it was only
just getting warmed up. Stratus surged toward the ring late in the match,
appearing to be firmly in Jericho's corner. Christian, apparently disgusted by
Stratus' presence, pulled her violently into the ring and attempted to attack
her. Jericho made the save, but when he leaned down to assist his fallen friend,
Stratus thrust forth an elbow, apparently believing that it was Christian. Her
elbow jabbed Jericho's temple, and Christian scored a roll up pin for the
three-count. After the match, Stratus appeared to be all apologies, but as she
and Jericho argued in the ring, Christian came running back down the aisle, to
seemingly get his hands on Stratus in a violent and hateful manner once again.
As Jericho tried to hold Stratus back, though, the fans witnessed the turn of
Trish Stratus.
Stratus suddenly reared back and throttled Jericho
with a vicious haymaker, which Christian followed with the Un-Prettier.
Christian and Stratus walked away holding hands, mocking their former friend who
sat in the ring looking on with an expression of disbelief. Before they
departed, Christian grabbed Stratus' hair, pulled her to his lips, and
passionately kissed his new girlfriend.
The following night on Raw, after the two squashed
Spike Dudley in an unprovoked attack, Stratus revealed on how she had never
forgiven Jericho for the Canadian dollar bet, how her feelings of sadness and
hurt ate away at her for months as she plotted her ultimate revenge. She also
revealed to the fans how much she "likes it rough". She ended the promo by
proclaiming to Jericho and to the world, "You can't get no...Stratusfaction."
Wrestling: Stratus Makes History
The Stratus-Christian union would continue for
several more months, and even saw the addition of a "problem solver" to their
mix, the hulking Tyson Tomko. As the Jericho-Christian feud reached its
conclusion, Stratus refocused herself on the Women's Championship. At Bad Blood
on June 13, 2004, the Women's Championship was defended by Victoria, in a Fatal
Four Way Elimination Match. Lita appeared to have victory at hand following a
DDT to Gail Kim, but Stratus moved in for the kill, rolling up Lita from behind
for the win and the title. This win was historic for Stratus, as she became the
first-ever five time WWE Women's Champion. Stratus would continue to hold the
title for the next six months, fending off all challenges and even tying the
record for the fastest match in wrestling history, pinning Nidia in just three
seconds on the July 5, 2004 RAW.
As Stratus' reign continued, her union with
Christian dissolved, and her bitter feud with Lita escalated. Their
confrontations became more violent by the week, at one point even seeing
Stratus' nose broken during a match between the two at the 2004 Survivor Series.
On the December 6, 2004 RAW, Lita finally managed to win the title from Stratus,
in a hard-fought main event. Just a month later, on January 9, 2005 at New
Year's Revolution in Puerto Rico, Lita defended her title against Stratus. Lita
tore her ACL when she connected with a Lou Thesz press off the ring apron, onto
the arena floor. Stratus quickly took advantage of the situation, nailing Lita
with a "Chick Kick" to the head to win her record sixth Women's Championship.
Stratus successfully defended her title at WrestleMania 21 on April 3, 2005
against 2004 Diva Search winner Christy Hemme.
In May 2005, Stratus was removed from competition,
due to a herniated disc. Storyline wise, she was attacked by Viscera after he
failed to take out Lita's "husband" Kane. She berated him after the match and he
gave her a bear hug and followed up with a big splash.
Outside of wrestling
Stratus has appeared on Mad TV twice and various
comedy shows in Canada including Royal Canadian Air Farce and performing on
stage at Second City. Stratus has also recorded a song called "I Just Want You",
as part of the WWE-produced compilation album, WWE Originals.
Trish is also one of the many WWE Divas who
continually refuses to pose nude for Playboy. In a March 15, 2005 inteview with
Byte This! (an online talk show), Trish is quoted as saying;
"I just feel that I want to leave my mark in the
ring. And I want to walk away, [unlike how] people will say about Torrie Wilson,
'Oh yea, she's the one that did Playboy.' And I don't want that to be
overshadowed by anything I do in the ring. I want people to go 'Oh right, Trish
Stratus. She was the greatest Women's Champion ever.'" [2]
Trish's catchphrase is "Stratusfaction Guaranteed",
in which True Stratusfaction is the feeling of constantly being challenged and
meeting those challenges. Her motto is, "Preparedness meets opportunity."
Stratus's mother, Alice is a teacher of Polish
decent and her father, John is a real estate agent of Greek descent. Trish has
two sisters, Christy and Melissa.
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Additional statistics
Finishing maneuvers
-
Chick Kick
-
Stratusfaction
-
Bulldog (2001-2003)
Signature maneuvers
-
Stratusphere (Handstand
Frankensteiner)
-
Air Canada (Lou Thesz Press)
-
Matrix Evasion (bends backwards
to avoid an opponent's attack, as seen in The Matrix)
Championships/Accomplishments
WWE
highlights
-
6-Time WWE Women's Champion
-
1-Time WWE Hardcore Champion
-
3-Time WWE Babe of the
Year(2001-2003)
-
WWE Diva of the Decade
Title lineage
|
Preceded by:
Vacated |
WWE Women's Champion
First reign |
Succeeded by:
Jazz |
|
Preceded by:
Jazz |
WWE Women's Champion
Second reign |
Succeeded by:
Molly Holly |
|
Preceded by:
Molly Holly |
WWE Women's Champion
Third reign |
Succeeded by:
Victoria |
|
Preceded by:
Victoria |
WWE Women's Champion
Fourth reign |
Succeeded by:
Jazz |
|
Preceded by:
Victoria |
WWE Women's Champion
Fifth reign |
Succeeded by:
Lita |
|
Preceded by:
Lita |
WWE Women's Champion
Sixth reign |
Succeeded by:
Current champion |
|
Preceded by:
Crash Holly |
WWE Hardcore Champion
First reign |
Succeeded by:
Steven Richards |
Job titles
-
Trish Stratus
Enterprises - Fitness Model
-
Live Audio
Wrestling - Co-host / Sports Entertainment Analyst
-
Apocalypse
Wrestling Federation - Sports Entertainer
-
World Wrestling
Entertainment - Excess Co-host / Color Commentator
-
World Wrestling
Entertainment - Sports Entertainer
* * * *
The
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URL of Original Article:
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Date Article Copied:
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