Trish Stratus isn’t ruling out another WWE match, but the circumstances would have to be right.
Stratus last competed at WWE Evolution 2025, challenging Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship. The match capped off a three-match stretch for the WWE Hall of Famer that also included appearances in the women’s Royal Rumble and at Elimination Chamber.
During an appearance on the latest installment of the INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet podcast (see video below), Stratus was asked whether she has considered stepping back into the ring again. For Stratus, any potential return needs to have a purpose beyond simply adding another match to her resume.
“All about timing, the right moment. Here’s the thing. Last year was my 25th anniversary. 25 years. I’m still alive. So I talked to WWE. We’re like, what can we do to make it kind of special? I didn’t have to do a full-time run. I’m just like, let’s pick some cool moments to come back on, and I’m all about these moments that really make a difference that matter. There’s a few boxes that I need to check if I go back, and it has to be not self-serving. It has to be let’s pay the business forward a bit; let’s do something that maybe is a fan fantasy matchup or something like that,” Stratus said.
“There’s a few things I take into consideration before I go. So we thought, how cool would it be to come out the Royal Rumble as a surprise? I don’t think anybody expected it.”
Stratus entered the 2025 women’s Royal Rumble at No. 25, fitting with the celebration of her 25th anniversary in wrestling. She explained that even the details of her elimination were designed to help set up what came next.
“I mean, a little strategy. I’m coming back. But if it’s the 25th anniversary, and they’re like, of course. Because you guys know how I like to do things. I like details. So 25th, that was a perfect way to kind of come back. If you guys notice, who threw me out? Nia. All planting seeds for Elimination Chamber,” Stratus stated.
Stratus also reflected on getting to wrestle in front of her children and how her appearances with Stratton eventually developed into their Women’s Championship match at Evolution.
“My kids are here tonight. So of course, as an old school wrestler, they knew their mom was a wrestler,” she said. “We’d gone to events, and they could see that people want my autograph and things like that, and they’ve heard about it. YouTubed it. So the fact I got to go back that many years later and actually have a wrestling match live in front of my kids was so special. A nice, good, wholesome win. So that was very special. So yeah, we sort of picked a few events. Evolution headlining with Tiffany Stratton, Women’s Championship match, and we’re babyface versus babyface. So we’re talking about planting seeds. So if we go back even a year, the Money in the Bank in Toronto, when I hosted that. This is me with the writers. They just go along with it. Yeah, sure, Trish. If it pans out, I’m like, oh, it will. I know it will. They moved on to other things.”
Stratus said the story with Stratton had actually begun taking shape well before their eventual singles match. She also revealed there had been consideration given to doing more before family circumstances caused her to step away.
“So we planned a little seed with Tiffy back then, and then we thought it’d be good to do Evolution one on one, babyfaces facing each other, and then we sort of thought about a little finale, a little final run. So my mom got sick last year, as you guys may or not know, and so I just kind of took a break from everything. But so my point of all that is, I like storytelling. I like to have it be not just spontaneous and not mean much. So if I was to go back, it needs to be things got to be in place, and got to be the right person and the right time,” Stratus said.
At 50 years old, Stratus has continued to hold herself to a high standard during her occasional returns. Asked how much longer she could see herself wrestling, Stratus made it clear that she has no interest in returning if she can’t perform at the level she expects from herself.
“I don’t know. I just know that I’m only gonna do it if I can give 100%. Every time I’ve gone back, I’ll watch the video and I’m like, is this sh*t? Let me see. I’m like, oh, it’s pretty good. But if I watch it back and I’m like, she was slower than usual, I don’t want it. I want to give you guys like my 100%. I don’t want you be like, no [it’s not good]. When I say due diligence, I remember I got the call for the 2018 Royal Rumble. First ever, historic, and they called me. It was John Laurinaitis. He was like, okay, they want you in it. It’s iconic. It’s historic, and I was like, I will let you know. I’m gonna check my calendar.”
Before committing to that 2018 return, Stratus said she privately tested herself in the ring to make sure she was still capable of delivering the type of performance she wanted.
“I got in the ring and then I was like, yes, I am available, John. I just wanted to make sure that I could still do it. It turns out that wrestling’s like riding a bike when you’re a wrestler, I guess, or when you do yoga. I don’t know. But I’m not going to do it half-assed. I’m not giving you a cool 60. I want to give you 100% and make sure it’s impactful and it means something, and I’m good,” Stratus said.
Also during the interview, Stratus discussed the story behind the memorable photo of her featured as a loading screen in the WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role video game. According to Stratus, the image came from an impromptu photo shoot before she had even officially started with WWE.
“The crazy thing is when you do these photos, you just do them,” Stratus said. “They go in some stock thing. You don’t know where they’re gonna land. So I actually hadn’t started yet. I was on the road. They were bringing me, but they were working on my work visa to make it official, and also figuring out what the hell are we gonna do with this girl. So I just had a bunch, and it was just fitness modeling. I would wear some of these things for my autograph signings, and I had it in my bag. They were like, we might as well shoot some pictures, just sitting around. So I put it on, did the thing, the zebra jacket, and then next thing you know, it ends up being this iconic thing that’s on everything. It was my first 8 by 10. I remember that my very first 8 by 10, as well as the iconic loading screen.”
