As noted, Trish Stratus appeared on the latest episode of the INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet podcast for an in-depth interview covering all things pro wrestling and WWE.
In addition to the highlights from the interview we previously published, where Trish Stratus addressed conditions for a WWE return and the story behind her iconic loading screen video game photo, the WWE Hall of Fame legend also spoke about her infamous WWE gravy bowl match on Thanksgiving with Stacy Keibler, WrestleMania 18 in Toronto and more.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview where she touches on these topics with her thoughts. Also embedded below is a complete video archive of the discussion.
WrestleMania 18 was here in Toronto. This doesn’t get talked about, I don’t think, at all. You were the match after the iconic Rock versus Hogan match. So you’re the semi-main event. It’s you versus Jazz versus Lita. Do you remember being backstage, getting ready to go out, and they’re putting on arguably one of the greatest matches of all time? “We were in Gorilla going we gotta follow that? We might as well just not even go out. But no, you guys gave us some love. We got the crowd reaction. We got that. I mean, just to see that match from that position and watch them come through the curtain afterwards, and watching the reaction, seeing the boys react, everyone-it was iconic and definitely a memory as a wrestling fan. I’m like, sh*t, that was cool. But for positioning, nah, don’t want that position thanks. But I think we nailed it. I think we did really well that night, and I think the crowd was into it. The Toronto crowd. I mean, for me, if you think about it, that was 2002. So I’d only debuted two years before that. I was just blessed and honored to be in a Women’s Championship match. I mean, two years ago I would have never thought I’m going to be in front of 68,000 people at the SkyDome performing and hopefully winning the Women’s Championship in my hometown. I didn’t win it that night. It’s fine though, but it wasn’t my time. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you should have won that night.’ I’m like no, it wasn’t the right time. It’s like the Chelsea Green win. To me, I always say sometimes there’s just the right win. It’s an organic win. It was the right moment. It wasn’t positioned like she’s the hometown girl, let’s let her win, and I think those are really special. So that wasn’t the moment. Eventually, it was my moment.”
With great respect, you weren’t being given a lot of chances early on in your career. There are a lot of matches where the matches are either really quick, or you’re having a gravy bowl match with Stacy Keibler. “It was like making lemonade, right? I do remember that day we got there, and it was American Thanksgiving was coming up weirdly in November or whatever. Am I right, Canadians? So we had been doing some wrestling. We had got away from that other stuff, and we were excited about having the chance to do some more wrestling. Then I remember Fit’s like, ‘Ugh, you guys are gonna hate this, but you guys have a gravy bowl match, because it’s Thanksgiving, so you guys have a gravy bowl match.’ I’m like, oh, that’s adorable. But I was like, all right, well, if I want to have to be in a stupid gravy bowl match, I’m gonna jump off the ramp, get thrown off the ramp. That’s how I’m gonna start this match. So instead of ‘Puppy chants,’ it was ‘Holy sh*t’ chants. That was cool.”
And then that moment was on the opening of Raw for years! “Listen, wrestling is about these moments and making the most out of what you’re given. Even like you said, you were barely given time. Well that’s fine; you give us three minutes, gonna be the best damn three minutes you ever got. I think a lot of it is like sometimes we look back, I think Amy [Lita] and I have done this where we’re like that match is eight minutes but it’s so good. You can do stuff in eight minutes as long as you have the storytelling. I just think characters work really [well]; there’s a lot of character work, there’s a like more storytelling than I think today, and so those eight-minute matches could mean a lot more because they’ve got that behind it.”
