Patricia Stratigias
Born	(1975-12-18) December 18, 1975 (age 48) Richmond Hill, Ontario
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Trish Stratus
Billed height	163 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Billed weight	57 kg (125 lb)
Billed from	Toronto, Ontario
Trained by	Ron Hutchinson Nora Greenwald Dave Finlay
Debut	March 19 2000
Retired	September 17 2006

Trish Stratus (born Patricia Anne Stratigias ^[1] (IPA: strætɛˈdʒiːʌs) on December 18 1975 in Richmond Hill, Ontario), is a former Canadian fitness model and semi-retired professional wrestler. Formerly working for World Wrestling Entertainment, Stratus retired from WWE on September 17 2006 after winning her seventh WWE Women's Championship.^[2] Stratus is the first in WWF/E history to have held the WWE Women's Championship seven times.^[3] She is also one of only four women to have held the WWE Hardcore Championship.

As a fitness model, Stratus 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 calendar series called "Dream Team" with fellow model, Stacey Lynn. As a sports entertainer, she was proclaimed the "Diva of the Decade" on the WWE RAW X Anniversary Show. She was voted "WWE Babe of the Year" three times between 2001 and 2003.

Wrestling career

Stratus caught the attention of the WWF while co-hosting a Canadian professional wrestling talk show called Live Audio Wrestling with "Big Daddy" Donnie Abreu and "Gentleman" Jeff Marek. WWF agents told Stratus that if she felt she had more to offer than her looks alone, she should start training for a wrestling career. Soon afterward, Stratigias began 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, Stratigias was ready to start her career as a pro wrestler, having been a fan since her childhood and idolizing Hulk Hogan. She began her career under the stage name Trish Stratus.

2000

Her first WWF appearance took place on the March 19 2000 episode of Sunday Night HEAT. Stratus appeared on the runway, scouting 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. She had been taunting The Dudley Boyz for weeks, in particular Bubba Ray Dudley who was notorious for his fondness for putting females through tables, such as Terri Runnels and Mae Young.

More and more, Stratus found herself getting physically involved in the action, taking her bumps from Superstars like The Big Show and Chyna and even suffering a stinkface from Rikishi. It was not long before Stratus began competing in actual matches. One of the earliest examples was a six-person tag team match at Fully Loaded on July 23, 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 later managed Val Venis to win the Intercontinental Championship, but seemed to be outgrowing managing, as she had bigger aspirations on her mind. These aspirations included challenging for the WWF Women's Championship on a number of occasions against Lita and Ivory, although none of these attempts proved successful. T & A disbanded by the end of 2000, with Trish briefly managing Albert solely.

2001

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 December 2000. Vince and Stratus' relationship increasingly angered the boss' daughter, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, and 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 set-up by Vince, Stephanie, and Regal. Regal executed the Regal Cutter on Stratus, and Stephanie then dumped sewage over Stratus' 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 is WAR, Stratus gave Vince an apology for the disruption she felt she had caused in his life. Vince then humiliated her further, forcing Stratus to strip down to her bra and thong, get on all fours, and bark like a dog. The footage was cut out of the United Kingdom broadcast. It ended up being part of a plan Stratus had set into motion to embarrass Vince. At WrestleMania X-Seven a month later, it all became clear. During a Street Fight between Vince and his son, then-World Championship Wrestling (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 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.

After her situation with the McMahon family ended, Stratus began focusing on wrestling full-time. On the April 23 edition of RAW, Stratus was backstage promoting the "Divas in Hedonism" video when she ran into Mr. McMahon. McMahon then placed her in a match against Ivory, where if she lost, she would be forced to join the Right to Censor. However, Stratus managed to pin Ivory following a modified bulldog. Trish was later involved in the feud between The Rock and Vince, which led to a match pitting Stratus and The Rock against Vince and Kurt Angle. During the match, The Rock tagged in Trish, and she viciously attacked Vince delivering a Low Blow and pinning Vince herself.

During the WCW/ECW Invasion storyline, Stratus and Lita attempted to put their past behind them and began focusing on taking out alliance girls, Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson. At the InVasion pay-per-view, the two WWF divas faced off against the WCW Divas in the first ever Bra and Panties Tag Team Match, where Trish and Lita were victorious. The following night on RAW, however, Stratus suffered an injury in her "Paddle on a Pole" match against Torrie Wilson. She underwent ankle surgery later in the summer, and it was at least four months before Stratus would fully heal. As she rehabilitated, Stratus kept herself visible by co-hosting Excess on TNN. When she was not doing the show, Stratus continued training and rehabilitating, preparing herself for her comeback in the ring. She received extensive ring training from Dave Finlay, a former WCW Television Champion. Finlay's schoolings served Stratus well; by the time she returned to the ring, she was better prepared for combat than ever.

Her return came at the Survivor Series on November 18 in a six-pack challenge for the vacant WWE Women's Championship. At this event, Stratus faced off with Lita, Mighty Molly, Jacqueline, Ivory, and former Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) mainstay, Jazz. Stratus pinned Ivory after unveiling her new Stratusfaction finisher, a modified bulldog headlock. The move 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. And with that, Stratus had won her first WWE Women's Championship.

2002

Trish went on to feud with Jazz for several months over the Women's Championship. At the Royal Rumble 2002, despite an "injured hand," Trish walked away with the victory after a bulldog brought Jazz down for the count. Two weeks later, Jazz walked away with the title on an edition of RAW. Trish then went after the title for several months, even competing in a triple threat match at WrestleMania X8 against Lita and Jazz in her hometown of Toronto, Canada. Trish was unsuccessful.

Three months later, Stratus won the title back in a tag team match where both the Women's and the Hardcore title were on the line. The match pitted Stratus and Bubba Ray Dudley against Jazz and Steven Richards, and Stratus pinned Jazz to capture her second Women's title in her hometown of Toronto. During her association with Dudley, Stratus would also have a brief reign as Hardcore Champion by defeating Crash Holly on May 6. However, under the 24/7 rules of the title, she won and lost the title within minutes after Stevie Richards pinned her.

Stratus then went on to feud with newly-heel, Molly Holly. Molly defeated Trish at King of the Ring 2002 for the Women's Championship. The two Divas carried on their feud for the next three months. It finally ended with Stratus defeating Holly at Unforgiven 2002 to regain the title.

When Victoria debuted in WWE, Stratus was first on her mind to try to defeat. After successfully defending her title against Victoria at No Mercy 2002, Victoria gained revenge by defeating Stratus at Survivor Series 2002 in a hardcore match.

Stratus also became WWE's most popular Diva, gracing the cover of WWE Divas 2002 swimsuit magazine (Lita graced the cover the year before) and also winning the Woman of the Year achievement award, as voted by the readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine. In the brand extension between RAW and SmackDown!, Stratus was drafted to RAW.

2003

Throughout January 2003, Stratus continued her feud with Victoria. On the January 27 edition of RAW, Victoria defeated Stratus in a special Chicago Street Fight. On March 17, Victoria and Stevie Richards defeated Jazz and Trish in a tag team match. After the match, Jeff Hardy saved Trish from an attack by both Victoria and Richards, and he kissed her on the lips. In the following weeks, Trish and Hardy were shown talking back stage and fighting as tag team partners. However, the storyline was dropped when Hardy was released from WWE on April 22 2003.^[4]

At WrestleMania XIX, Trish defeated Victoria and Jazz to capture her fourth Women's Championship. She lost the title to Jazz at Backlash 2003 on April 27. In the following months, Stratus entered into a feud with Gail Kim and Molly Holly. The duo defeated Stratus and several tag team partners until Trish began to partner with Lita. The team of Stratus and Lita defeated Kim and Molly Holly in several matches, including one at Unforgiven 2003.

In November, Chris Jericho began an on-screen romance with Trish. He asked her out on the November 10 episode of RAW, and she agreed. Subsequently, they participated in several intergender tag team matches as partners. Around the same time, Christian began an on-screen relationship with Lita. On the December 1 episode of RAW, Stratus overheard the two men discussing a bet about who could sleep with their respective woman first. One week later, Lita and Trish confronted the men about their actions. This led to a feud between the two men versus the two women. On December 14, Christian and Jericho defeated Lita and Trish in a "Battle of the Sexes" match at Armageddon 2003. The next night on RAW, a rematch of the previous night ended in a no contest.

2004

On January 12 2004, Jericho saved Trish from an attack by Jazz after a match. Two weeks later, Jericho once again saved Trish using his favour with Eric Bischoff to pull her out of a scheduled match with Kane. The duo then had a short feud with Christian, after he tried for several weeks to keep them apart. On the February 9 edition of RAW, Christian apologized for his actions. Two weeks later, Trish was scheduled in a match against Christian, who agreed to lay down and let her win, but he double crossed her by winning the match.

At WrestleMania XX, Christian defeated Chris Jericho after Stratus turned heel and betrayed Jericho. The trio began a feud that would last for several months. In April at Backlash 2004, Chris Jericho defeated Christian and Trish in a handicap match. By May, Stratus and bodyguard Tyson Tomko were still attacking Jericho.

At Bad Blood 2004 on June 13, Stratus defeated Women's Champion Victoria, Gail Kim, and Lita to win her fifth Women's Championship. She defended her championship until she suffered a broken hand in July that caused her to be out of action for approximately a month. In September, Trish defended her title against the #1 Contender Nidia on RAW and Victoria at Unforgiven 2004.

Also in September, Trish entered into a feud with Stacy Keibler, which saw Keibler pin Trish on several occassions. Keibler defeated Molly Holly in a contenders match on an episode of RAW. However, the following week, Stratus defeated Keibler with a Chick Kick to the shoulder. A month later, Stratus entered into a feud with Lita after repeatedly poking fun at Lita's (kayfabe) pregnancy. At Survivor Series 2004, Trish defeated Lita when Lita was disqaulified for attacking her with a steel chair. The duo continued to feud until December when Lita beat Trish for the Women's Title on an episode of RAW.

2005

Stratus defeated Lita to win her sixth Women's Championship, breaking the record, on January 9 at New Year's Revolution 2005. Lita tore her anterior cruciate ligament in the course of the match when Lita attempted a diving Thesz Press from the apron to the floor, which resulted in Lita being put on the shelf for three months. Subsequently, Stratus became a six time champion and went on to hold the title for 15 months.

Stratus began a feud with 2004 RAW Diva Search winner Christy Hemme over jealousy of Hemme's Playboy magazine exposure. Hemme eventually revealed that she had been being trained by Lita before hitting Stratus with a Reverse Twist of Fate. Stratus defeated Hemme at WrestleMania 21 with Lita in Hemme's corner. Stratus and the injured Lita feuded throughout April 2005, with Viscera wrestling Lita's then-(kayfabe) husband Kane on behalf of Stratus at Backlash. In May 2005, Stratus was sidelined with a herniated disc; the storyline explanation for her shelving was that Viscera had injured her with a big splash after she berated him for losing to Kane. Stratus would take a leave of absence with the Women's Championship.

Stratus returned to WWE television in September, turning face once again by siding with Ashley Massaro against Vince's Devils. In the course of the feud, Stratus was saved from a beating at the hands of Victoria by the debuting Mickie James, who was quick to introduce herself as Stratus' "biggest fan." All six women took part in a "Fulfill Your Fantasy" Diva battle royal for the Women's Championship at Taboo Tuesday 2005, with Stratus retaining her title for a second consecutive year. The match ended when Mickie James sacrificed herself in order to eliminate Victoria, leaving Stratus the only woman standing.

On the November 14 Eddie Guerrero Tribute Show, Stratus took part in an interpromotional Diva battle royal that was won by SmackDown! Diva Melina. Following her victory, Melina (kayfabe) kidnapped Trish, and challenged her to a match for the Women's Championship. The two fought at the 2005 Survivor Series, with Stratus defeating Melina, with the assistance of Mickie James.

Stratus and James teamed together throughout late 2005, with James becoming increasingly obsessive. On the December 26 episode of RAW, James initiated an "intimate" kiss with Stratus under a sprig of mistletoe, causing a surprised Stratus to flee the locker room.

2006

The partnership between Mickie James and Stratus continued into 2006, with Stratus defeating James in a Women's Championship bout at New Year's Revolution 2006. Despite the defeat, James continued to be enamored of Stratus. Her fixation with Stratus led to a rivalry between James and Ashley Massaro, who dubbed the lovelorn James a "psycho." At the same time, James continued to pursue Stratus, on one occasion having her (kayfabe) date, Jack, arrested on false grounds. In early March, Stratus confronted James, telling her that she needed space. The duo briefly reconciled on the March 18 Saturday Night's Main Event, teaming together to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria. However, James turned on Stratus after the match, attacking her with a Chick Kick and the Stratusfaction. This storyline was lampooned by comedians Mario Rosenstock and Mick McCarthy in a Gift Grub sketch on Today FM. The parody was a take-off of Stan by Eminem where Mickie jumps of a cliff at the end. Mickie James said in an interview with Chris Moyles on BBC Radio 1 that she actually liked the impressions of herself and Trish. James won the Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22, where Stratus was heavily booed by the crowd.

Stratus and James engaged in mind games throughout April, with James dressing like Stratus (complete with dyed blonde hair) and vice-versa. On the April 17 episode of RAW, Stratus (dressed as James) brought a tied-up Jack to the ring, telling him that "the real Trish Stratus" would attempt to save him. A confused James attempted to attack Trish but instead got a spinebuster, then attacked Jack for "betraying" her. The rivals fought one another for the Women's Championship at Backlash 2006, with Stratus winning by disqualification after James refused to relinquish a chokehold. In the course of the match, Stratus (legitimately) dislocated her right shoulder, which would require six weeks of rehabilitation. She continued to feud with James by proxy throughout May, bringing in and working with Beth Phoenix until Phoenix suffered a broken jaw.

Stratus returned to the ring in late June, where she started a (kayfabe) relationship with Carlito when he saved her from a double team attack from Melina and Johnny Nitro. Their feud continued to Saturday Night's Main Event, where they were victorious against Nitro and Melina in a mixed tag team match. Stratus and Carlito then went on to briefly feud with Edge and Lita, and they teamed up against them on several occasions. In late August, Lita stated that Stratus would retire following Unforgiven, which was later confirmed by Stratus. Stratus wrestled her final RAW match on September 11 in Madison Square Garden, defeating Mickie James, whom she hugged following the match. At Unforgiven, in her home town of Toronto, Stratus defeated Lita by using fellow Canadian Bret Hart's signature submission maneuver, the Sharpshooter, to win a record seventh Women's Championship and retiring as champion. The belt was officially (albeit not on camera) vacated the next evening on RAW.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves

• Chick Kick (Roundhouse kick)
• Stratusfaction (Springboard bulldog)

• Signature moves

• Various Bulldog variations:

• Trishdog (Running Headlock Bulldog) (2000)
• Wheelbarrow Bulldog (2003)
• Diving Bulldog (2002-2005)

• StratusFear (Handstand frankensteiner to opponent in the corner) ^[5]
• Air Canada (Lou Thesz press with punches)
• MaTrish (The Matrix)
• MaTrish Reloaded / Whirlybird Headscissors (Handstand swinging headscissors)
• Spinebuster
• Backhand chop to opponent in corner (preceded by licking the palm of her hand)
• Combination headlock takeover and headscissors takedown on two opponents
• Victory roll
• Bicycle kick
• Neckbreaker
• Top rope frankensteiner
• Stratus Splash (Stinger splash) Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name (see the help page).
• Spear

• Wrestlers managed

• Entrance Music

• Stratus originally used T & A's generic music as an entrance theme until she left the stable.
• Stratus then used Stratusfaction, a WWE production theme.
• Stratus' third and final theme was Time To Rock 'N' Roll by Lil' Kim

Championships and accomplishments

• FIGHTING SPIRIT magazine

• Double X Award 2006
• Three Degrees Award 2006

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated

• Woman of the Year (2002)
• Woman of the Year (2003)
• Woman of the Year (2005)
• Woman of the Year (2006)

• World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

• WWE Women's Championship (7 times)
• WWE Hardcore Championship (1 time )
• WWE Babe of the Year (2001)
• WWE Babe of the Year (2002)
• WWE Babe of the Year (2003)

After wrestling

Starting in late November 2006 through mid-January 2007, Trish temporarily moved to Muncie, Indiana for the CBS unscripted show Armed & Famous. The concept was that Trish was one of five celebrities who trained as volunteer officers with the Muncie Police Department. After finishing their training, the celebrity officers and their real officer partners were followed around by camera crews on legitimate police calls. Although the show was scheduled to broadcast seven episodes starting on January 10, 2007, CBS canceled the series after just four of the episodes were aired.^[6]

After the cancellation of Armed & Famous, Stratus was announced as the host of The Second City's Next Comedy Legend. This contest, endorsed by the The Second City comedy troupe and scheduled to be aired on CBC in eight episodes starting July 10, 2007, is a comedy version of the the worldwide Idol singing competition phenomenon. However, unlike the various international versions of Idol, a panel of celebrity judges, instead of counting viewer votes, will eliminate one performer per week until the winner is determined. Stratus has described the show in an interview as sketch comedy version of America's Next Top Model.^[7]

At the 2007 NHL Awards, Trish along with George Strombolopoulos presented the Vezina Trophy.^[8] Martin Brodeur won the award for the third time in his career. ^[9]

Personal life

Stratus' parents are named John and Alice, and she has two younger sisters: Christie and Melissa.

Trish is married to Ron Fisico. Her wedding included many WWE superstars, past and present. Her gown was featured on a cover of Today's Bride magazine.

Trish has repeatedly been asked to pose nude for Playboy, but has turned every offer down. According to Stratus, "I've always been a fan of leaving things to the imagination. Playboy is not really something I'm interested in. If people want to see a sexy image of me, I think I can still give it to them (without taking my clothes off)."^[10]

Other media

• The Second City's Next Comedy Legend (2007)
• Armed & Famous (2007)
• MADtv Episode: 9.18 (2004)
• Royal Canadian Air Farce Episode: Dec. 31 (2004)
• MADtv Episode: 8.17 (2003)
• The Weakest Link Episode: WWF Superstars Edition (2001)

References

External links

• Trish Stratus' WWE Alumni Profile
• Trish's Official Website
• Trish Stratus at IMDb
• Next Comedy Legend Official Website