10 Things You Didn't Know About Trish Stratus
We all need some Stratusfaction in our lives.
In 2016, women's wrestling finds itself in great health. Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch fought over the newly introduced Women's Championship at WrestleMania 32 and put on the match of the night in the process. The years of the females in World Wrestling Entertainment being treated as eye-candy and not much more are over, and rightfully so.
In many ways, Trish Stratus was responsible for both the positive and negative portrayals of women in WWE over the last decade or so. She made her first appearance on WWE TV in 2000 as the manager of the 'hilariously' named T & A (Test and Albert), and would go on to become arguably the most iconic female performer in WWE history.
She changed the way women in WWE had to look, as she set an incredibly high bar for sexiness. Many have said that it was Trish's success that led to Vince almost exclusively hiring models for years, with a preference for females who would pose for Playboy.
She also progressed and progressed in the ring itself, and was the first model that the company had hired who would go on to more than prove herself as an active competitor. If all the other models hired had her aptitude and work ethic, women's wrestling in 2016 would have been a whole lot different.
Let's take another look at the life and times of Trish Stratus.
10. A Faculty Strike Led To Her Modelling Career
Born Patricia Stratigeas in December, 1975, Trish Stratus didn't exactly have a life-long dream of being a professional wrestler. Trish grew up in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, and after completing secondary school she enrolled at York University to study Biology and Kinesiology.
Her career plans would change completely in 1997, and the catalyst came from a fairly unlikely source. Patricia was hoping to become a doctor, but the winter strike left her looking for work until things calmed down. She found employment as a receptionist at a local gym, where she was eventually discovered by the publisher of MuscleMag International. Stratigeas was asked if she would be interested in doing a test shoot, and the rest is history.
Interestingly enough, Stratigeas was also the co-host of a local wrestling radio show at the time.