10 Fascinating WWE Backstage Facts About Trish Stratus
7. She Was Supposed To Face Asuka At NXT TakeOver: Toronto
During the midst of Asuka's legendary reign as NXT Women's Champion, the promotion decided they'd seen enough of her battering modern day competitors, and recruited someone from the past for the champ to murder instead.
The name they landed on was Mickie James, who was returning to WWE for the first time in six years. The pair had a brilliant match and, although James came up short, she got re-signed as a result. Whilst this was great news, James wasn't the developmental brand's first choice.
The TakeOver where James faced Asuka took place in Toronto, which might give you a clue as to where this is going. The original plan was to have Trish, a Toronto native, take on Asuka instead, which would have generated massive heat when the champion beat her in front of her hometown crowd.
Unfortunately, was unable to answer the call as she was pregnant at the time with her second child, yet more proof that children ruin everything.
Ah well, at least the James match was good. Although, it did inadvertently lead to her being fired via trash bag a number of years later.