10 Most Shocking WrestleMania Turns

5. Trish Stratus (WrestleMania X-Seven)

trish kiss
WWE

Trish Stratus triumphant breakaway from Vince McMahon was the first significant twist in the most remarkable and rewarding exhibition of McMahon family drama in company history.

Ending his illicit affair with Stratus to favour his daughter Stephanie, Vince had been inhumanly vile to his former squeeze in the aftermath. Segments in which Trish was covered in slop from a mop bucket, tearfully forced to disrobe, and bark like a dog on her knees in front of McMahon were some of the most uncomfortable in WWE history, but served to present the Chairman as a villain beyond the pale, with his ultimate comeuppance coming on the biggest night of the year.

Before the no-longer-sedated Linda would rise from her comatose state to hoof Vince in the grapefruits, Trish would enact revenge of her own by walloping Vince in the face with an almighty slap, then battle with Stephanie all the way to the back.

It was a spectacular babyface turn for the downtrodden vixen, and would set Stratus up for a summer of adjusting to the rigours of in-ring action that would lead to female division dominance for the next several years.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett