10 Ways Wrestlers Became The Most Badass Versions Of Themselves
9. Trish Stratus: Welcomed The Graft
At the start of her WWE career, Trish Stratus was very close to everything people used to complain about when it came to women in WWE: a former fitness model with no prior experience, seemingly hired for aesthetic reasons. She was different to the usual archetype, though.
Trish didn't join WWE to steal a spotlight, but to earn one. A lifelong wrestling fan with a particular fondness for Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, she was effective in her early role as Test and Albert's manager, though she was thrown into in-ring action entirely too early. Partnering T&A in their feud with The Hardy Boyz and Lita, her work was every bit as wonky as you'd expect from someone who'd only debuted on TV three months prior. She wasn't any good, but that wasn't her fault.
Not content with coasting as a manager, Stratus embraced the grind. She worked harder than anyone else to become one of the most improved wrestlers in WWE from start to finish, eventually becoming a legend of the division during her long-term feud with Lita, and a women's wrestling standard-bearer long before any "Revolution."