10 Wrestlers Who Broke Typecasting In The Most Epic Way

3. Trish Stratus

Trish Stratus Then And Now
WWE.com

Before the Four Horsewomen and the Women's Revolution in general reimagined what it meant to be a female wrestler in WWE, Trish Stratus was considered the greatest to ever compete in the company. The compliments weren't without merit, but the journey from 2000 fitness model to 2006 finesse performer was truly remarkable.

It wasn't just how good Stratus got - because she was objectively excellent - but how little she probably needed to considering the trends of the time.

As manager of T&A, the implication was on-the-nose by design - highlighted in gross fashion by her angle with Vince McMahon a year after her debut. Hired for her looks first like every other "athletic 10" the jaded old men were told to chase at the time, Trish instead worked relentlessly to reach the level of Molly Holly, Jazz and other contemporaries that had finer grasps of the fundamentals.

She gradually became considered a wrestler first and eye candy second - creative death for most women of the era before Stratus showed the idiots in Stamford that they'd got themself a girl that could do both.

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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