The match between Stephanie and Trish Stratus at No Way Out 2001 was the culmination of a storyline affair between the buxom blonde and Stephanie's father Vince, to which the Billion Dollar Princess did not take kindly. The animosity between she and Trish reached a boiling point ahead of their much-anticipated bout at the annual February pay-per-view. They had traded insults, took turns humiliating one another and were not afraid to get physical in the ring or outside it. With his allegiances torn, Vince would be forced to watch from the dressing room as his daughter and mistress did battle in an intense grudge match. Stephanie, surprisingly, had the crowd's support as she entered the Thomas and Mack Center for the contest and repaid them with an great, aggressive performance in which he beat and battered her rival around the ring and ringside area. Trish, to her credit, far exceeded expectations and strong booking helped make the match one of the best women's bouts in recent memory. The indecision by WWE Commissioner William Regal as to whom to aid to victory, as ordered by his boss Vince, helped shroud the outcome in mystery. Ultimately, he chose Stephanie following a slap from the yapping Trish, something that would earn him the scorn of the chairman later in the night. After months of targeting Trish for her indecent affair with her father, Stephanie emerged victoriously and would further stick it to Trish the next night on Raw. With her father and Regal, Stephanie publicly humiliated Trish as part of a very public breakup between the Toronto native and the owner of WWE. Needless to say, the good will she built up with the fans ended the following night on Raw when Stephanie reunited with her father and the hated Regal, revealing the entire ordeal to be a charade. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x11lb5h_trish-stratus-vs-stephanie-mcmahon_sport To this day, the match between Stephanie and Trish ranks as the best of the former's career and one of the most surprisingly great bouts in WWE pay-per-view history.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
