WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus was recently interviewed on Bella Twins’ podcast, as she spoke about the hard work and dedication that went into the women’s evolution that we have experienced in WWE, dating back to the Attitude Era. She said,
“I just sort of go ‘you’re welcome,’ to everyone [laughs]. No, of course, it was a collaborative effort for sure. It was laying the groundwork and from the beginning, it was re-educating the fans on what to expect from a female performer, the acceptance of the fans, the acceptance of the producers backstage for them to be like, ‘Okay, we can give them this.’ I remember, one time, to have a hardcore match was a big deal. ‘I don’t think they can handle it.’ ‘Why can’t we handle it when they can handle it? We can handle it too.’ I took a chair shot from Victoria and people were unhappy that happened, but why? The guys take chair shots all the time and I wanted it. I consent to this. So many players along the way. Look at Jazz, Victoria, Molly Holly, Mickie James. It’s cool to watch and to hear people talk about, ‘this inspired me, this event inspired me.’ It’s touching. When you set out to do what you do in your world, the aim is to please and get accolades from your co-workers. That was a big part for me, to earn the respect of my co-workers. I did pretty well.“
