Trish Stratus Says Her Feud With Becky Lynch Was a Nod to WWE's Past and Present

Trish Stratus ultimately came up short in the final chapter of her explosive feud with Becky Lynch, but in her mind, she accomplished what she set out to do during her surprising latest run in WWE!

The WWE Hall of Famer shocked the sports entertainment world when a seemingly one-off appearance in early 2023 turned into a lengthy run for the long-retired Superstar. Not content to simply dip her toes in the water, she dove in head first – Trish quickly showed the WWE Universe that she could navigate the sometimes-choppy waters of the women's division just as easily in her 40s as she did in her 20s!

Thanks to an unlikely partnership with Zoey Stark, Trish Stratus found herself in the middle of an exceedingly personal rivalry with Becky Lynch that set the stage for an unforgettable summer. After months of cheap shots and trash talk, WWE Payback hosted the brawl to settle it all. Just days ago, Trish and Becky collided in an epic steel cage match:

How Does Trish Stratus View Her Generation of WWE Superstars?

Trish Stratus during a SmackDown taping. Photo: WWE

While Trish Stratus ended her evening looking up at the arena lights (not once, but twice – courtesy of Zoey Stark hitting her with a Z-360 post-match), her latest WWE run can still be considered an overwhelming success. In a recent appearance on the YouTube wrestling show GAW TV on September 14, Trish explained how her goal during her latest WWE run was to pay homage to her generation – while still keeping up with the current women on the roster.

"It was almost like repping our generation," she confessed. "I know my whole platform has been 'I did it, look at me,' – but obviously, there is a 'we.' It's something we all did, it's a foundation we all made. I felt like it was a giant nod to it and that's what I wanted it to be like."

Throughout Trish's rivalry with Becky, the catchphrase "Thank You, Trish," was born, alluding to the fact that Trish herself walked so Superstars like Becky Lynch could run. In the end, it's clear that Trish understands that it's a team effort whenever she enters the ring, and she couldn't be happier with the story she, Becky, and Zoey told.

How Did Trish Stratus React to Negative Fan Reaction?

Trish Stratus during a Monday Night Raw taping. Photo: WWE

Interestingly enough, many in the WWE Universe were vocal in their complaints that the Trish vs. Becky feud was dragging on for too long without the two women actually competing against each other in the ring. When SummerSlam 2023 came and went without a match between the two legends, conspiracy theories started floating – was there a reason why the match wasn't taking place? Why was Trish vs. Becky left off SummerSlam? Nobody knew the reasons why, but Trish didn't let the negativity affect her mindset. After all, her heyday in WWE took place in the infancy of social media, where she was largely shielded from unproductive comments from fans and critics alike.

"This was huge for me," Trish said, referring to some fans' impatience. "Knowing what we had dealt with as far as our storyline, and people were still like, 'This story is still going?' I'm like, 'Please.' It's funny because there was a bit of that, 'This storyline is dragging,' but it's [all about the] booking. Back in the day, we didn't have the luxury or not luxury of the internet where you would read after your stuff. Could you imagine, 'What's this angle, is it ever going to end?' We didn't have to deal with that. This is always your gauge, what's the fan engagement? What is the audience doing and reacting? They were super into it. It does get in your head a little, you read it and are like, 'Oh, OK.'"

Is Trish Stratus Happy With Her Match at Payback 2023?

Trish Stratus during a Monday Night Raw taping. Photo: WWE

Sometimes, the best barometer of fan satisfaction isn't from a vocal minority on the internet but from the members of the WWE Universe jam-packed into arenas all over the world! Nevertheless, Trish knew nothing less than an all-time classic cage match was needed to put the finishing touches on her epic rivalry with Becky Lynch.

"I just knew, at the end of the day, we had to deliver," she explained. "This was going to be the end, and it was going to sum up all the work and story. We wanted to kill it – I would say we did. It felt like it. It felt good. I've been back six months and that was the most dialed in… that's a great place to be. I felt comfortable, I heard the audience, I felt the audience, I was dialed in. That is attributed to the character development and storyline. It felt really good."

Even though Trish didn't come out on top at Payback, she is nonetheless thankful for being put in that position again.

"To get to that point in your career where you get those moments, it's like a blessing."

You can tune in to Peacock to watch WWE's Fastlane on October 7. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock.