Trish Stratus Talks Teaming With Lita While Reflecting On Long Rivalry In WWE

Trish Stratus and Lita are very good friends that will get to team up together very soon at WrestleMania 39, which has led to Trish reflecting on their history.

Anybody that knows the careers of Trish Stratus and Lita are aware of the duo that calls themselves “Team Bestie.” They started in WWE together in 2000 around the same time, they both retired as full-time performers in 2006 just two months apart and they were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in back-to-back years. Trish was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 with Lita getting her induction in 2014.

Over the past five years, Trish and Lita have been around WWE occasionally by wrestling in Royal Rumble matches, tagging at the Evolution 2018 all women’s show, and having high-profile singles matches with Charlotte Flair (Trish in 2019) and Becky Lynch (Lita in 2023). Both women are 47 years old, but they are having no problem hanging with the current WWE superstars.

Lita returned to WWE first this year by winning the Raw Women’s Tag Team Titles with Becky Lynch on the February 27th edition of Raw. Lita and Becky wouldn’t have won those titles without an assist from Trish Stratus, who stopped Bayley from helping her Damage CTRL buddies Dakota Kai & IYO SKY. A moonsault from Lita led to the victory.

The situation between the six women has led to a big tag team at WrestleMania 39 on April 1st or April 2nd with Trish, Lita & Becky teaming up against Bayley, Dakota & IYO.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Trish Stratus recalled the early days of working with Lita in 2000 when they were new in WWE.

“I was totally intimidated by her. She could do crazy s**t in the ring. I’d been training for three months. Given the chance, I knew I could do more. I’d always played sports, like soccer and field hockey, and I loved wrestling, so I picked it up super fast.”

“The psychology is what really clicked for me. But I looked at her as the wrestler. I wasn’t there yet. But I wanted to prove I could hang with her.”

WrestleMania 39 will be at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The last time there was an LA WrestleMania was WM21 in 2005 when Trish was a heel Women’s Champion and Lita was going to be her opponent. However, Lita suffered a serious knee injury and wasn’t able to wrestle. This time, Trish & Lita will be on a team at an LA WrestleMania.

“We were so disappointed to lose that singles match. We’d been working toward that WrestleMania. I was driven to reach a new point in my wrestling, and I geared up for that moment.”

“Who would have thought we’d have this match now? We’ve mostly been rivals, so it’s cool that we’re teamed up. We’ve been best friends since the very beginning. I feel so honored and blessed that I can do this with my very best friend. My ring is set up in Toronto, so I’ll be ready for WrestleMania.”

In addition to Trish Stratus & Lita teaming up at WrestleMania 39, they will also be featured on A&E TV’s WWE Rivals show this Sunday at 10 p.m. ET with a one-hour special about the Trish-Lita rivalry.

As for the future, there are rumors that Trish Stratus may be sticking around past-WrestleMania, which could include a heel turn leading to a match at SummerSlam against Becky Lynch. It’s just a rumor for now.